Oh God, it doesn’t matter where I am, it’s oven-hot!

This summer we are traveling in America. I’d always wanted to see more of it—after living here for almost two decades, I’ve barely seen a quarter of the country. The problem is that when all your family lives in a different state or continent, you keep returning to the same places to visit them. I was planning to visit my family and friends in Israel, but with everything going on there now, I decided not to go. Instead, I’ll explore some parts of the East Coast I haven’t been to before.

First we had to stop in Florida to visit my husband’s family and to ship off our teenager on a cruise with my his grandmother.

Two things I highly do NOT recommend:

1. Going to Florida anytime between October to May—the heat and humidity are unbearable!
2. Going on a cruise. Period. I had a feeling both grandma and teenager would be terribly bored. I told them so but they didn’t listen.

Even the ocean—the only thing I like in Florida—was hot and murky with seaweed, like miso soup.

When I’m in cities like San Francisco and Paris, where the quality of the local food is excellent and the food is creative and delicious, I don’t have any urge to cook. However, in Florida I do because anything I would make is going to be healthier and cheaper. Ma’am, is anything alright?

My mother-in-law doesn’t cook and doesn’t own a salad spinner, nor does she have the counter space to dry leafy greens, so I made Greek-style salads. I need to start traveling with a Swiss vegetable peeler.

I always travel light. Even when I travel for three months. The only problem with traveling only with a carry-on is that I can’t travel with my chef’s knife. I usually pack spices—In a daily medicine container (see video below)— and a small metal sieve so I can make my own barista-style almond milk (All I need is a decent blender and that sieve).

Pennsylvania the beautiful
At the moment I’m visiting my dear long-time friend, Yael, who lives in a beautiful suburb near Philadelphia. I heard that the food in Philly is good, but so far I’ve only eaten at Dizengoff, Mike Solomonov’s restaurant. It was good but everything was too salty for me.

When I travel for a week, I don’t mind eating out every day. But when I’m traveling for two months, I prefer to cook my own food—it’s healthier and cheaper. Yael’s kitchen lures me in with its big island and every possible kitchen gadget you could imagine. Her neighborhood is so lush, green, and quiet that I don’t feel like going anywhere.

Next stop: New England, New Hampshire. I’ll keep you posted.

About this salad:
This is the easiest salad to make, but you have to make sure that the cucumbers are extra firm and the watermelon is fresh and crisp. What would seal the deal is a good-quality extra virgin olive oil. My friend, Yael, does own a salad spinner, but after she had it once, she doesn’t let me make anything else.
However, don’t make too much of it, as it won’t taste as good the next day. And it’s pretty filling.

By the way, did you get my cookbook The Salad Ballads?