Posts by Rebecca | The Big Felafel

Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 2: Local Organic Produce and The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Sorry for the long delay in posting.. I’ve been growing increasingly addicted to twitter where I can post quick thoughts and because I’ve been reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma actually really ties into my whole attempt to be a bit greener. This is possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read and I’ve been recommending and talking about it to anyone who comes within shouting distance. Pollan discusses 4 types of meals you can eat: industrial, industrial organic, organic/grass-fed farms, and hunting/gathering. It opened my eyes as to what I put in my body and brings a whole new meaning to “you are what you eat”.

And, like most things that you become aware of, you start seeing related information everywhere. I was checking Janglo last week and noticed that someone wanted to share the delivery cost from an local organic farm. I wrote to her and asked about 1,303 questions – what kind of food can you get? how much does it cost? when do they deliver? etc. She directed me toward Teva Habsor (1800- 25- 90- 90) which is an organic farm in the Negev. When I asked where exactly they were located, she said ‘in the Kassam region’. She said that usually explained it best to people. Pretty sad. But I guess life goes on. The farm sends out an Excel pricing sheet on Sundays and delivers to Jerusalem on Tuesdays; to Tel Aviv on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Negev area on Thursdays [from honey]. The best ‘deal’ from the farm seems to be a box of seasonal vegetables for 110 shekels which includes delivery. This seems a little steep, especially compared to the prices at the shuk. I guess a better comparison would be with the supermarkets, where the produce is unbelievably overpriced.

However, The Omnivore’s Dilemma talks about the bigger idea of cost, meaning that the prices at the shuk may seem cheaper but we end up paying for it indirectly. We pay for cheap produce through higher taxes for healthcare because of new food-related diseases, polluted water from insecticides and synthetic fertilizers, and fossil fuels used in the transportation of our food. Currently, I’m not sure that buying only organic is financially possible on an Israeli salary, but I’m excited to try it hopefully once a month and come home to a box of seasonal and locally made produce. Did I mention that this book was awesome?

Here’s a list of Organic Farms that deliver in Israel, thanks to Crunchy Greenola

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Everything I’ve learned about recycling and trying to go green in Israel. Part 1: the big picture

As it turns out, Earth Day was yesterday, so I happen to be really on top of things without even being aware. I did know it was Earth Hour about a month ago thanks to Benji’s insight into a Tel Aviv event where stationary bikes powered a concert – highly amusing.

Going green is really trendy right now, at least in New York City which I visited less than 2 weeks ago, and slowly but surely, it’s starting to spread in Israel. I’ve always recycled my plastic bottles and papers without even thinking twice, but I never really ventured much beyond that. During my trip, it occurred to me that I could be trying a little harder. I noticed that during the course of hanging out with my friends in the big apple, the word tote starting popping up in conversations. “I have some extra totes, do you need one” “shoot.. I forgot my tote” This was the first time I heard my friends talking about totes and other things they’re doing to be more environmentally conscious.

So I joined in, packed a few totes and was determined to use them upon my return to Israel. However, when put to the test, I have to admit that cutting down on plastic bags in the shuk was not particularly easy. For one, plastic bags are one of the very few things you can get for free in Israel so people load up on plastic bags to their heart’s content. Personally, I couldn’t figure out how to weigh 30 tomatoes without using a plastic bag. Also, the fear of tomato juice forming at the bottom of my tote didn’t seem so appealing either. And I use the bags for garbage.. how does that factor in? I think I need an environmental coach to help me figure everything out. But, I’m not giving up, I will continue to use the tote as much as possible even though it doesn’t seem so practical at times. I’m open to suggestions on how to better use the tote. Now that we’ve said tote 7 times, I think we can move on – stay tuned for Part 2 where I’ll show you how to get down and dirty aka where and what to recycle.

Here’s some articles and blogs that might inspire you to change your habits and some articles that may depress you as you learn about the state of our environment. Either way, just being aware of everything that is going on is a huge step forward.

Recent headlines featured the following environmental concerns:

Recent initiative:

Solar Paneled buildings

Not-as-recent but cool initiative:

NYTimes reports on a Herzilya theme park created with recycled materials

For daily reading on environmental tips, I recommend the following blogs:

The Green Prophet – This is a blog specifically about going green in Israel and little things we can do to help the environment.
TreeHugger – everything green- tips, news, products.
50 Ways to Help the Planet – self explanatory

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Stuff Israeli People Like #1-8

After reading the hilarious blog, Stuff white people like, I thought I’d take a crack at what Israeli people like. Keep in mind, this is from the perspective of someone who made aliyah (moved to Israel), not a native Israeli. I’m sure after a few more years I won’t even notice these little details, so I want to try to write it all down now.

Tashlumim – Paying in installments. For example, you go to the supermarket and buy pasta and sauce. At the checkout they ask you if you would like to pay regular or in installments. 9 times out of 10 Israelis will say yes to the tashlumim. Are all these Israelis really living from month to month or has society seduced them into the illusion that they are spending less by dividing up the payments?
Magenta hair – In America, women tend to get blonder as they get older, but here in Israel, women get magenta-er. The shades range from maybe-it’s-brown to the bubble-gum variety. I guess they figure, everyone can tell it’s dyed, mind’s well beat the system by showing off.
Decorating cars for weddings – Decorating a car for newlyweds is a must in Israel. Even if you protest and say you don’t really care, it is guaranteed that your car will be decorated and will follow strict decorating guidelines. First, it must be decked out in ribbon, not balloons. The ribbon must go in two strands across the length of the car and taped down every 3 inches creating a rippled effect.
And now for an interesting episode that I encountered with the decorated British car in the photo below. A few Shabbats ago, we were eating in the park when we heard a police car shouting over a megaphone. They warned the owner of this taxi-lookin’ car to come down or they would open the car by force. And they did! They duct-taped the driver-seat window and then cut out the window using a special knife. As a huge crowd gathered, we just watched, confused, as the police searched every inch of the car and then proceeded to tow it away. As my good friends from The Mighty Wind would say, “Wha happen?!” So curious…
Construction – With expensive luxury apartments going up left and right, Jerusalem is feared to turn into a ghost town, with Americans only visiting during the holidays. In the meantime, we can look forward to getting hit on by the construction workers on our walk to work.
Honking before the light turns green – I’m not sure who thought it would be a good idea to make the light turn yellow before it turns green, but it has caused the most unbelievable anxiety in traffic. As soon as people feel the yellow light coming, they already start honking. Before it even turns green
!
Traffic Circles – They just love ’em. And if you want to see the mother of all traffic circles, check out the double laned one on the corner of Pierre Koening and Hatenufa(?) in Talpiot. I still can’t figure out who is supposed to go where and when.
Techno Music – It doesn’t matter where you are – hippie fest by the Sea of Galilee, watching Nolad Lirkod (Born to Dance) on TV, or eating in a religious-owned felafel joint, Techno music is everywhere. It just manages to take over every possible scenario. What ever happened to the good ol’ days of YoYa?
Funny lookin’ cars – Oh, man, it makes me laugh again just looking at it. I have never seen these types of cars anywhere except for Israel. I guess it is the equivalent of a mini-van.. of sorts.

I’m sure I’m missing lots so if you’re feeling generous add your own “Stuff Israeli people like” in the comments.

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Phobservation #2: Do cats really get stuck in trees? Would you call the fire dept?

I heard someone knocking at the door, and when I opened it, my neighbor asked me if my cat was stuck in the tree in the back of the building. What?!

Luckily, Yosh(my cat) was right next to me, but I ran to the porch to see what was going on. And, what do you know, a cat stuck in the tree. I thought this was reserved for fake news shows or children’s books- but here I was, looking at the real live thing.

As we nervously looked on and rooted for the cat, we placed a call to the fire department – Number 102 in Israel. But, the menu was too complicated! After giving up on the fire department we took front row seats to this hold-on-to-your-chairs pay-per-view event and watched the cat carefully strategize his way down the tree. As soon as it landed, we clapped and cheered like idiots! And noticed that we got some weird looks from neighbors popping out to see what all the fuss was about.

In case you missed it, here’s a link to my Phobservation #1: Are Israeli mopeds made of Legos?

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Kama Kesef helps the wedding-gift challenged in Israel

How much money should you give at a wedding? Um.. awkward. Probably a taboo subject, but not for Israelis! Kama Kesef is an online calculator that gives you an objective view of how much money to give at weddings or other occasions. It factors in how close of friends you are, time of year, where it’s being held, and other criteria. I don’t really see how the time of year plays a role. I guess halls are more expensive in different seasons, but I can’t imagine that it would affect how much someone gives as a present. But who am I to judge the almighty wedding present calculator?

I tried it out, making up the following info: a not so close friend, September wedding, held in a hall, and found out the appropriate amount to give would be 234 shekels. When I asked around, people told me the real going rate is 150-200 for young people. Who to trust…

The site is in Hebrew and only works in Internet Explorer (surprise surprise). I heard about it a few times, but thanks to a comment on a post in What War Zone, I finally got around to writing it up.

Here’s a screenshot from the Kama Kesef calculator:

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3 websites to find out what’s going on in Jerusalem

Bored? Out of the loop? Hate when people ask questions when they can’t hear the answer? Here are 3 websites that should keep you filled in on the latest events, plays, festivals, comedy nights, and everything else that is happening in J-town.

1. – The Jerusalem Blueprint takes after the New York version – NYBluePrint, a Jewish newspaper focusing on events happening in the Jewish community. It is the most comprehensive listing of Jerusalem events that I’ve come across and severely underpublicized. The secret is out.

2. – Oh Janglo, where would I be today without you? The addictive Jerusalem message board has its own calendar for events happening all over Israel, not just Jerusalem.

3. – Go Jerusalem, which I covered earlier, is Nir Barkat’s baby, and is a good reference for events happening in Jerusalem and also features lists of bars, restaurants, and other touristy stuff. This is where I found out about the soup festival. As Danny pointed out in the comments, good call on the dome of the rock – subliminal messages, Nir?

Who said 3? I’ll find you.. I meant 5. So here’s a bonus:

4. Jerusalemite is the new kid in town and is still in Beta. It is a cultural guide to Jerusalem and so far it looks like a really fun and energetic site, making me want to run out and find new places to explore. It will take a lot of effort to keep it updated and fresh, but I for one will appreciate it.

5. Jerusalem Municipality – If you can navigate your way through this site in English or Hebrew and find all the details about an event happening in Jerusalem, you get a big high five. I was hesitant about listing this site because I find it confusing and try to use it as little as possible. But, I gueeesss it’s the official site of Jerusalem, so I should really include it.

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The 74? That seems logical

When it’s all color coded and has diamonds behind it, I could almost get excited about the new Egged bus lines. New bus lines? Well, Jerusalem has been planning a light rail for many years now, but only now are they actually dealing with the traffic nightmares it could possibly cause. It’s not that I’m disrespecting their efforts, I can’t wait to get from one end of Herzl street to the other, it’s just that I get a little confused when I see the 74 bus stop show up. Sorry to readers not living in Jerusalem, this may not be all that riveting…

Here’s what I find funny. The 14 bus has turned into the 21(more or less) and the 21 turned into the 74 (more or less)… so the real question is… why not keep the original bus numbers and just have a slight change of route!

Brian from This Normal Life quotes the Jerusalem Post article which really demonstrates the lack of communication among the city’s transportation units.

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7 months of funny search terms

Some people check their blog stats for duration of visit, referring sites, or most popular content. I prefer to check mine for search terms of how people findthe big felafel. Some are the usual like “misrad hapnim Jerusalem” or “book stores Jerusalem” but some are pretty hilarious and fall into the following categories.

Seeking Philosophical answers I really wonder if anybody can ever explain these wonders of the world

Is ahmadedejad evil
Assigned seats in movie theater
Are there 50 or 52 states
Are there movie theaters in Israel

Religiouis oh Jews… always looking to make fun of themselves

Shemittah jokes
yom kippur funny

Weird um

And a pile of bandaids, thank you
Make friends with salad
Poo fight faceback

Random things I would never, ever, ever think of looking up but maybe now I will

Tushy police
How to dump your facebook friends
My tushy is too large
3 things that happened during the invention chocolate

Vague Even if these people found the answers they were looking for, I still don’t think they’d be happy with the answer. I recommend these people use Google’s advanced search feature.

Make falafel game
Why do you know that they are boys
Location or place where the book sells
How big is a parking spot
The cost of stuff in Israel
How much do groceries cost in Israel
calories in falafel
How many shekels is food in Israel
how much do things cost in israeli shekels

Cut the crap – give me the low down

How much is a falafel in Israel
Price of chicken in Israel
how do people make a living in israel

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Mad Libs For Peace

I think that anyone who starts an initiative for peace in the middle east probably has good intentions maybe a little naive, but a good heart none the less. Although a noble cause, many times these groups for peace use a formula that amounts to no more than: noun + for peace = organization name. I’ve compiled a list of the groups that have most amused me most from ukuleles (I just learned how to spell that) to sex.

We had written about Salsa for Peace, only to learn that there are tons more creative ideas to bring peace for the middle east. Recently in Janglo, I noticed none other than Ukuleles for Peace(upcoming concert) and Drummers For Peace In the Middle East(looking for a drummer).

Other For Peace organization names that amused me: