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In This Issue
Word Play
Practice Hebrew while you read about dining out in Israel in Herbew,
followed by the English translation.
In English:
One of Israel's best kept secrets may be the variety of
cuisines available, with dishes inspired by immigrants
from every corner of the globe. Here are a few suggestions
for interesting and delicious meals for when hunger
strikes.
Perhaps the most characteristic Israeli eatery, and
certainly one of the most popular, is the falafel stand.
Falafel consists of balls of ground chickpeas, seasoned
and deep-fried. Falafel is relatively cheap. It's also
filling. At most stands, customers are given an empty pita
bread into which they may put as many falafel balls as
they want as well as an unlimited supply of salads and
vegetables. Most people add tahini sauce (a mixture of
finely ground sesame seeds seasoned and mixed with water
and lemon), before eating the overstuffed pita while
standing or walking. You can tell recent falafel eaters by
the tahini dripping down their chins. But the taste is
great.
A more familiar fast food stand is the sandwich stand,
where you can get a simple cheese sandwich with tomato
slices or another familiar sandwich. But why not be daring
and try some boorekas-- puffs filled with cheese or
potatoes. Most people prefer to eat them with "huevos
jaminados" (Sabbath morning eggs), hard-boiled eggs cooked
slowly for a long time so that the egg white becomes
brown. The Ladino name reveals that this dish originated
with Sephardic immigrants. (Ladino, descended from
Medieval Spanish, is the traditional language of Sephardic
Jews from the Mediterranean basin.) Now many Israelis love
these eggs, and with good reason!
If you feel like sitting down and maybe spending a little
more, have a cup of coffee or tea and a slice of cake at a
café. Most cafés have outside seating, and customers enjoy
sitting there and watching the world go by.
In Israeli cafés and restaurants, waiters do not rush the
customers out or ask if they are done. They only bring the
check when asked. And when it comes, the tip is usually
included. Most eateries follow the laws of Kashrut (Jewish
dietary laws). Therefore, it is very hard to find
restaurants which serve seafood, pork, or dishes
containing both dairy and meat. Nevertheless, the variety
of restaurants is enormous, ranging from basic and
inexpensive to very expensive and elegant. The cuisines
represented include Eastern European, Italian, Asian and
more.
American diners will find a new experience at
"Mediterranean" restaurants. The moment you are seated, a
waiter brings hot pita bread along with a plate of olives,
a plate of tahini sauce, and a variety of pickled
vegetables (cucumbers, green tomatoes, hot peppers, and
slices of turnip dyed red by adding beet slices). Another
condiment you may see is a paste of hot red and hot green
peppers. Watch out for this one!
When it's time to order, you might start with appetizers
such as hummus, a paste of ground chick peas and tahini,
garnished with olive oil and parsley; Moroccan cigars,
seasoned ground meat rolled in phylo dough like a cigar
and deep fried; and a whole list of salads. It's easy to
feel stuffed before the main course even arrives. Common
dishes include kebabs (skewers of ground meat) and
shishlik (skewers of cubed lamb, chicken or turkey meat or
chicken hearts or livers). All dishes are grilled and
served with "chips" (fries) and vegetable salad. For
dessert, you probably won't want more than mint tea or
Turkish coffee.
In Israel, you can find food to suit any budget, taste, or
style. And in larger cities, at least, even if you get
hungry at an unusual time of day, you will find many
restaurants open around the clock. See you at the corner
falafel stand!
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Hebrew News Beat
Israel: Politics and the Prime Minister
Because of the recent elections in the United States, we
thought it a good time to glance at the Israeli political
system and the man who is leading it through these
troubled times: Ehud Barak.
In Israel, the citizens are not allowed to vote for
President. Every four years they vote for the Prime
Minister and for the party that they wish to represent
them in the Knesset (the legislative assembly). The
Knesset then elects the President-- whose role as head of
state is ceremonial rather than political.
The real power belongs to the Prime Minister, who must put
together a cabinet out of the fragmented political
landscape of Israel.
Ehud Barak, who was elected Prime Minister in May of 1999,
is a war hero who ran for office on a platform of peace.
Recent events have shaken that platform, and those who
thought he had become a dove have now seen Barak the hawk
again.
The truth appears to be that he is both hawk and dove,
depending on the perceived needs of Israel. He is not
easily categorized, this classically trained pianist who
is also the most decorated soldier in the nation’s
history, this man who disguised himself as a woman in
order to lead the attack against the Palestinian group
responsible for killing Israeli athletes at the Olympic
Games in Munich.
Last August, the Knesset voted 61 to 51 to hold early
elections for Prime Minister, allowing the electorate a
chance to remove Barak from office. It was, in essence, a
vote of no confidence, and the outcome remains to be seen.
Sources:
- http://www.abcnews.com
- http://www.us-israel.org
- http://www.israel.org
- http://www.britannica.com
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Inside Transparent Language
Exciting news! According to PC Data, October 2000,
Transparent Language, Inc. has maintained the number one
position in the foreign language software category for the
month of September 2000 and for the entire year to date!
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HebrewNow! Product Tips
Open the online Help and print the Keyboard Shortcuts topic
to have a handy list of shortcut keys to keep near your
computer. There are shortcuts for many common actions!
For a quick summary and some background information about a
Title, open that Title and choose Help / Author
Introduction.
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