Wow Mal, are you sure you're not middle eastern?
A few tips about this about this salad:
* I use white onions rather than scallions (though at times I've added scalions too), to have more bite.
* The cucumbers are optional, as you said. I find their taste and texture to be slightly distracting in the salad so I don't use them
. But, some people like them.
*Cabbage leaves work too (instead of lettuce leaves)
The concentrated taste of parsley can be a bit odd for people at first, but I found that most people really like this salad after they try it. I've made it for Abaya's Thai relatives, for a bunch of foreign friends (from all over the place) and for an Icelandic family, and it was a success every time
One of my favorite things to do as a child & teenager:
On Sundays, we always had lunch at my grandmother's. There was always a Tabbouleh salad (seriously - no exceptions!). After finishing my salad, I would always bring the plate up near my face, tilt it, and drink the juices from the salad. Mmmmmmmm