Stating the obvious: I have not blogged in a long while. Life caught up with me. You know how they say that if you’re so busy trying to record your life, you’re missing it? I certainly can understand that sentiment. On the contrary, writing down thoughts, impressions, memories, contributes wholeheartedly to living of an examined life (a la Socrates: “the life which is unexamined is not worth living”). So, I’m in both camps. I’ve been living a lot – not that it has been overly exciting, some very bad spots, some quite interesting and good – and it felt good most of the time not running to record every moment. That said, there were some moments when I wished I had my camera, when I was dying to share. All in moderation. As always. Sometimes it’s good to keep a diary, and sometimes it gets in the way.
Here are some photo highlights of the last months. Enjoy!
New wine bar in my neighborhood. Cute, huh?
Yemenite restaurant in the HaTikva neighborhood shuk (market). That is lachoch (yes, throat clearing sound times two), a Yemeni-style bread which resembles a crumpet; the other bread with the egg on top is malawach, flaky, crisp, oodles of layers of goodness and fat; and the two sauces are chilbeh (yes, clear your throat) – a dip made mainly from fresh Fenugreek, and then raw tomato (tradtionally eaten with malawach).
My first cup of Kopi Luwak. Yup, most expensive cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Worth it to say I drank coffee that was eaten and excreted by a civet. Lovely and smooth.
It’s not a good photo, but this is the impressive, beautiful barrel aging room at the Domaine du Castel winery – one of Israel’s oldest and best boutique wineries.
Cured beef, horseradish, and Rioja at a happening joint just outside the shuk on market day.
Chateau Lynch Bages – a Bordeaux – shared by the participants at a wine seminar I was at. The Irish have a strange history in Bordeaux – worth looking up…
Sushi, Sashimi, and Nigiri at the “Al HaMayim” restaurant in Herzliya, right on the beach. Amazing place. Phenomenal sushi – and not just for Israel. Fish comes in fresh every day, and is thrown out if not used by the end of the day. Simply done, beautifully cut. The most creative one was an eel with scallop nigiri covered with a small slab of foie gras.
A photo of me taking a photo. On a Jerusalem Hills winery-hopping day. We visited Clos de Gat, Flam, and Domaine du Castel.
Good to read you again Irene:) where was the top picture taken? And where is that new wine bar located? Can’t wait to visit all the places you describe:)
Which top picture? The blog’s banner? That’s the Yonatan vineyard in the Golan Heights on an almost wintry day. The wine bar is on Dizengoff just south of Arlozorov – just next door to Atnachta. But I need to take you to the HaTikva market. It’s this rundown (always has been), immigrant-filled (always has been) neighborhood on the east side of the Ayalon, way south (near the central bus station in latitude). But it’s a larger, cleaner, and far more interesting market than the Carmel market in Tel Aviv. Strange and fascinating things to see there.
oh man oh man. beautiful wine, exquisite food, and rodent poop coffee. I think Yemini(?) is the best homey cuisine in Israel. Except for Arab restaurants.
Looks to me you had lots of fun while not being here. You should join Instagram, if you haven’t already, great way to record between blog posts.