Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Friday, January 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
food, glorious food
*sniff sniff*
I am still not feeling well. I would say that about half the people I know in New York also have (or have had) this same cold, so at least I know I will get through it. I think it should be wrapping up tonight and I will feel much better tomorrow.... I hope! With all of the soup, tea, juice, and vitamins I have been taking I don't know how any germ stands a chance in me, but this guy is fighting back pretty hard.
I thought maybe it would help for me to think happy thoughts, so I present you with a collage of happy thoughts: food from Israel.
Right there in the middle I am stuffing my face with falafel while taking a break in Jerusalem Old City. Doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait, it does.... check out that hummus to the right of me. Yummm-y. And the cute latte on the other side? Love it.
On the top row I have a cart of bread and a bunch of nuts for sale at one of the small spice/nut markets. And in the right corner is an Israeli specialty I got in Jaffe (which happens to be the port where Jonah caught a ride...check out Jonah 1:3). We went to this bakery that I HAD TO go to and tried this zatar-spiced toasted bread. This bakery is super famous and you walk up and order outside at a counter. The hummus is also from a super famous, hole-in-the-wall, wait in line for the real thing kind of place in Jaffa.
Moving on... the bottom left picture is from the aformentioned place where we began the meal with 20 different salads. This is a picture of some of the salads before we completely destroyed everything on the table. The place is called El Babour and if you are ever in Israel, I HIGHLY recommend going. I also highly recommend NOT eating the day before. I, on the other hand, ate a HUGE dinner the night before and a breakfast that was "not too shabby." But the food was so amazing and such an experience that I muscled up and took it in. The portions were huge and relatively inexpensive and the chef is basically a celebrity. Love it.
Wow, I get so worked up on each picture I don't think I will ever get through it all. The next is some more fresh fruit growing on the kibbutz. Last, but definitely not least, we have a desert spread of borekas and rugelach - delicious pastries filled with cheeses and chocolates.
Enough talk - time to eat!
I am still not feeling well. I would say that about half the people I know in New York also have (or have had) this same cold, so at least I know I will get through it. I think it should be wrapping up tonight and I will feel much better tomorrow.... I hope! With all of the soup, tea, juice, and vitamins I have been taking I don't know how any germ stands a chance in me, but this guy is fighting back pretty hard.
I thought maybe it would help for me to think happy thoughts, so I present you with a collage of happy thoughts: food from Israel.
Right there in the middle I am stuffing my face with falafel while taking a break in Jerusalem Old City. Doesn't get much better than that. Oh wait, it does.... check out that hummus to the right of me. Yummm-y. And the cute latte on the other side? Love it.
On the top row I have a cart of bread and a bunch of nuts for sale at one of the small spice/nut markets. And in the right corner is an Israeli specialty I got in Jaffe (which happens to be the port where Jonah caught a ride...check out Jonah 1:3). We went to this bakery that I HAD TO go to and tried this zatar-spiced toasted bread. This bakery is super famous and you walk up and order outside at a counter. The hummus is also from a super famous, hole-in-the-wall, wait in line for the real thing kind of place in Jaffa.
Moving on... the bottom left picture is from the aformentioned place where we began the meal with 20 different salads. This is a picture of some of the salads before we completely destroyed everything on the table. The place is called El Babour and if you are ever in Israel, I HIGHLY recommend going. I also highly recommend NOT eating the day before. I, on the other hand, ate a HUGE dinner the night before and a breakfast that was "not too shabby." But the food was so amazing and such an experience that I muscled up and took it in. The portions were huge and relatively inexpensive and the chef is basically a celebrity. Love it.
Wow, I get so worked up on each picture I don't think I will ever get through it all. The next is some more fresh fruit growing on the kibbutz. Last, but definitely not least, we have a desert spread of borekas and rugelach - delicious pastries filled with cheeses and chocolates.
Enough talk - time to eat!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
coffee culture
It should be expected that I would soon write about one of my favorite things...coffee!!! Coffee is universal. No matter where on the globe you go, you will be able to have a cup of it. Let me tell you something about the coffee in Israel. They have different kinds of coffees that they use. For coffee at home, they tend to go with instant coffee. They don't really do the drip/filter thing that we do here in America. When ordering coffee out it is common to get a latte/cappuccino or to have Turkish coffee. Iced coffee is also popular, but it is more of a frozen drink which is very very sweet. Small bakeries scatter the streets with their delicious deserts sitting in front, beckoning to all passer-by's. Because of this, Israel is a place where one needs a lot of will-power to walk down a street.
They use a lot of breads and chocolates, but pastries soaked in honey are also popular. While in Jerusalem's Old City, we had to stop for a "power-up" and tried some baklava and these other little deserts that I don't know the name for. Basically, they are little balls of dough, about the size of grapes, fried and soaked in honey. Ronen's family that was with us said that those reminded them of when they were children, because that is the kind of deserts that mothers and grandmothers made for them in Romania. It is interesting to compare that to the deserts that I think of as my "comfort food" such as gingerbread men and chocolate chip cookies.
Anyway, while in a new place, I must try as many new things as I can. Paired with a dark, sludge-like cup of Turkish coffee...what a treat it was.
They use a lot of breads and chocolates, but pastries soaked in honey are also popular. While in Jerusalem's Old City, we had to stop for a "power-up" and tried some baklava and these other little deserts that I don't know the name for. Basically, they are little balls of dough, about the size of grapes, fried and soaked in honey. Ronen's family that was with us said that those reminded them of when they were children, because that is the kind of deserts that mothers and grandmothers made for them in Romania. It is interesting to compare that to the deserts that I think of as my "comfort food" such as gingerbread men and chocolate chip cookies.
Anyway, while in a new place, I must try as many new things as I can. Paired with a dark, sludge-like cup of Turkish coffee...what a treat it was.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Yerushalayim
While in Israel, we stayed in a town near Tel Aviv, but, as I mentioned before, we did quite a bit of traveling. We were able to spend three days in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a beautiful place mixing new with old...REALLY old. Ronen's father and his father's cousin went with us on our second time into the Old City. They are both knowledgeable about the city and its history. Especially his cousin, who was practically a private tour guide for us. His stories were amazing as he walked with us from the Mount of Olives (bottom picture) where he told us the history of Israel and all of its conquerors into the city walls where we walked the Via Dolorosa (side picture) and experienced all the stories of Christianity's beginnings. It was really unbelievable to be standing in places that are so important to so many people. Places that have been fought for over and over throughout history. We were so lucky to be with somebody who could point to something and actually know what it was and where it was from. On my own, I'm sure I would have walked right past a lot of this stuff without even knowing it! There are so many layers of history there that it would take years to get it all!
Of course, we couldn't spend all the time studying history. Too much at once can cause an overload or brain malfunction - especially in the kind of heat we were facing. (If you are planning to travel to Israel, try to do it in a month besides August!) So we had to spend a little time doing fun things like coffee, deserts, shopping, and camel riding.
Jerusalem is a beautiful place mixing new with old...REALLY old. Ronen's father and his father's cousin went with us on our second time into the Old City. They are both knowledgeable about the city and its history. Especially his cousin, who was practically a private tour guide for us. His stories were amazing as he walked with us from the Mount of Olives (bottom picture) where he told us the history of Israel and all of its conquerors into the city walls where we walked the Via Dolorosa (side picture) and experienced all the stories of Christianity's beginnings. It was really unbelievable to be standing in places that are so important to so many people. Places that have been fought for over and over throughout history. We were so lucky to be with somebody who could point to something and actually know what it was and where it was from. On my own, I'm sure I would have walked right past a lot of this stuff without even knowing it! There are so many layers of history there that it would take years to get it all!
Of course, we couldn't spend all the time studying history. Too much at once can cause an overload or brain malfunction - especially in the kind of heat we were facing. (If you are planning to travel to Israel, try to do it in a month besides August!) So we had to spend a little time doing fun things like coffee, deserts, shopping, and camel riding.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
the traveler returns
I am back from a wonderful trip to Israel. I was able to see SO MANY things while I was there. I was lucky to be staying with Ronen's family, who were extremely kind and helpful. Since they let us use their car, we were able to drive around to different areas of the country and see different places. I saw things that were older than anything I had ever seen before and experienced places that I had imagined in my mind from the stories I heard since I was a young child. And the food....oh, yes, the food. Non.Stop. I have now eaten at at least two of the "top 5" Israeli hummus places, tried 20 Arabic salads in one meals, eaten dates from the tree, and tried an enormous amount of the breads and cheeses Israel has to offer. Actually, I probably haven't scratched the surface - but I can only do so much damage in 2 1/2 weeks!
We got back to New York last night, after staying up the night before and random sleeping on the plane. Exhaustion quickly set in and the fight against jet lag is a continuing process. I think I am doing a pretty good job. My coffee makers are standing by to help keep me awake when my eyes start feeling strong hits of gravity.
A quick description of the pictures (I'll go top to bottom, left to right - unlike the right to left I've been trying to learn my entire trip).
1. Flowers overlooking Haifa from Ba'hai Center - very overcast day or you would be able to see the Mediterranean sea in the background.
2. Outside a small church in Tabgha, marking place where Jesus fed multitudes from loaf and fishes
3. Overlooking Sea of Galilee
4. Walking in, not on the Sea of Galilee
5. Dates growing on a tree in Kibbutz Gesher
6. Floating in the Dead Sea
7. Jerusalem
8. Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
9. Camel in the desert
We got back to New York last night, after staying up the night before and random sleeping on the plane. Exhaustion quickly set in and the fight against jet lag is a continuing process. I think I am doing a pretty good job. My coffee makers are standing by to help keep me awake when my eyes start feeling strong hits of gravity.
A quick description of the pictures (I'll go top to bottom, left to right - unlike the right to left I've been trying to learn my entire trip).
1. Flowers overlooking Haifa from Ba'hai Center - very overcast day or you would be able to see the Mediterranean sea in the background.
2. Outside a small church in Tabgha, marking place where Jesus fed multitudes from loaf and fishes
3. Overlooking Sea of Galilee
4. Walking in, not on the Sea of Galilee
5. Dates growing on a tree in Kibbutz Gesher
6. Floating in the Dead Sea
7. Jerusalem
8. Garden Tomb, Jerusalem
9. Camel in the desert
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