Something that is oh so much by a significant margin by a lot better here is the bread. In America, I was used to weekly grocery supplied Sarah Lee toast, except in actuality we never bought the brand names, just the ninety-nine cent generic Wal-Mart version which is just simply labelled as "WHITE BREAD" on the wrapping. I think the back of the bag also said something along the lines of, "made in a factory that produces food." Anyways, it was basic toast, nothing revolutionary. Every now and then, we were treated to the Publix baguette, but the toast was more practical.
Ever since I got here, I cannot stand toast. I am getting so used to the bread.
The whole city is strewn with bakeries serving baskets of fresh bread. Every morning, most bakeries start up their ovens and begin baking the dough by six o'clock in the morning, cranking out loafs by the hundreds. The alpha-male wakes up early to get about ten loaves of bread for his family to eat breakfast. Since lunch is the biggest meal here, the father also always brings about tens of loaves home on his way home from work. I found that my sisters and I can barely finish two loaves by ourselves, so I have no idea how they are finishing that much bread but they do.
I have noticed that Libyans do not like to eat the insides of the bread. They take out the excess white fluff on the inside. They do not throw it away though. Every family keeps a clear white plastic bag aside in the kitchen for the innards of the bread. At the end of the week, the clean bag is tied neatly and put anywhere in plain sight on street corners. Then, a sort-of garbage man comes around the city looking for these bags. He takes them and uses these bread pieces to feed livestock. It is pretty efficient.
Oh and the most important part of the bread is that it is dirt cheap. You can buy about five loaves of perfectly steaming hot bread for about fifty cents here. Since flour is subsidized, bread has an insanely low cost, which is good for half of the country that is living below the poverty line.
This bread is good with everything. We eat it mainly with tuna and harissa (hot sauce) sandwiches. I know it is weird, but the main sandwich is Libya is canned tuna (in olive oil, not water!!!) with hot sauce and it is insanely good. I have no idea if I like it because I was raised on it or if I actually find it good, but I eat it anyways. If we are getting sick of eating that sandwich for five days straight for dinner(happened last week) then you could always broaden your horizons to jam, butter, nutella, cream cheese, peanut butter, or whatever topping you want.
I wish I could take a picture of the bread. It is perfectly crusty on the outside and when your fingers start to add a little more pressure to the bread, you hear a slight breaking of the grain that is so satisfying. Then when you tear a piece off, you feel the warmth of the soft insides radiate against your hands. I am so passionate about bread you guys.
Oh and I will add a insightful quote by a noteworthy scholar on the subject of bread:
"Hey you guys, how come when people make bread, they don't go like 'Here comes the bread, Here comes the bread' to the tune of 'Here comes the bride'?"
So from now on, when you are getting bread, whether it be dry toast or french baguettes, sing that song while walking your bread down the aisle.
Nothing says practicality like a white loaf of toast.
Ever since I got here, I cannot stand toast. I am getting so used to the bread.
The whole city is strewn with bakeries serving baskets of fresh bread. Every morning, most bakeries start up their ovens and begin baking the dough by six o'clock in the morning, cranking out loafs by the hundreds. The alpha-male wakes up early to get about ten loaves of bread for his family to eat breakfast. Since lunch is the biggest meal here, the father also always brings about tens of loaves home on his way home from work. I found that my sisters and I can barely finish two loaves by ourselves, so I have no idea how they are finishing that much bread but they do.
I have noticed that Libyans do not like to eat the insides of the bread. They take out the excess white fluff on the inside. They do not throw it away though. Every family keeps a clear white plastic bag aside in the kitchen for the innards of the bread. At the end of the week, the clean bag is tied neatly and put anywhere in plain sight on street corners. Then, a sort-of garbage man comes around the city looking for these bags. He takes them and uses these bread pieces to feed livestock. It is pretty efficient.
Oh and the most important part of the bread is that it is dirt cheap. You can buy about five loaves of perfectly steaming hot bread for about fifty cents here. Since flour is subsidized, bread has an insanely low cost, which is good for half of the country that is living below the poverty line.
This bread is good with everything. We eat it mainly with tuna and harissa (hot sauce) sandwiches. I know it is weird, but the main sandwich is Libya is canned tuna (in olive oil, not water!!!) with hot sauce and it is insanely good. I have no idea if I like it because I was raised on it or if I actually find it good, but I eat it anyways. If we are getting sick of eating that sandwich for five days straight for dinner(happened last week) then you could always broaden your horizons to jam, butter, nutella, cream cheese, peanut butter, or whatever topping you want.
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Oh and I will add a insightful quote by a noteworthy scholar on the subject of bread:
"Hey you guys, how come when people make bread, they don't go like 'Here comes the bread, Here comes the bread' to the tune of 'Here comes the bride'?"
So from now on, when you are getting bread, whether it be dry toast or french baguettes, sing that song while walking your bread down the aisle.
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