On the Elixir of Life

September 1, 2006 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Business, Food, Israeliness 

cappuccino
The Observation:

Despite conquering America more efficiently and thoroughly than the Germans took Poland, Starbucks did not succeed here in Israel. There used to be two of them here, or maybe just one — both closed their doors some time ago.

Ironically, it seems like they were just a little ahead of their time for Israel. Since then, several chains of overpriced Starbucks-esque coffeehouses have opened all over the place (usually near the wealthier areas), and they seem to be doing brisk business. The Tea Leaf & Coffee Bean has several outlets here, and the Aroma chain is actually taking the step of opening a New York City outlet. I hear the Coffee Bean is big on the west coast of the USA, but I had never heard of them until I moved to Israel.

Wierd, no? Everywhere I go in the world I am able to find the khaki-and-green of a Starbucks more easily than I can find a damn ATM — except here.

The Explanation, by a commenter:

I think that Starbucks failed in Israel because it was behind our times, actually. There was already a well-established cafe culture when Schultz’s chain tried to break into the market here. Starbucks – with its plastic-fantastic decor, watery coffee and overly sweet mass-produced baked goods – just didn’t measure up.

Israelis have high standards for cafe fare – they are accustomed to Illy, Danesi and custom-roasted coffee beans. They expect their sandwiches to be prepared to order from the freshest ingredients, not prepared in bulk in the morning and left to go soggy and stale. And they like table service. Starbucks doesn’t provide any of these things.

The Explanation, according to the strangers sitting behind me right now, as I post this, in The Coffee Shop on Jerusalem’s Rachel Imeinu Street, who — I kid you not — sat down at their table and started talking about why there is no Starbucks in Israel. Whoa! :

Israelis like high-quality coffee when they are sitting with friends. If you are going to get low-quality coffee, it will be if you are on the run, in which case you will get it in some little place in the mall, to go, and you want it to be cheap.

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Whereever you go, terrorism follows

September 1, 2006 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Holidays 

The folks at One Jerusalem warn that Israelis’ attraction to vacationing in Egypt may lead to continued disaster:

Despite dire warnings being issued by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, young (and not so young) Israeli holiday seekers seem to be constantly lured to the pristine beauty of the Sinai’s Red Sea beaches. And why not, with the promise of low cost sub-tropical holidays in surroundings that with a bit of imagination can almost be compared to the haunting beauty of the Seychelles, Mauritius Islands, or even Phuket Thailand. All of this is available for those willing to risk a worsening security situation that is becoming more serious in a resort area that Egypt still likes to call its “Red Sea Riviera”.
red sea

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has done a very good job in both promoting and up-scaling the resort facilities in many parts of the eastern Sinai coast, with virtually everything available for those willing to pay. These attractions include an 18 hole golf course, casinos, and Five Star hotels and holiday resorts. The majority of Israeli ‘trippers’, however, prefer the more modest accommodations, where they can stay in thatched beach-side huts for sums as low as $ 5 per day. They are also attracted to the ‘anything goes’ atmosphere where drugs, easy sex and other pleasures are always available.

The “down side” to this ‘garden of earthly delights’ has been shown on television in more increasing occurrences. Less than two years ago, the terror attacks on the Taiba Hilton Hotel as well as at beach resorts in Di-Zahav resulted in the deaths of 34 people; 13 of them Israelis. Only a year later, an even more ferocious terror attack occurred in the resort city of Sharam al-Sheikh in which 90 people were killed; fortunately none were from Israel. And as recently as April, 2006, still another terror attack killed 23 tourists; the majority of them, ironically Egyptian.

With increasing terror attacks world-wide, especially in light of recent ‘event’s’ in Israel’s neighborhood, acts of terror against Israelis are likely to occur virtually anywhere – especially in resort areas close to Israel. Turkey’s recent terror attacks in both Istanbul and Anatalia can only mean that the Sinai resorts have not seen the last of terrorism incidents. Islamic extremism is on the rise in Egypt, and we must all remember that some of the worst terrorism organizations, including Al Qaeda and the Islamic Jihad have had their origins in Egypt. Egyptian President Mubarak is now in his late seventies with no strong heir-apparent to continue his secular governmental policies. It would not take much for this country, reputed to have the fastest growing Muslim population in the world, to become an Islamic republic.

With the Jewish High Holidays approaching, including the 8 day Sukkot festival, many Israelis will once again be lured to the attractions of the sandy Sinai beaches. But now it is becoming ever more evident that despite no tsunami-type dangers, there are risks even more serious to those who dare to disregard Israeli security warnings. Yes, there is indeed much trouble in paradise.

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Irony in Advertising

September 1, 2006 by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, General 

The Joint Voices blog shares a photo of an advertisement making the rounds in Israel. I’m not sure I get all the humor here. Maybe one of you can explain it to me.

achma

Lilu’s explanation:

It’s an ad for Homeless, a site for online listings (jobs, rentals, etc.. very popular among Tel Aviv house hunters – it’s where I got mine!). It says “only good intentions! a public service by Homeless”.

Lisa adds:

The bubble coming out of Ahmadenijad’s mouth says, “This advertisement kills me!”

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