The salad's character derives from the way the vegetables are cut. The tomatoes and cucumbers are diced in small cubes and the onion is finely chopped. Many call it chopped salad, but this is somewhat misleading-its texture would be mushy if you chopped the cucumbers and tomatoes instead of cutting them in an even dice. Israelis insist that the cubes be very small and often joke about former residents of the country like me, saying that you can tell how long you've been away from Israel by how large your dice is.

Be sure to use ripe tomatoes-plum tomatoes or medium or large tomatoes-that are not too soft. For cucumbers, the long European type or small pickling cucumbers are best, but any cucumbers can be used. This salad is prettiest served in a shallow glass bowl.

Combine diced cucumber, tomatoes, onion, peppers, jicama, bok choy and parsley in large, shallow serving bowl. Add olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Serve at cool room temperature. Makes 4 servings.