When I was a little girl, I lived in a small town by the Mediterranean Sea in the North of Africa called Ceuta. That was a very important influence in my diet, because in my hometown there was an interesting crossing of cultures: Spanish, Arabs, Jews and Indian people.
My family normally ate Mediterranean food: fish, vegetables, rice, legumes and a small quantity of meat (usually twice a week). In addition, we sometimes ate the “other food”, couscous, harira (Arab soup) or Jew dishes like blintzes or pampishkes.
Now, that I do not live in Ceuta anymore, my life has changed. The globalization changed our eating habits. We can eat global food at home easily. Moreover, for me, that is a way of getting back home.
On the other hand, we should not forget our habits when we eat. In the authentic Mediterranean culture, the caloric average we get every day is normally correct. We do not have to eat more than we need to do our normal activity. Nevertheless, in modern life, the influence of advertisement in television, the hidden messages we get on films, and the easy way we can get food, are handicaps for us to carry a healthy way of life.
