My lunch=peace in the Middle East!

My favorite lunch, as my co-workers know well, is hummus. And according to an article from the Christian Science Monitor, the Mediterranean specialty made of chick peas could be a key to getting Israelis and Palestinians to get along.

According to the article, Israelis visit the Arab village of Abu Gosh specifically for the hummus. "The hummus draws people here, and they see it's not scary," says Raed Ibrahim, a waiter at Haji restaurant. Others added that is the one thing that everyone shares at meals and that Jews and Muslims have to share the same tables at small hummus restaurants and therefore meet.

There also may be a scientific explanation to hummus' peace-keeping capabilities. Researchers have found that chickpeas have high levels of trytophan, which stimulates the production of serotonin, making people feel happy when they eat hummus.

The theory has its critics, of course, but Palestinians and Israelis need to use whatever they can that brings them together, even if it is a simple meal. I'm hungry for peace and hummus now!