My neighbors are foreigners, and we hardly ever talk—just greet each other in the elevator. One evening, however, they knocked on my door. There they stood, smiling, handing me a bag, and in Russian, with an accent, they said:
Foreign neighbors gave me this and wished me “enjoy your meal,” but it was something hard and didn’t look like food at all—more like an egg.
— “Enjoy your meal!”
I looked down—and there it was… dark, hard, strange things, like something out of a museum or a dinosaur movie. There was nothing edible about them. They felt as cold as stone in my hand. I even sniffed them—almost no smell at all.
— “Is this… food?” I asked cautiously.
They nodded, smiled even wider, and then left.
I stood in the kitchen for a long time, holding the bag. Thoughts were swirling:
“What if this isn’t food? What if it’s just a joke? What if I’m missing something very important?”
Putting it in the fridge felt scary, throwing it away—awkward. Finally, I searched the internet. I compared pictures, descriptions, shapes. And when I finally found it, I couldn’t believe my eyes…
Foreign neighbors gave me this and wished me “enjoy your meal”: but it was something hard, and didn’t look like food at all—more like an egg.
Have you ever seen anything like it?
It turned out to be a water chestnut.
It’s edible. You peel it, cook it, or even eat it raw. In some countries, it’s completely ordinary, almost a delicacy. In my whole life, I had never seen anything like it.
Foreign neighbors gave me this and wished me “enjoy your meal”: but it was something hard, and didn’t look like food at all—more like an egg.
The next day I ran into the neighbors and told them I had figured out what it was. They were thrilled, quickly started explaining, and gestured how to peel and eat it.
And I thought about how strange the world is: what seems scary and incomprehensible to some is just—“enjoy your meal” to others. 🤔☹️
