Hummus isn’t often used as an indicator for anything except the
presence of Mediterranean cuisine or as a radar for locating nearby
vegetarians. I maintain that hummus has another conceptual use beyond this, one
that satisfies and delights as much as the feel of it slathered across a pita
or dripping off your tiny carrot stick.
Given my pseudo-vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, (the technical
ratio is as follows: 90% vegetarian, 80% vegan, a “strike-my-fancy”
fish-and-meat-eater, a guilty consumer of beef stroganoff and/or bacon once a
year), traveling through and living in as many countries as I have presents its
own set of culinary experiments and experiences. We humans love to try to stuff
ourselves into neat little boxes, right? “Oh, you must be a vegetarian. You
look like one. So you’ve never eaten a hamburger?” Come on. We’re far too
complex, contradictory and whimsical for that sort of stuff. And in case you
were wondering, reader, here’s my “neat little box”: I am a Tendency Vegetarian.
I consume meat when in Mexican restaurants or when experiencing new
meat-centric cultures, but when left to my own devices, when following my tendencies, I do not eat animals that
much. So, really, not a vegetarian at all. But go ahead and call me one if you
feel like you need to.
That said, being back in the United States has been a
delightful journey through All The Vegetarian Options. There’s a billion kinds
of hummus at Kroger and more meat-alternatives than you can shake a stone ground
whole-wheat slice of bread at. Get to a bigger city and the options multiply uncontrollably,
like roots on a spud in the windowsill– there’s things I haven’t even heard of,
but I’ll try it. I swear to god I will.
Which is why I propose a new international standard, one
that can be used by vegetarians, vegans, and pseudo-whatevers across the board
to analyze their new international abode. One that is far more effective at
analyzing general socio-economic levels, a standard that far exceeds things
like “GDP”, “low crime levels” or “varied cultural opportunities” as attractive elements
for a vagabond.
Hummus must be used as an indicator of ex-patriot
livability.
Dat's some sexy hummus.
As in, is it available? How many flavors are there? What
packaging does it come in? Does it taste like hummus? Has it been home made? Is
it available in more than one store? Are
other people eating it? Do other people know what it is? Is anyone around you
aware of where it came from? Do the people in your immediate vicinity know that
a chickpea is the same thing as a garbanzo bean? Will you tell them if they don’t?
Will anyone else try the hummus? Here, do you want to try it?
My recent trip back to the United States has shown me that
the accessibility of hummus in my day-to-day life has, indeed, heightened my
overall quality of life. (Some scientists believe that readily available hummus
– a variety of brands, flavors and more – actually increases life contentment
by a whopping 33%***.)
It facilitates my snacking, it ensures I avoid other less
savory snacks, it nourishes me, it pleases me, it understands me. So why isn’t
it more available across the globe?
On a scale from one to hummus, America scores Full Throttle.
Sure, there are probably super rural areas where hummus is treated like a
foreign disease instead of the savory gift from heaven that it is, but I wouldn’t
live in those places and therefore don’t include them. Even in my small city
(30,000 people-ish) the options range from original to smoked to pine nut to burn-my-buds-off-spicy.
Good god!
On a scale from one to hummus, Chile scores a Meager
Climber. I found one hummus option in the small city of Puerto Varas, almost to
Patagonia in southern Chile, and that was only because an ex-pat and his
Chilean wife had set up the first-ever vegan store in the region. They made
their own and froze it. It was good, but not mind-blowing. But yet, it was
hummus.
In Valparaiso, I live around the corner from a
Middle-eastern restaurant that offers hummus as a topping option. Score!
However, the big box stores don’t have hummus, and most other hummus
availability occurs on the streets or from the alternative places. Therefore,
it is an underground condiment, and constitutes an important part in the
thriving counter-culture. Hummus is not only there, but helps me feel like I’m
part of the change.
I imagine future ex-pats having the following conversation:
Ex-Pat Patrick: Hey,
man, so what’s up with [insert country]? Do you like it?
Ex-Pat Patricia:
Yeah, it’s great! I’ve been having a blast, there’s so many beaches and the
buses cost like four cents. Also, plenty of toilet paper in public restrooms.
Ex-Pat Patrick: That
sounds great, but, I guess what I really need to know is….what’s the hummus
level?
Ex-Pat Patty: [heavy
pause] There’s a low hummus score. I haven’t even seen it in the capital.
LOOKS LIKE IT’S TIME FOR EX-PAT PATRICK TO RECONSIDER HIS
TRAVEL PLANS TO [insert country here]!!!!
Chile is a livable country by my new standard. Ex-pats,
please use this information to your advantage, and propagate the use of hummus
as an indicator of ex-patriot livability. Your vegetarian ex-pat country mates
will thank you.
(Please have a list of hummus pick-up locations ready for
them upon their arrival.)
***this figure is entirely fabricated for purposes of this
article.
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