A lot of my stories start out with, "When I lived in Israel..." (the cleaner - most of the time - version of Alyson Hannigan's infamous "When I was in band camp..."). Usually they take place in Tel Aviv, but every once in a while a good one comes out of Jerusalem - Tel Aviv is just a much better city, in my opinion-that-is-also-a-fact. Feel free to fight me on this one. I'll win, but I welcome a challenge.
Read MoreSo, apparently the watermelon - that round bastion of summer, picnics and ingenious bongs - has a long, murky history. No one actually knows how the watermelon we know and love came to be, and while there are quite a few candidates for its predecessor, horticulturists are pretty damn confused. One such horticulturist, Harry Paris, blames taxonomists from the 18th century (those tricky bastards), who messed up their melon classifications. Also, fun fact, the name for our modern watermelon - Citrullus lanatus - is wrong. Lanatus means "hairy" (um, ew) and is supposed to be the name for a different, fuzzier melon.
National Geographic wrote all about this here, and it's a super interesting read. I recommend tucking into it when you have a party to go to and want to bring along some cool science facts, or if you're feeling down on yourself. At least you aren't the person who misclassified a watermelon.
Watermelon might have a confusing backstory, but that makes it all the more interesting! Not only is it refreshing and the most beautiful color, but it's mysterious and maybe it rides a motorcycle that your parents would HATE.
Read MoreIt might be odd to start a food blog with something that seems so simple. "Rina, I guess cauliflower is fine and all, but what's so special about this? Where's the pizzazz?" NO. This is not just fine, this is spectacular. I included the term "crack" in the title for a reason. Cauliflower might seem like a weird broccoli ghost, but when it's roasted something magical happens. And that's not hyperbolic. When roasted at high heat, cauliflower becomes this glorious, caramelized being that it is brown and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I hate the word meaty, I really do, but I suppose you could call the interior of roasted cauliflower that. I won't, but you can.
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