You know it is really strange and almost a shame how we get used to preservatives, growth hormones, etc. in our food. Everything tasted diffent here and I have come to narrow it down to such food additives.
So I am sitting here eating a burger that I cooked myself. Yes, red meat. I found a delightful little butcher in town. Actually I was shown the butcher. You see you do not really buy meat at the supermarket. You go to a butcher. A real live butcher not someone behind the counter at your local supermarket but a store that specializes in nothing but meat. He has different cuts of meat right there for you to pick out. All very fresh. If you tell him hamburger he takes a roast and actually grinds it up for you on the spot. There are freshly killed carcuses hanging in a refrigerator, etc. A real butcher.
You do pay for the quality however but it is rather comparitive to prices I paid in the U.S. before I left. I bought 2.1 Kilos and it was 18 usd. 1 Kilogram = 2.20462 Pounds that is about 3.89 usd per pound. The quality is uncomparable though. It is almost fat free. I cooked a bit up for Thanksgiving, as my dish was dirty rice, and literally there was no fat to drain off after it was brown. The same with the patties that I bought. It is almost hard to cook them because there is no fat. No splatter screen needed here for cooking burgers!
I cannot give an accurate picture of the taste though. It is not like U.S. beef at all. The taste is different. I cannot say it is good nor bad but is different. The cows here are not raised on huge beef farms like you see in the U.S. There are not cattle trucks going down the road smelling up the place. I am sure they do not use growth hormones. They graze mostly on what grass they can find and hay when it is available. Then they are taken directly to the butcher. Yes there are cows in the streets. Perhaps though even a couple are put in a truck. I have seen sheep hauled this way but not cows.
Then there is the bread hear. Bread is everywhere. Naan is the most common form of bread. It is a staple to the afghan diet. Naan resembles pita but is in long strips. As opposed to round. The use of naan dates back thousands of years. Wiki Reference It is sold on every street by vendors baking it fresh on the spot and by roaming street vendors including kids.
The grocer does sell bread that is not naan, however. It does not have Wonderbread or anything of the like. To have a hamburger you eat it on a roll. If you buy bread at the supermarket it is in a glass case that the moment you open a delicious aroma comes out. This is really fresh baked bread. It is different but good to have a hamburger on a roll that is so fresh.
So all in all the diet here is healthy. It is different but healthy. Even food I would eat in the states is healthier. I have acually dropped a few pounds. I am sure I will put it back on probably plus some during the holidays in the states but over my time here I am sure I will drop quite a few pounds.
So I am sitting here eating a burger that I cooked myself. Yes, red meat. I found a delightful little butcher in town. Actually I was shown the butcher. You see you do not really buy meat at the supermarket. You go to a butcher. A real live butcher not someone behind the counter at your local supermarket but a store that specializes in nothing but meat. He has different cuts of meat right there for you to pick out. All very fresh. If you tell him hamburger he takes a roast and actually grinds it up for you on the spot. There are freshly killed carcuses hanging in a refrigerator, etc. A real butcher.
You do pay for the quality however but it is rather comparitive to prices I paid in the U.S. before I left. I bought 2.1 Kilos and it was 18 usd. 1 Kilogram = 2.20462 Pounds that is about 3.89 usd per pound. The quality is uncomparable though. It is almost fat free. I cooked a bit up for Thanksgiving, as my dish was dirty rice, and literally there was no fat to drain off after it was brown. The same with the patties that I bought. It is almost hard to cook them because there is no fat. No splatter screen needed here for cooking burgers!
I cannot give an accurate picture of the taste though. It is not like U.S. beef at all. The taste is different. I cannot say it is good nor bad but is different. The cows here are not raised on huge beef farms like you see in the U.S. There are not cattle trucks going down the road smelling up the place. I am sure they do not use growth hormones. They graze mostly on what grass they can find and hay when it is available. Then they are taken directly to the butcher. Yes there are cows in the streets. Perhaps though even a couple are put in a truck. I have seen sheep hauled this way but not cows.
Then there is the bread hear. Bread is everywhere. Naan is the most common form of bread. It is a staple to the afghan diet. Naan resembles pita but is in long strips. As opposed to round. The use of naan dates back thousands of years. Wiki Reference It is sold on every street by vendors baking it fresh on the spot and by roaming street vendors including kids.
The grocer does sell bread that is not naan, however. It does not have Wonderbread or anything of the like. To have a hamburger you eat it on a roll. If you buy bread at the supermarket it is in a glass case that the moment you open a delicious aroma comes out. This is really fresh baked bread. It is different but good to have a hamburger on a roll that is so fresh.
So all in all the diet here is healthy. It is different but healthy. Even food I would eat in the states is healthier. I have acually dropped a few pounds. I am sure I will put it back on probably plus some during the holidays in the states but over my time here I am sure I will drop quite a few pounds.
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