Nostalgia Sunday – Turkey Feeder

November 23, 2009 - 12:40 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Food, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Immigrant Moments, Life, Nostalgia Sunday 

thanksgiving_turkey_barYou would think that Thanksgiving would be a more popular holiday here, given the size of the poultry-breeding industry and the large quantities of turkey meat Israelis consume. Yes, Israel has the highest per capita consumption of turkey in the world at 28.8 pounds annually.

But no, Thanksgiving remains an obscure oddity to Israelis, one quirk among the many exhibited by the “Ameri-kooky” population here. No matter. On one day a year, we celebrate the United States and all the good things it has done and continues to do. We also, as do our Stateside counterparts, stuff ourselves silly with… well, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and, of course, a big roasted bird.

Many of us who worked on kibbutzim as volunteers in the 60s, 70s and 80s, had the dubious pleasure of dealing with turkeys who are, bluntly put, the stupidest of birds. Yes, it’s true, they will look up in a rainstorm and drown themselves. They do peck one another to death. And one of the worst jobs one could get was an all night shift to vaccinate them – the only saving grace was that you were allowed to sleep late the next morning.

And yet, amidst all the stink and squalor of the turkey house, one element stood out, a modern design so strong it could not be ignored. These were the water dispensers manufactured by the Plasson company. Every few meters or so there hung a bowler hat-shaped “bell waterer” made of red plastic that was well-nigh indestructible — try though we might. They were a symbol of Israel’s agri-technological prowess — Plasson has set the worldwide industry standard for 30 years now — and those rosy sawed-off globes glowing under the bright turkey house lights at midnight were a somehow beautiful sight.

TurketDrinkers200

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Hoping for a home run

October 2, 2009 - 10:57 AM by · 1 Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Life, Sports 

red soxIt’s October, and in Israel that means many things – lots of holidays for one, as we’re heading into Succot and building up to Simchat Torah next week.

But for some Israelis, October in Israel also means lack of sleep, and a reshaping of priorities. That’s because the Major League Baseball playoffs are here! And things like families and careers need to take a back seat for a while.

That’s because unlike the prime time atmosphere in which the games are actually taking place, here, they’re on TV beginning anywhere from 1 am to 4 am, which means they could end after the sun comes up. For baseball diehards, that means alot of bleary-eyed mornings, and angry remarks from employers and wives.

Of course, as a Boston Red Sox fan, there’s a silver lining to the inevitable sad ending to their 2009 season. My life takeover and sleep deprivation won’t probably last as long as fans of those teams who are likely to end up in championship series or the World Series. Take that, Yankees fans.

Still, I’ll be ready to root for the team that back ended into the playoffs, winning the wild card slot by losing six games in a row. As anybody who’s witnessed modern day Israel can attest, miracles still occur.

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