[Easter and Passover are coming]

I grew up in Israel where the seder isn't the place for gourmet cuisine. my family's goal was always to eat as much traditional food as possible, and spend time with each other. my favorite dish at the seder growing up with chopped liver (you can find the best chopped liver in the world in israel!!). not I am a vegatrian, but I love haroset, especially when its got dates in it!

I haven't been to a seder in 3 years, but since my family's moved to the states my mom's cooking has gotten fancier each year...im definitely looking forward to my trip home this year (c:

mia

[Hamantashen]

I grew up in Israel, and every purim my grandma would make hamantaschens (oznei haman as we like to call them), with Turkish Delight (or lekach) filling. Its got a very different consistency to it, but adults always seemed to enjoy it more than the traditional poppy seed filling. you should give it a try, its not nearly as sweet as poppy seed filling or jams.

mia

[Each City's signature dish?]

I thought poeple came to DC to eat at Popeye's official sponsors of the Washington Redskin and our beloved Joe Gibbs!

[Each City's signature dish?]

I went to college in Indiana, and everybody there loved either: A. Waffle House, or B. Steak n' SHake (Barf!) I had the unfortunate pleasure of working there. Maybe a steakburger can be the indy food...or a steak n' shake chilli bowl over pasta.

[Each City's signature dish?]

raleigh/durham - sweet potato pie (North Carolina thang)

[Looking for a fruit from Thailand but...]

this place, Jungle Jim's in the Cincinatti area always carries Durian (and any sort of exotic produce or packaged food you could possibly want). the website is:

http://www.junglejims.com/

[The Jam Topic]

I always add a thin slice of apple when cooking jam, just to give it some pectin.

my romanian grandmother would always cook home-made jam using the simple recipe of 1 part fruit 2 parts sugar. She would use any combination of fruits that were starting to become over-ripe, and let the jam simmer for 5 - 6 hours before jarring it.

[The "Culinary Axis of Evil"]

anything with anise flavor to it.

kishkas, stuffed intestines. my mom would always prepare it when i was young, its a traditional jewish food that's served way too frequently in the kibbutz dining hall!

and margarine.

[Worst coffee in the world]

I work at a homeless shelter, where the residents will literally drink 10 cups of coffee a day. The volunteers always try to spice things up by donating cans of Safeway brand rasberry or hazlenut flavored coffee. It's the most disgusting thing I've ever had.

[coke or pepsi?]

I dont know if the diet coke in europe is different than the american recipe. But the diet coke in Israel definitely tastes better than the stuff in the states (somehow everything tastes better abroad though?). when i first moved to the states, I couldn't stand soft drinks because they were too sticky and full of caramel or something.

Now im a huge diet pepsi fan.

mia

[Mint Tea]

When I was growing up in Israel, we would use mint leaves that grew wild outside our apartment building. It was called Nanna. I dont know what kind of mint leaves that translates into in English.