I was asked to write about the food situation here—how is it
different than America; is it expensive; what have I been eating? First of all, back in the States my eating
habits were not the healthiest—pizza, bacon, hamburger, Doritos, etc. Of course when I got sick, all of those foods
and pretty much every other food stopped.
As frustrated as I was, I saw the positive in my unintentional three
month-plus fast—I saw it as spiritual preparation for my stay here in Israel,
and once I started eating again, it was as if I had a new foundation to build
upon.
Once I got my appetite back (which really happened not long
after I arrived in Israel), it came back with a vengeance, mostly thanks to all
the added walking; I simply couldn't eat enough. I was always hungry, so I ate several times a
day. Now my body has adjusted, and I am
on a regular routine. Unfortunately, I
do not have as many choices here as I do back home.
The big one of course is pork. Pork is not kosher, and you will not find it
anywhere in Jerusalem (probably the most strict of all cities/villages in
Israel), unless you visit an Arab supermarket or the Muslim Quarter in the Old
City. So far I have survived without my
beloved bacon, but I do think of it often.
I almost ordered bacon at a non-kosher restaurant in downtown Jerusalem
for my hamburger, but it was about $ 2.50 extra for two skimpy pieces. I can get a whole pack for that back
home. Other things I can’t find here:
pickles in a jar; they are available in cans, and they’re much smaller and have
a different taste—not bad at all mind you, just some are spicy, and I honestly
can’t tell you what the others are, I haven’t looked up the Hebrew for it
yet. Pretzel rods are another commodity
I relish at home but they do not exist here.
When I first arrived in January, I bought a bag of what I thought were
pretzel rods and couldn't wait to bust them open. To my surprise, the white things were not salt
crystals, but sesame seeds (I bought 3 bags before I learned my lesson). Sesame seeds defile a lot of foods here—I am
not a fan. I finally found saltines
tonight, but they only come in a small pack and are about 3 dollars.
Hamburger is available in the deli, but to be honest it
looks a little scary (there are other, uh, pieces that look scary, too). Not to mention it is super expensive—if
memory serves me correctly, it is over 6 dollars a pound. If I find that is not
true, I will correct myself on my next post.
They do sell frozen hamburger pre-made patties, but I am not convinced
the meat came from a cow; the jury is still out on that one. The cheapest loaf of bread—which you have to
keep in the fridge, as I have had it mold in just over 3 days—is about
$3.25. I basically live on peanut
butter, and it is $5.40 for a 17 ounce jar.
I really miss cereal, and they have a few American brands. My favorite is Frosted Flakes, but at $9 a
box, (granted it’s a large box, but still!) I just can’t afford it. And the biggie? No Mt. Dew.
None. I recently read that it is
hard to find (if found at all) in Europe or something, but since I am on the
Asian continent I shouldn't have to suffer too, but apparently I have no
choice. Coke is available, but is $2 for
a liter. I haven’t decided if the
bottled water here is expensive or not; for a six pack (2 liter bottles=3.2
gallons total) is $3.24. I don’t think
that’s too bad. The cheapest eggs I have
found is $3.20 for a dozen. The eggs
here are fun because they have reddish-purple stamps on each one; why I don’t
know, but I always buy the ones that have brontosaurus stamps.
What else? Oh,
pizza. There is a Dominos up the street
from the North Gate of the Student Village, and they serve meat on the pizza,
which is great, which includes pepperoni…but it’s not pepperoni. I haven’t figured it out yet; it tastes kind
of like salami. I had (naked) shrimp on
pizza last week, and it was actually very good.
The price is comparable to the States.
I found a Pizza Hut downtown, but I have not ventured in yet; it is
across from McDonald’s. I have been to
McDonald’s three times—once in Tiberias and twice here. All three times were for ice cream, but once
I did get the fries. I think I paid over
$8 for a McFlurry and small fries. Oh,
and they don’t have the traditional menu either—here they offer the “Big
America” burgers, and they are named after cities, such as Chicago, New York,
New Orleans, etc. I couldn't find a
Quarter Pounder on the menu. And yes,
the fries taste the same. Regular little
tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream=$8-10.
To save money, there is always the shuk=outdoor market. By far, the prices for fruits and veggies
there is much, much cheaper than the States, and much higher quality. I bought
roughly 3 pounds of clementines for just over $2. Pitas are made fresh there all day, every day
(except during Shabbat, of course), and you can get a pack of 10 for 5 shekels,
which is about $1.35. You can get just
about everything at the shuk: fish, chicken, steak, various desserts, cheese, cookies,
candy, eggs, and believe me when I say the best fresh bread, literally hot out
of the oven. Almonds have been a staple
for me, and I can get just over two pounds for $5.40. My favorite part of the shuk is all the free
taste testing—you try it before you buy it.
My favorite Israeli food is the falafel, hands down. You can eat it in a pita, or my personal
favorite, a large tortilla, called a lafa.
I prefer the lafa because usually the pitas don’t hold up well, and of
course the lafa makes for a bigger falafel.
What is a falafel? I was told it
is Israel’s version of the cheeseburger, and that’s a pretty good comparison,
except it has no meat whatsoever. What
makes a falafel a falafel are the little hush puppy looking items: deep fried
chickpeas. Then you stuff your vehicle
of choice with veggies, usually consisting of cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, then
there is humus, pickles, and a lot of the time French fries, but in Israel they’re
called “cheeps”, and then drizzled with tahini, which is made up mostly of
sesame seeds. You see, the irony of it
all is I do not like sesame seeds, as previously mentioned, nor do I like humus
or chickpeas. But they taste amazing
eaten together. The best place to get a falafel, in my opinion, is just outside the Student Village at the French
Hill Falafel. Well now that I just wrote
an entire blog on food, I’m hungry.
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| The best bread I have bought so far here |
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| Taking a quick nap before things get really busy at the shuk |
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| It's very common to see these hanging around, a lot of the time with the tails still untouched; sometimes you can see piles of bags containing the heads and other parts, sometimes the piles are a few feet high |
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| Eating area at the shuk, before it opens |
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| Tower of sweetness |
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| Fish heads and more |
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| You can't tell in the picture, but the celery stalks here are huge; I've seen some almost 3 feet long |
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| A glorious pita exiting a less glorious machine |
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| My favorite place to buy pita |
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| This was my first ever falafel back in January, in a lafa |
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| This is a pic I borrowed from the internet, showing some optional veggies, in a pita. I don't usually have one in my hands long enough to take a picture. |
