Counting Down

Israel is a place of many cultures - Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Yemenite, Persian, Lebanese, North African, Bedouin, Iraqi, Moroccan, Druze, Bukharian, Circassian and more.  Food has a special way of breaking down barriers among cultures and creating bonds among those with many other differences.

I was really turned on to the idea of cooking in Israel when friends brought me Janna Gur's book The Book of New Israeli Food.  The recipes and gorgeous photos in this book prompted me to rekindle my dream of spending a significant time in Israel. Another friend suggested that I combine my loves of cooking and photography with this trip.  So here we are...

I read a book by Abbie Rosner, a former American now living in the Galilee.  Breaking Bread in the Galilee describes her personal journey discovering the historic foods of the Bible and the way food connects people of all cultures.

Another recent purchase - Joan Nathan's The Foods of Israel Today, brings together the stories of her travels throughout Israel, the people she met and their many culinary traditions.

As I've spent the last year preparing for this trip my desires and curiosities around exploring Israel have exploded.  There is so much to discover - both in the country and in myself; I intend to take advantage of the time learning.  I've been to Israel twice before but as a tourist. Running from place to place - really riding a bus from place to place.  The first time was chaperoning my daughter Andrea's 8th grade class trip in 2000.  The second time was in 2007, traveling with friends and visiting the same daughter who was at Hebrew University for her junior college year.  Both trips were wonderful.

This time, rather than trying to see and do as much as possible each day, I will have a chance to use all of my senses to take in the sites, the sounds, the aromas, the textures and the tastes that surround me.  And, as in a melting pot, I intend to blend them together with a splash of reflection and relaxation, let them simmer very slowly, then see what results.  

Welcome to my journey.