The Food

We have our first free night without a choir rehearsal or performance and I want to capture some of my memories while they wre fresh but still leave itinerary stuff until returning home when I can add the photos. Add to those considerations that I am now writing with a new awareness that the tour director might visit the ol' blog (he asked I if I had a blog after some comment I made about writing. I can't remember saying it but he still outed me. I was surprised by how nervous I felt about the idea of someone new reading my blog. I have gotten very comfortable with my 10-20 readers and like it that way but have no desire to be private so if you're here, Steve, welcome!).

With all that in mind, I thought it'd be fun to write about the food.  It is interesting to me that wherever I have traveled, there is a dominant meal. China: rice and stirfry. Germany, Austria, Switzerland: weinerschitzel (at least that is my 17 year-old memory. Lots of weinersnitzel. I also remember a lot of bread, cheese and Nutella). Guatemala: rice and beans. Dominican Republic: rice and beans. Myanmar and Thailand: rice and curry. Mexico: cruise ship so it doesnt count but I did have fish tacos whenever we got off the ship. Do you think it is unique to living in the USA that we regularly have tacos, stir fry, spaghetti, steak and soup all within a week?  That is not so here. 

As a preface, every meal I have had here has been served group style, whether at a hotel, restaurant or kibbutz cafeteria. I realize the group setting influences our dining experience but I think each place has tried really hard to serve a variety of food offerings, not only for different palate preferences but also because it is a lot of food to prepare!  Side dishes are key! 

The most dominant factor here in Israel is that food must be kosher. Before coming here, I had a vague understanding of what that meant. I still have only a slightly better than vague understanding but the little I've learned I want to remember. 

First of all, kosher means that everything, from the spices and oils to the meat and bread, has to be prepared properly. To be strictly kosher (and our guide explained that there is some leniency in interpretation when companies choose) Shabbat, or the sabbath, cannot have been broken during its production. For items whose processes take days or weeks, like wine, having a kosher label is a big deal. The other factors are how the blood was drained from meat (completely but I think there is more to it) and what foods can't be combined or consumed together. 

This is the part of kosher that I had no idea about. Meat and dairy can never be served at the same meal. That means, there is no such thing as a kosher cheeseburger (actually, that is probably not true as the cheese McDonald's uses might not actually be made from dairy products, but you get the idea).  Most of the time, I hardly notice but last night at dinner, I thought, "I wish there was butter for my roll," and realized none would be offered because there were beef and chicken dishes. Likewise, at breakfasts, milk, yogurt and cheeses are always offered and, thus, there is no meat. There wouldn't be the kinds or breakfast meats I am used to anyways as pork is not kosher (no bacon or sausage or ham) so it is not all that noticeable either. Do you suppose that may be why those types of meats have become "breakfast" meats?  Hmmmm.  They do offer fish in the morning. Fish is not considered meat and eggs are not considered dairy. They are neutral foods.

Which brings me to what we have been eating. Salad is offered at every meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not salad like we Americans think of it but more of a schmorgasborg of salad-ish items. Lots of cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in a vinegar. Lots of corn with peppers and cucumbers. Lots of cabbage that is almost a coleslaw but without the sweetness or mayo. Lots of peppers prepared fresh, marinated, or roasted and always, always, always hummus. There are also always olives and fruits to enjoy. The Jaffa oranges are wonderful but the fresh dates are kind of bland. 

Lunch has been "on our own" everyday which simply means we pay out of pocket for it on the spot instead of it being included in the tour package. I haven't minded yet. Our schedule has been so full that to send all of us off in different directions looking for food could be disastrous and time consuming. Instead, we have found restaurants that don't bat an eye at feeding a bus full of people (in fact, there are usually already one or two buses already parked in the parking lot. The holy land attracts tourists like moths to a flame and these restaurants are designed to feed crowds quickly). Again, the ubiquitous salads are offered as is pita bread, hummus, and usually a choice of flafel or some other meat. It's all very good. I haven't left hungry once. 

Today was the most adventurous meal yet. We visited Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee and our tour guide (hi, Steve!) suggested we try the St. Peter's fish as it is a fish unique to the Sea of Galilee and kind of a once in a lifetime (if you are a tourist) opportunity. We had just finished seeing the very sight where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes and even though I am not much of a fish lover and pretty much limit myself to salmon and maybe mahi mahi if I'm feeling really wild and crazy, raised my hand when asked who wanted fish instead of the much safer chicken kabobs. 

I about died when my plate was put in front of me. Ok...not died but I definitely almost cried. I don't even like eating wings or drumsticks if I am eating  chicken because of the skins and bones and now, I am dealing with eyeballs and skin and tail and fins!  I didn't even know where to start. 

I picked up the tail and started pulling. I saw the white meat and felt relieved because it didn't look scary at all but I had all the bones still to deal with, not to mention that as I continued to pull, I only got closer and closer to the head. 

Somehow, I did it all. I didn't ever freak out or shudder or cry, even though I felt like doing all of it. What a grown up I have become!  20 years ago, when food like this was presented to me in china, I took picture but would not eat. I still took the picture (how could I not?) but enjoyed the very good fish as well. It is a type of tilapia. Very mild. That is the picture from the post. 

I'm looking forward to the markets in Jerusalem where we will have a few meals to truly fend for ourselves. I don't know if I'll venture beyond my comfort zone of bread and cheese or pita and hummus but my success with St. Peter's fish gives me hope and confidence that I might be capable of more. Maybe I'll be brave enough to try some olives tomorrow. Even back home, if they aren't black and from a can, I don't dare. But, I am in the land of olives. Did you know Gethsemane on the mount of Olives means "oil press" in Hebrew?  We learned that today and I have been thinking about it ever since. We take these olives, which are quite bitter unprepared. They press them to extract the oil which is expensive ad highly desirable, necessary even, in terms of cooking and daily life. I haven't quite dis jumbled it all but I know there is a metaphor in there somewhere . 

I can't believe how much I can type with my thumbs on a small keyboard. I wish I had a full size one as I could go much faster and get less frustrated with auto correct. Tomorrow, we go to Jericho, Qumrum where the Dead Sea scrolls were riscovered, Masada, which, after reading The Dovekeepers, is a place I have been eagerly anticipating, and staying the night at the Dead Sea. I plan on swimming in the salty water and covering myself in its mud so that I can be unbelievably beautiful. At least that is the promise:-).