Israeli kitchen makes me hungry and inspires
I’ve been blogging in some shape or form for over six years now and though food has always been a topic I’ve written about it’s never been the exclusive topic of any of the blogs where I’ve written. About three years ago I considered starting a blog called “The Middle East Confit” but the idea never came to fruition, it just marinated in my mind. Then we had a baby, then work got real busy and then…well…yeah. I barely find the time to blog at my own blog – most of it coming from lack of inspiration rather than time.
I’ve been thinking about writing exclusively about food and plan on redesigning my blog in the coming weeks (months?) Where did this inspiration come from? The excellent Israeli food blog Israel Kitchen. Written by Miriam, a current resident of Petach Tikva who has live in both Jerusalem and Tsfat and even spent some time in Venezuela. Her recipes are varied. Running the gamut from that Ashekenazic staple Kasha Varnishkas to Tunisian Mafroum (meat stuffed potatoes). She also makes her own wine.
Miriam’s photography is top notch as well with colorful photos of her travels around Israel. She visits shuks, cheese makers, wineries and restaurants.
So if you are looking for a taste (nyuk nyuk) of Israel not to be found elsewhere be sure to visit Israeli Kitchen.
Memories of the Mob
Looks like a couple of the big mob families are “going to the mattresses” after underworld figure Ya’acov Alperon was assassinated on a Tel Aviv corner just two days ago. Organized crime here runs rampant and there have been numerous innocent citizens caught in the crosshair of attempted assassinations.
I remember back in 2003 or 2004, the wife and I went to Tel Aviv to meet some friends visiting from New York for dinner. After a kick ass meal of grilled meat and 3,000 salads in Jaffa we went to Brasserie M&R at Rabin Square for some coffee and dessert. Shortly after we arrived I noticed about four or five security guards standing in front of the restaurant and one stayed in front of the two Mercedes illegally parked out front. Someone sitting with us (a spokesman for a MK) said that there is no way that it is a government minister because the only person in the government who has that much security is Ariel Sharon. Curiosity set in and after a short discussion we concluded it must be a mob boss. Turns out we were correct.
Now I don’t know much about security, but I do know if I was a mob boss and have had several attempted hits on my life I would take one of my security guards with me to the bathroom. My friend and I happened to go at the same time and as I opened the door as the now jailed Ze’ev Rosenstein was on his way out. I held the door for him (as I would do for anyone) and he actually said thank you. I was going to offer my drug smuggling services but why would he bother with me when he has former government ministers to do that for him? Anyway, we could have TOTALLY taken him out – easily. I wouldn’t have made it out alive and even if I did I would be on the run for the rest of my life but its fun to fantasize about. There have been many attempts on his life and innocent bystanders have been killed and severely wounded in failed assassination attempts. The irony wasn’t lost on me that we were sitting outside at a cafe in the middle of Tel Aviv and didn’t think twice about a potential suicide bombing but were suddenly worried about being caught in the crossfire of a mob hit.
My visiting friend (who is no stranger to Israel) was dumbfounded by the fact that his reputed mobster was wearing shorts, a really ugly shirt and crappy sandals. I don’t know if he was expecting him to be wearing an Armani suit or something but this is Israel. It’s as casual as it gets – even for mobsters.
Afterward, on the drive home, I wondered why my friend was looking at his feet.
Time for sachlab!
I enjoyed my first sachlab of the season yesterday. As far as I’m concerned, the only places I truly enjoy a nice cup of sachlab are Abulafia in Jaffa and Mifgash HaShech in Jerusalem. Mifgash HaShech has been serving up Sachlab for many years (but certainly not 125 like Abulafia) in Talpiot and is open 24 hours a day, but not on Shabbat. They flirted with a more “upscale” location at one point but it proved to be an epic failure.
Silly me. There must be some of you who have no idea what Sachlab is. Allow me to explain. Take some vanilla orchid root and milk, mix it up, sprinkle on a generous amount of cinnamon, peanuts (sometimes walnuts) and coconut and you have a hot, creamy concoction that is Middle Eastern comfort food at it’s best. It’s the perfect drink for cold Jerusalem nights. Yeah, so the sachlab was alright. Not the best I’ve had, but satisfying. My friend said it was watery. I disagreed. While it wasn’t the thickest I’ve had, it definitely wasn’t kool aid consistency. I don’t like it too thick anyway. Thicker sachlab tends to taste very starchy. So I’d take a thinner sachlab with flavor over a sachlab pudding any day. And this sachlab certainly didn’t lack flavor. And doesn’t it look fantastic?
Shuk HaPishpushim
We skipped the zoo this week and headed over to Jaffa next to Tel Aviv for some good old flea market shopping. We didn’t really go with anything in mind to buy but its nearly impossible to come home empty handed. I have been amassing a collection of old Israeli tins for products that no longer exist (I have chocolate tins, pretzel tins and hard candy tins). These can be quite pricey and I am on a small austerity plan so I completely avoided the storefront known to carry these. However I did find a small old school red chair for the little one that needs a little fixing but was a steal at only 40 NIS (talked him down from 70 NIS). Next weekend I’m going to reinforce the wood, repaint and then distress it.
Friday is the best day (and the most popular) at the shuk because all the vendors’ wares spill out into the street. It’s a really, really strange market with some pretty bizarre items being sold. I saw a used oxygen tank and nail clippers (why would anyone want to buy used nail clippers?) and these were not among the oddest items being hawked. Take a gander at a few photos I shot and you’ll spot a few oddities.
Tel Aviv is the new Miami
The Tel Aviv municipality has launched several information points for tourists – except you might have a tiny bit of a problem locating them since they are mobile!
Our friends at Green Prophet report:
The unique, colorful Segways can be found on the streets of Tel Aviv seven days a week from 13:00 – 19:00, particularly in areas of concentrated tourist traffic such as the Tel Aviv Port, the boardwalk or tayelet along the seashore, Jaffa, the Neveh Tzedek neighborhood and Rothschild Boulevard. The stewards on the Segways offer tourists general information and details about events and special happenings in the city, and distribute maps, flyers and promotional material that will help the tourist make the most out of his time in the city.
It seems like Tel Aviv has finally warmed up to the huge potential the city has a tourist destination and the potential revenue that such a destination can bring. The Association for Tourism Tel-Aviv-Jaffa has also recently launched a new website promoting tourism to Tel Aviv (though the video on launch is a huge web design no-no). The site features events, nightlife, restaurants, free walking tours, bus tours and of course Tel Aviv’s incredible and accessible beaches.
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