Huh?

January 26, 2008 by Stephanie · 2 Comments
Filed under: Blogging, Life

Okay…I want to know what exactly is happening in this picture…I see the police guy with the speed detector and I see the bare toochas person doing lord knows what by the side of the road…

Is this a Photoshop jobbie?

Anglosaxy, let us know!

(Or maybe we really don’t need to)

LATER: Our reader Reuven has cleared it. The police officer is a cardboard cutout aimed at scaring drivers. Now I get it.

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Foto Friday #38

January 25, 2008 by Stephanie · 1 Comment
Filed under: Art, Blogging, Environment, Life

Didn’t I tell you it’s cold here in Israel? Here are the pictures to prove it.

Ladies & Gentlemen, we bring you the Arava Desert…BRRRR!!!!! Thanks to Rakefet Telem for the images!

Have a lovely, warm weekend! Your friends @ Israelity.

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The In-Laws

January 24, 2008 by Stephanie · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Life

Why is it that “quick” family visits always turn into 7-8 hour marathons? Not sure about your in-laws, but I can guarantee that every time I hear the words “We’ll just pop round for an hour…” or “My brother is coming round for half an hour before he goes *somewhere else*” I know we’re in for a long session. Mrs. anglosaxy still naively believes that we or they will really stay for the short time quoted, but I got it sussed a long time ago.

…relays blogger anglosaxy.

And why is it, that after 7 or 8 hours, when mrs anglosaxy has finally got my very subtle 1000th head nod towards the door, and we’re finally packing up the littl’uns stuff, that the MIL perks up with “What?! You’re going? Wait, wait, wait, I didn’t make you any sahleb…” and with that rushes off into the kitchen to make some. You know road rage, right? Well, this MIL sentence usually brings out the relation rage in me…

I’m never going to be Israeli at this rate, am I?

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Winter Warmer

January 24, 2008 by Stephanie · 1 Comment
Filed under: Food, Israeliness

One nicety of living in Israel when it’s really really cold outside is stopping by street vendors and buying really really warm, sweet, aromatic Sahlab.

Lizrael update calls it the Israeli Winter Milkshake. It’s a milky, thick, orchid mixed with cornstarch based drink/pudding garnished with cinnamon and chopped nuts.

Want to try it at home? Here’s a recipe we found thanks to lizrael & answers.com

Algerian Sahlab

Ingredients

* 3 cups (8 ounces each) milk
* 1 cup sugar
* ½ cup cornstarch
* ¾ cup water
* ¼ cup raisins
* ¼ cup coconut
* ¼ cup walnuts or pistachios, chopped
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedure

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and set aside.
2. In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over low to medium heat.
3. As soon as the milk boils, reduce the heat.
4. Stir in the sugar, and allow the milk to simmer until the sugar has dissolved (no more than 1 minute).
5. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the milk, making sure to whisk rapidly to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. The milk will gradually thicken.
6. When it reaches the consistency of a thick gravy, remove from heat.
7. Pour sahlab into decorative small bowls, glasses, or mugs.
8. Sprinkle with raisins, coconut, chopped nuts, and cinnamon, if desired.
9. Serve hot.

**I suspect you’ll need vanilla or the sahlab/orchid powder for the authentic flavor here

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Plug Me In

January 24, 2008 by Stephanie · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Business, Technology

Electric cars? That’s the plan for Israel according to a government announcement earlier this week and this TIME story.

It is not the first time a government has tried to promote electric cars on a mass scale. A 1990 California mandate requiring automakers to sell zero-emissions vehicles famously flopped. But the Israeli attempt is far more sophisticated than anything that precedes it. It aligns policy makers and a major car company with an outfit prepared to build hundreds of thousands of electric charging stations across the country. In an interview with TIME, Israeli President Shimon Peres called the project, “an experimental lab, a pilot project, before it’s applied to other, bigger industrialized nations.”

According to the story, a pilot involving a few dozen cars will start later this year in Tel Aviv. A few hundred vehicles are expected to be on the road by 2009, with production scaled to the mass market by 2011.