Tag Archives: food

Pressure, Poetry, Potpourri

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From my blog:

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I really need to write a blog post right now, but I must first overcome many obstacles.

The above statement has two parts. I should know what they’re called because I was an English major, but thankfully, I managed to receive my degree without taking a single grammar class. So, there might be an independent clause, a subordinate clause, a santa clause, or an insanity clause up there and I have no idea. In any case, in response to the first part of the statement, why do I need to write a blog post right now? Continue reading →

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[Alumni Guest Post] Fine Dining in the Shuk: Jacko’s Street

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X-posted from Foodist Jerusalem,
Written by Anna Melman (Year ’05, Fellows ’06)

This is a great blog to follow if you're looking for
good food in Jerusalem!

When I first moved to Jerusalem, the shuk was dead at night. This made sense, since it was mostly a fruit and vegetable and meat and fish market. I remember back in 2005 or 2006 thinking that Bashar (the cheese store) could make a killing if they stayed open late one night a week for wine and cheese tasting. At the time this idea seemed ludicrous since the shuk was a ghost town at night. There were a few restaurants (and of course the steakiyot) on Agrippas. But I’d say that just in the past 4 or so years has the shuk area really become a place with a plethora of interesting dinner options. One day I hope to write a post talking about dining options in the shuk. For today though, I’m going to focus on the newest option, Jacko’s Street, which is located at the bottom of the shuk around the corner from Rachmo and Mousseline.

Jacko’s Street opened about a month ago (maybe less?), promising the finest kosher dining in the neighborhood. Before we went, we heard a lot about the atmosphere and the ambiance and of course the food. Without giving too many spoilers before the meat of my post, Continue reading →

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Old Matzah or New? Tastes the same to me…

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From my blog:

“So I was walking down the sidewalk one day, and a bus hit me in the head.” Such are the stories you hear at a lunch table in Israel. But we’ll come back to that.

In more recent news, I just finished celebrating my first day of Pesach in Israel. And let me tell you, the matzah here is amazing. Israelis actually spend a good portion of the pesach seder laughing about the fact that Americans still haven’t discovered the conspiracy that makes American matzah taste like dusty wood chips. They call it “מבצע ביצה” (Operation Egg) in code.

So many meanings at this time of year!

So many meanings at this time of year!

For the first (and only) seder, I went to the house of one of my Pardes teachers. The seder was absolutely wonderful; it was Continue reading →

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Freedom For Girls

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From my blog:

I would like to take this opportunity to wish girls and women everywhere a happy Passover – a Passover that is filled with freedom.

Freedom from “I’m not good enough” and “why doesn’t he* like me.” Freedom from wanting your life to be like a T-Swift love song, freedom from not “going for it” because you think you don’t deserve him. Freedom from settling for someone who shows a slight interest in you, because you don’t think anyone else will. Freedom from “why didn’t he text me back?!?!” Freedom from “what am I doing wrong?” and “how can I change myself to get him to like me.”

Freedom from comparing ourselves to others and assessing our own value based on what society thinks we should look, act, and think like. Freedom from “why can’t I look more like her.” Freedom from “I’m not cool if I don’t have that bag or those shoes.” Freedom from slavery to your makeup case and hair straightener. Freedom from wondering why you can never seem to look like the celebrities on magazine covers. Continue reading →

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Gefilta fish making!

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I am in the US and today with my mom and my great great aunt Eki, we made (homemade) gefilta fish! I always have a hesitation when coming home because I have become more observant over the past four years in Israel, but today, I felt very Jewish and really proud of my family’s Jewish identity.

This bowl is famous and massive. There is about 15 to 20 pounds of fish in here!

This bowl is famous and massive. There is about 15 to 20 pounds of fish in here!

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Thank You from Abayudaya

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Dear Friends,

This email is to send a huge huge huge thank you for all of your generous contributions towards the Namutumba Jewish community. In total, we raised 900 dollars (!!!!!), to help support the community! The money is going to contribute to full and complete seders, as well as to the education fund of the community. It really is a huge and meaningful contribution.

Here is a thank you note from the community leader, Shadrach Mugoya:

Unknown student, Allan and Shadrach

Unknown student, Allan and Shadrach

Dearest sisters and brothers,

I am taking great thanks to you and all the friends who contributed towards making our Seder colourful, and towards tuition. Indeed,thank you so much. I ask Hashem Baruch to reward you abundantly. We are going to have a nice Seder, but all this, is your effort. We could not have a nicer one if you did not help and support us. Continue reading →

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[Alumni Guest Post] Fine Dining (in Jerusalem): Eucalyptus

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X-posted from Foodist Jerusalem,
Written by Anna Melman (Year ’05, Fellows ’06)

This is a great blog to follow if you're looking for
good food in Jerusalem!

eEucalyptus’s deal is that they only serve foods indigenous to the land of Israel. I had been once before, back in 2006 when my dad was visiting, when the restaurant was located in the Russian Compound and I desperately wanted to like interesting food but stuck with the chicken. The restaurant has since moved to Hutzot HaYotzer, and my palate has matured (thank you, well-bred husband). In the past year or two, a number of friends have gone and have offered reviews ranging from “best meal of my life” to “really good” to “not bad but it’s always empty there” to “really weird.” So we weren’t totally sure what to expect. Continue reading →

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Dare I Rant?

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From my blog:
I need a man, not a monkey.

I need a man, not a monkey.

I am usually a very tolerant person, especially when people are trying to understand human diversity. I will kindly explain that, no, Connecticut is not New York and that, yes, I would rather watch reruns of “Gilmore Girls” than new episodes of “Jersey Shore.” I will gladly explain that I would much rather bake with a guy than go to a bar with him, and I’ll even accept his offers to get things for me from high shelves.

But this weekend, I reached a limit. There comes a point when I can no longer make jokes about all the things I should make jokes about.
The scene: Friday night dinner with a few Pardes students and a wealthy British family.
The subject: Being gluten-free.

It all started off innocuously enough. Continue reading →

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Pesach Mitzvah re: Ugandan Jews!

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Hello Pardes Friends!

I’m writing to you guys in preparation for the Passover Seder, to present an opportunity for doing a really special mitzvah, and to share a unique Pesach experience that I had in East Africa.

Two years ago, I had a far-from-trypical pesach seder.

It took place far away, in a remote and extremely impoverished village called Namutumba, which is one of the Abayudaya Jewish communities in Uganda. The experience was intense, powerful, and eye opening… The seder meal was eaten on benches and on the floor. The meal was one bowl of rice, which people stuffed into bags to save for the following day. There was little available water for Rachtzah, so people pretended to wash their hands in the air. The seder plate had an egg and karpas, the rest of the plate was bare. One box of matzah was shared between 75 people.

It seemed crazy to me, to be celebrating freedom in a place without basic human rights of food, water, education etc., yet the Jews of Namutumba celebrated freedom with such passion and love and kavannah. They reflected on their relatively newfound freedom from religious oppression (Jewish were trageted under Idi Amin), they celebrated their freedom to be Jewish. Continue reading →

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