Wishy washy

I am in a culinary slump.  I am tired and have no idea what to cook.  My journey seems to be coming to a screeching halt.  But, I gotta eat so I need to figure out something.  This week I've been on a bit of a gastro-adventure.  I've been making quesadillas for breakfast (using my Cuisinart Griddler) - they are quite a hit, I graded papers today over Thai, and I even had a taste of Al Ain.

Rumman.  Pomengranates aka Chinese apples in the hood. 

I was on my weekly shopping trip to Wegman's in Cherry Hill when I saw Pom pomegranates for 2/$4.00. My goal was to locate authentic tortillas which I assumed I would, due to the substantial Mexican community in South Jersey.  At first I was a little taken aback by the fact that a corporation has laid claim to this ancient fruit and its beneficial nutrition.  I'm not a fan of Pom.  When I was in Boston at the AAG in 2008, I was not only disappointed by the pseudo Ethiopian restaurant, but also by Pom's pomegranate juice.  I had been drinking rumman with my breakfast in Al Ain for about $1, so imagine my surprise when I forked over $4 for something that had absolutely no resemblance. 

I bought 1 pomegranate because I wasn't sure if I would get around to eating it, if it would be ripe, etc.  Last night I desperately wanted a snack and decided to go for the pomegrante.  I cut the shiny, leathery fruit in half and began extracting the flesh.  I will admit that it was the best looking pomegranate specimen I've seen in ages, I wonder if it's genetically modified.   I remembered getting a Chinese Apple as a treat as a kid, sucking the fruit and spitting out the seeds.  I think they were 50 cents.  I thought about Eid al Adha 2007 when I was served rumman in a bowl with a spoon and decided to follow suit. 

First my son came into the kitchen wanting to know what the fruit was and if he liked it.  He started eating it and was pleased by the taste.  He asked me about the seeds, I told him they eat them in UAE.  He called my daughter upstairs and as soon as she saw the bowl of rumman, she said "oh, just like Eid al Adha, where did you get this?"  They devoured the pomegranate and wanted to know why I only purchased one...

I sat down with my bowl of rumman, smiling, grading papers...longing for a vacation.