I took on the same habits. I believed the other changes I had made were radical enough. Luckily, as the teachings developed my refinement and awareness, I began observing the habits of different cultures of people. What I saw made me cautious about eating food that was not prepared by me or my close circle of believers. Slowly, I began to stay away from most peoples' foods.

*Disclaimer: The following are my personal experiences. It is a generalization and does not apply to every individual.

In my studies yesterday, I came across this quote:

As-salaam alaikum.

I love trying ethnic foods from around the world. Culinary anthropology is a fascinating subject. Much can be learned about a culture through its food. One thing indigenous cuisines usually have in common is simplicity; they have no need for decadence. Recently, after spending several months teaching abroad, I really began to desire a warm pot of navy beans. Unfortunately, navy beans were not one of the varieties of legumes I was able to find (I found soybeans and black beans). Even amidst all of the chicken, mangoes, lemongrass, noodles, and curries, months without beans made me feel quite deprived because I am used to eating them nearly every day. Nothing satiates like beans.

The Messenger teaches us repeatedly in How to Eat to Live that simple foods are best. Simple is not synonymous with the adjectives “boring” or “bland”. The word “simple” implies that we create our meals using wholesome traditional foods, specifically our dietary "trinity" (beans, wheat bread, and heated {not raw} milk), along with plenty of fruit and some easily digestible vegetables. This menu puts us in harmony with the rest of the original people of the Earth who base their diets on staple foods prepared in ways that are for more delicious than typical Western "delicacies". Ful/Foul Medames (pronounced "fooll meh-DAH-mehs") is one such iconic breakfast dish eaten across Africa, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. It is one of the dishes I craved while abroad.