{"id":1834,"date":"2012-05-16T16:54:55","date_gmt":"2012-05-16T21:54:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/?p=1834"},"modified":"2012-07-07T11:46:04","modified_gmt":"2012-07-07T16:46:04","slug":"algeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2012\/05\/algeria\/","title":{"rendered":"Algeria"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I promise that this blog isn\u2019t going to turn into a chronicle of memories about dates I had from men around the world. Really, really it won\u2019t. Really, really, I hope it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

That said, when I was poking around online looking for information about Algeria, particularly Algerian food, when I saw some surnames that looked familiar to me. I read those names, tossed them around in my mind for awhile and unearthed a memory of, wait for it, a man from Algeria with whom I went on a couple of dates.<\/p>\n

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I remember that he told me that he spoke four languages, English, French, Arabic, and Berber. \u00a0I also remember that he was a bit aggressive for my tastes. Upon hearing that this guy was going to take a trip home to Algeria, I idly hoped that he would forget all about me and never call again. Imagine my discomfort when, indeed, he did call. From Algeria. Asking what I would like him to bring back for me. I was sitting on a bus when I had this conversation, wanting to be anywhere else and wanting to do anything else. I later saw him at the gym using a treadmill. He did not wipe down the machine when he left. I shook my head thinking, how could I have gone on more than one date with a man who doesn’t spray and wipe the treadmill after using it? Ugh.<\/p>\n

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None of this really has to do with Algerian food, except it might explain why outside of this project I would have never, ever sought out an Algerian food experience. Due to these, now insignificant, incidents, I had sort of blocked a whole country out of my mind. Can we say unreasonable? But sometimes, that is the way of things.<\/p>\n

A bit of research taught Algerian cuisine shows traces of French influence. This totally makes sense, as Algeria was a French colony until 1962. \u00a0Most of the country are Muslims, which means that the cuisine is going to reflect any dietary restrictions that are associated with that faith. Algerians tend to have three meals a day and most meals end with coffee.<\/p>\n

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Couscous is something that I associate with North African food. I’ve read that couscous is Algeria’s national dish<\/a>. It seems that it, then, is perfect for this Algerian food experience<\/a>.\u00a0Bourek<\/a> also caught my attention<\/a>, now that I am not afraid of filo dough. I think that the only contexts in which I have eaten filo has been as a baklava type dessert, or a spanakopita<\/a> type savory dish. I consider the Albanian Vegetable Pie<\/a> to fall into this category. The idea of combining filo and the meat was intriguing. That the birthday goal that I am focusing on right now is the goal<\/a> to try 52 new-to-me salads, made me look specifically for an Algerian salad<\/a> to try. Finally, I chose a dessert, basboussa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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It turns out that this meal turned out to be quite enjoyable. Of particular note is the flavor combination in the bourek. I forget sometimes that cinnamon can have savory applications and be quite good that way. I surprised myself by liking the semolina cake. Normally, with the exception of Chick-o-Sticks<\/a>, I do not like anything that has dry shredded coconut on it. There is something about that texture that reminds me of chapped lips. Here, though, the coconut didn’t have that texture at all. Speaking of textures, today I actually achieved a couscous texture that isn’t disgusting. Unlike with the coconut, I don’t blame the couscous at all. Usually things go bad when I get my hands on the couscous.<\/p>\n

Despite weird memories the Algerian food brought up, I’d call this one an success. I might even repeat these recipes, which isn’t something I do often.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I promise that this blog isn\u2019t going to turn into a chronicle of memories about dates I had from men around the world. Really, really it won\u2019t. Really, really, I hope it won\u2019t. That said, when I was poking around online looking for information about Algeria, particularly Algerian food, when I saw some surnames that… Continue reading Algeria<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,20],"tags":[177,186],"class_list":["post-1834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","category-food","tag-algeria","tag-world-cooking","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s33KTw-algeria","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1783,"url":"https:\/\/sherlonya.net\/blog\/2012\/05\/albanian-adventures\/","url_meta":{"origin":1834,"position":0},"title":"Albanian Adventures","author":"sherlonya","date":"May 10, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"If you had asked me, say, when I was in high school whether I would ever have a connection to Albania, I would have answered confidently that I wouldn't. 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