Pictures are a sure way to spark intrigue and desire for far away lands. Even before I became acquainted with the island nation of New Zealand through photos, I had previously encountered a lovely native New Zealand couple. Their accents were so musical, they bade me to come and see their country; and moreover, their kindness and loving nature impressed me deeply. I began my lifelong dream of learning more and making preparations to one day see this magical part of the world-- New Zealand.
Fast forward a few decades, living in New York City, NY, I met and married my husband, and started a family. Until one glorious day, my husband sent me the most unexpected text! He had found ridiculously inexpensive tickets to, the one and only New Zealand! He bought the tickets, and we began to plan for our adventure to my childhood dream destination, New Zealand!
We planned to spend a fair amount of time visiting famous landmarks of the North Island first but I was unable to escape the images I had been dreaming of located in the South Island. We canceled the remainder of the northern tour and bolted to the south. It didn’t take long before I realized this is the beauty I had dreamed of—hiking, glacial lakes, farmland with mountain backdrops, an outdoorsman’s dream.
After a long day of excursions around Mount Aspiring and Wanaka, Te Waipounamu, we decided to grab dinner at a nearby “dairy” (grocery store) and have a relaxing night at the little cottage we had rented. I was drawn to a salad packaged similarly to a deli salad in NYC with only lettuce, red onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. I couldn’t wait until we got home to eat. It took no time to get that first bite in my mouth. It was so shockingly good! I was taken aback due to the sheer amazement of its taste, texture, moisture content, beyond fresh flavor. I know salad, I was raised on salads, but this was like nothing I had experienced before. Five-star, Michelin, and farm to table salads back home—nothing compared. I thought, “what could be this special ingredient making this salad absolutely incomparable?” I realized the secret ingredient—untouched, locally grown, New Zealand lettuce.
Yes, lettuce, but this was beyond satisfying! How can I describe it, other than out of this world experiential popping in my mouth with sensations of cool, crunchy, sweet, watery, light, fresh, and crisp in each and every bite! I was transported to my childhood, back to the warm summers with my feet sheepishly dangling in the chilled mountain stream; to the shade of fruit trees where I stuffed my pockets and mouth with delicious, juicy plums; and to the sweet and heavenly aroma of the lilac bush played under. It is rare when a food can be so powerful that it carries you to a place, to a memory.
This was truly THE most satisfying, and healthy thing I had ever consumed. It’s as though I could taste the earth in its most primitive and natural form. I realized something as simple as lettuce, was able to draw me closer to this beautiful place I had always dreamed of. And, I will never forget that sweet smiling couple who kindly and lovingly planted the desire to experience their homeland filled with the Kiwi spirit, cultural traditions, majestic mountains, lakes and valleys. Really, the lettuce? Yes, absolutely, I will swear by and rave about this lettuce. Everything else wasn’t too bad either.
-Linda, X Contributor