The Big Felafel

You don’t make friends with salad

I am the kinda person who likes to eat a good Shabbat meal. You’re probably like that too. I really enjoy when the challah is warm off the hot plate and table is filled with lots of different salatim, inviting you in for the warm feast that will stretch your stomach to new limits.One of my favorite parts of Israel is the food and more specifically the salatim- matbuha (the red stuff that looks like salsa), eggplant made in every color and flavor, hummus, techina, hilbe (Yemenite) and whatever else you got.

And when it is my turn to host a meal, I too make sure that there are plenty of dipping options at my table. That’s why I go to the Shuk to buy all my salatim products. The Shuk sells salatim in little containers just the right size for your Shabbat table needs.

However the once bargain salatim at NIS 5 each are no longer. That’s right, it appears that all the salatim vendors in the Shuk got together and decided to raise the price to NIS 6. I don’t care if it is only one shekel more- what I want to know is why.

And the answer I got to my burning question went something like this.

Me: Hi I want to know why the price for salatim went up.

Vendor dude: Because of Shmita (The Torah commands that the land not be harvested and rests every seven years. But we have loop holed this law so that we can sell the land and have someone else harvest it which in turn raises the prices on vegetables and fruit).

Me: So then next year they will be NIS 5 again?

Vendor dude: ______. Oh ha ha ha.

Me: _____________________. (I walk away) Not funny.

Bottom line: I’m angry and I better start saving my shekels.