Tonight, I had dinner in a Lebanese restaurant, a first. Even so, when we asked the waiter to choose for us, the table was filled with familiar dishes. Falafel (deep-fried chickpeas), baba ganush (an eggplant-based, thick substance), lamb kebabs, hummus (more chickpeas, now as a thick sauce), a mixed salad, a tzatziki-like sauce (yoghurt), and lots of thin pancakes doubling as bread to wrap around it all. The whole thing was really delicious.
International cuisine is a tribute to human diversity and inventiveness. Simple and often familiar ingredients are combined in unexpected ways. What exemplifies better that differences are beautiful?