PLATEFUL AND PLEASED

(Part 2)

INCREDIBLE ISRAEL

Via Dolrosa(Way of the Sorrows).
The starting point of the path that Jesus Christ took to Cavalry where he was crucified

Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem

Dr Shakshuka. Jaffa

Carmel Market (Shuk Hacarmel), oldest market in Tel Aviv

[NOTE: This food story covers travels over the last three years- old to now. Basically archived pictures and notes that were shaken up, dusted and voila..]

EGG-SITING JAFFA

Israel is the only place where I saw a tourist- not much head scratching required to guess from where - put her handbag, the glass holding her drink, and her sandals on a common table at Kalia Beach Bar, the Lowest Bar -420 at the Dead Sea. But lets rewind to the beginning . And also clarify that it was before the October 7 Hamas attack and the outbreak of the war. It also began with a pocketful of uncertainty because the 'friend' of the friend who was going to meet us at the airport went radio silent on the day of the flight. We land at Ben Gurion Airport, switch on our phones and there are flurries of messages etc and photographs too for identity. That in a way set the tone for our travel.

Shakshuka it has to be for breakfast we were told by friends and past visitors. So it had to be and for the best version it had to be Dr Shakshuka in Jaffa was the suggestion. For our first breakfast in the country we travelled from Tel Aviv to Jaffa. Sparkling cyan Mediterranean Sea with the Andromeda Rockts, Port Said, ancient tower clock, St Peter's Chruch, Shuk ha-Pishpeshim or Jaffa Flea market and the sought after address. Shakshuka, a dish of North African origin has eggs poached in a thick tomato sauce with additions of seasonings etc served in a iron skillet.

The Dr in Dr Shakshuka is Yosef Binyamin Gabso. How he earned the sobriquet makes for interesting history. In brief, his parents migrated to Israel from Libya where his father opened an eatery in Jaffa called Tripoli. The hero of the dish started working with his father from an early age. But father and son also had a side hustle; money-changing which, in the 1980s was illegal in Israel. It was during his 15 months imprisonment where Gabso transformed into Dr Shakshuka, a title bestowed by a fellow prison inmate because of the shakshuka he prepared in the prison on a burner. It naturally followed that the eponymous eatery would take birth after he was released. The menu has other dishes too but Shakshuka is all pervading.

At the entrance a life size cut out of Dr Shakshuka, portly, bald, smiling with open arms welcomes all. Housed in a old building with thick stonewalls both inside and outside, the restaurant has ancients utensils, pots and pans hanging from the ceiling and obviously, laudatory manifestations on one wall. A big claim to fame is that the Dr was featured in the American travel documentary TV series, 'Somebody Feed Phil' presented by Phil Rosenthal. The table is laid with accompaniments including salad and a pumpkin dip called tershii of Libyan origin and a basket of bread. The Dr has been quoted saying that his secret ingredient is filfel chuma or pepper garlic sauce, again of Libyan origin. The Shakshuka is presented with a bit of a flourish at the centre of the table. For first timers like us at the eatery, everything is a novelty and let's leave it at that.

Dr Shakshuka, Flea Market Jaffa

The Shakshuka!

For coffee we move to the Basma Cafe. Basma in Arabic means smile and there's nothing so addictive like sitting at the outside table and watching the world pass by especially in a place like Jaffa where keeping tabs on time becomes irrelevant.

Basma Cafe, Flea Market, Jaffa

TEL AVIV TALES

From Jaffa, in particular its flea market to Sarona Market in Tel Aviv is stepping out of the past into the future and a snazzy one at that. Sarona is Tel Aviv's largest indoor culinary centre that opened in 2015 with over 100 stalls including 40 eateries, bars and speciality stores. It is open all seven days, even on Sabbath which in my experience would be sacrilege in Jerusalem. The varieties of fare and ware available were simply mind boggling. We were meeting our 'friend' of our friend and his family. Travel after all, is also about making new friends and memories that tug at the heartstring. And according to our' friend' Sarona lacked just one thing- a Chole Bhatura stall!

Sarona Market, Tel Aviv

A decade or so ago in Rome one had to travel by train the evening rush hours to another extreme end of the city because the other half desperately wanted to have 'homemade style mutton curry'. Here we go again was all one could sigh as about a bit of a longish cab ride, one traipsed reluctantly through a neighbourhood that seemed a little bit out place as compared to the rest of the city. A neighbourhood less lit and where the footpath felt not only a little rugged but half of it were occupied by tents. One's traipsing immediately jumped to virtual gallop mode. Thankfully, Gorkha Kitchen appeared soon enough. It was then one learnt that the taxi had dropped us at the wrong end and the area we passed through had mostly immigrants. The irony was Gorkha Kitchen was set up by a Nepalese, Tenzing Sherpa - yes you are reading it right - who had moved to Israel with a work permit and who, sometime later turned entrepreneur.

A medium sized eatery, Gorkha Kitchen appeared to be more of a take-away going by the rate at which delivery guys were picking up orders. And no, there was no mutton - lea, nada, but chicken and more chicken. So homemade style mutton curry was replaced by chicken curry with rice. This was one place where after a long time one saw egg chow mein on the menu and like the place, both the dishes were basic. Tenzing and his staff ensured that while leaving we were headed in the right direction.

Gorkha Kitchen, Tel Aviv

HIGH ON HAIFA

Chaplin- esque it was all right. After admiring the uninterrupted view of the Baha'i Gardens and the Shrine on the slope of Mount Carmel, Haifa from the sit out of our place of stay, decided it was coffee time before actually venturing into the Gardens. Right below was Hashtag, a take away place. It was a one man show. How can one go wrong with a machine made cold coffee? Americano? Sure. A cup was put in the micro and totally forgotten because our man was too busy dashing all over the place. Before giving into the temptation to roll up one's sleeves, hop over and assist him, one walked out.

From the farce to the the feast for the eyes and a bit of flattery. The Baha'I Gardens with the Shrine of the Bab in Haifa and adjacent Akko is on the UNESCO World Heritage List in recognition of their 'outstanding universal value' as holy places and places of pilgrimages for followers of the Baha'I faith. The founder of the faith was born as Siyyid Ali Muhammed in Shirin, Iran in 1819 and was executed at a public square in Tabriz after three years of isolated confinement in a fortress and 'his remains were dumped outside the city and guarded by soldiers to prevent him from receiving a proper burial. Despite that, his followers were able to remove his remains and hide them for fifty years. His final resting place is the Shrine with a golden dome on the central terrace on Mount Carmel overlooking the Akko bay. There are 19 terraces in all, right up to the northern slope of Mount Carmel. The Baha'I Gardens with its incredulous architecture, greeneries, succulents, sculptures are balm both for the eyes and the soul. The tourists are allowed till the mid level with the top level where the Shrine is located off limits. Our driver Khaim- life in Hebrew- convinced us that there could be no better view than that from the Stella Maris Church and Carmelite Parish. Khaim could easily sell snow to the Eskimos. Undeniable breath taking view, but still from the Golden Coral restaurant with its delicious food. Khaim would never qualify as a food critic!

Baha'I Gardens, Haifa

Stella Maris Church, Haifa

Away from the Baha'I Gardens and the adjoining hip German Colony, away from the more modern version of Haifa, is Wadi Nisnas. Nisnas in Arabic translates into mongoose. The Wadi is predominantly Christian Arabic and spread out over a slope with alleys and winding narrow lanes from times ancient and is also home to Falefel Ha'zkenim, a Haifa institution. Operating from the 1950s, it is a small family run business but scores high with its ever growing reputation, its loyal clientele and increasing number of tourists making a beeline for it. It has a single table outside with a couple of chairs and fully lives up to its repute. It's wholesome deliciousness in a pita pocket.

Bakery, Wadi Nisnas, Haifa

Falefel Ha'zkenim, Wadi Nisnas, Haifa

An article in the Times of Israel says: "In an Israel that is sometimes divided across religious and cultural lines, Haifa is a special place - a truly modern city where Arabs and Jews don't just eat at the same restaurant, they actually sit at the same table--one place where this is especially evident is at Fattoush." That is for the Israelis and Arabs to vote on but where Fattoush doubly excels is culinary wise and ambience wise too. The outdoor seating, at times with oranges dangling at plucking distance while seated, lush with greenery, the indoor has small rooms each with a distinct decor and vibe. Fattoush is of course the Middle Eastern salad and the one served was a winner all the way. One's favourite however, was the Mnuzalleh with aubergine as the star ingredient. The menu described it as 'fried aubergine dressed with tomato, whole cooked chickpeas and garlic sauce, served with rice'. It looked simple but quietly packed in dollops of taste and texture. The Halva cake was decadent but a little tilted towards dense.

Fattoush, Haifa

The historic German Colony, established in the Ottoman Haifa in 1868 as a Christian German Templar Colony, at the foothills of the Baha'I Gardens is what one would call the happening area of Haifa. In German Colony is the Colony Grill, an upscale eatery. Whoever christened the restaurant might have been in a real ho-hum-who-cares mood. But somebody cared enough to import Himalayan Salt, 'sourced from Pakistan and produced in South Africa'. Still trying to process that. The distance between Pakistan and South Africa is 8, 359 km and the one between South Africa and Haifa is 9,813.7 km while the one between Pakistan and Haifa is 3.249km. So the table salt at Colony Grill certainly did some mean travelling. As for the travellers at one of its table, the other half liked his roast beef which looked juicy while mine with shrimps as the main ingredient could have been much better. A whole damn better. The table salt didn't do any good either. The dessert was bang on course.

AKKO- UP AND DOWN

Akko, also known as Acre in English was a remote outpost of the Ottoman Empire, a port city which imprinted itself on the pages of history because it was here that Napoleon Bonaparte tasted defeat in 1799 when he tried to slay siege to the city forcing him to retreat to Egypt for two months. The historic incident is considered a turning point because with the defeat at Akko and the battle of the Nile, Napoleon's grand ambition to rule Egypt and Syria fell apart. Akko is about 25 km away from Haifa and the best option is to take a train. Akko is home to the unique underground Templar City. The Templars, a military-monastic order were the ones who helped pilgrims from Europe visit the Christian holy sites in Israel. Initially, they settled on in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount and that's how they came to be called the Templars. After Salah-Al-Din conquered Jerusalem in 1187, they moved to Akko and built an underground tunnel connecting the main palace of the Templars to the port of Akko. The tunnel was 150 metres long and it still runs beneath the houses in the port city. A section, open to public, is the city's main tourist attraction.

Akko

Acre Port, Akko

Underground Templar City, Akko

The palatable attraction is of course, Humus Said, undoubtedly the most famous in Akko. There are quite a number of Hummusia or Humus restaurants around in the old market, but Humus Said is where there is a long queue. Every humus place claims to be using family recipes passed down generations. Humus Said is said to be more than three decades and a half old and going full strength on. We go there quiet early but the place - small, clean and welcoming - is busy. Ignorant me thought humus is humus, just one kind - mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, seasonings and olive oil- but apparently there are different kinds of humus, some twelve or thirteen! In the Middle East it's usually the classic kind but here too there is a type of humus called masabacha that keeps the chickpeas intact. When you don't know just smile and wait to be served. And out came a big platter of humus with the classic and I think the masabacha slathered in olive oil. Another platter with pickled cucumber, tomato slices, lemon halves and three cute little metal containers with garlic, a kind of chutney and little diced greens. And of course, fresh hot pita breads. The masabacha had whole chickpeas pieces in a luscious predominantly tahini flavoured paste. The classic had a lovely texture and naturally taste too. The fame is not without reason, it was truly finger licking good. And since someone at another table was having tea in a glass, one asked for it too . In a country where coffee seemed to be the ruling beverage, the tea was a welcome treat and excellent too.

Hummus Said, Akko

The Hummus!

JAW DROPPING JERUSALEM

It was one of those -hopefully few- times when one felt like a specimen on exhibit asked to perform a trick and the whole world waiting to watch you fall flat on your face. Haifa to Tel Aviv and then to Jerusalem. We had booked in at the Austrian Hospice, the oldest Christian guesthouse founded in 1854 directly on the Via Dolorosa in the old city of Jerusalem ,the access to which through the Damascus Gate. To get to the Damascus Gate one has to climb down several stairs. And when you are carrying luggage its not an easy task. There are hawkers all over, people and more people, babble of voices and somehow they all seem to be amused at two people with luggage going down or rather lumbering down the ancient stairs. Through the gate and it all narrow cobbled path winding down. The path is clearly centuries old, uneven like crazy and and majorly smoothened out to acquire oil like sheen thanks to the zillion footsteps over time. The very next day one discovered that the specimen-on-exhibit feeling was because there was a perfectly built ramp curving up the slope from the Damascus Gate at its extreme left corner. No one, not a single soul bothered to point that out!

Damascus Gate, Jerusalem

Old Jerusalem is somewhat surreal - at moments its as if one has time travelled to thousands and thousands of years in the past and the next, suddenly jolted to the present and the presence of military personnel - all so young- at close quarters. There is Via Dolorosa, there are synagogues, there are mosques and there are churches of almost every denominations. There are narrow alleys/lanes and more alleys/lanes twisting and turning up and down, there are shops, eateries, shoppers, pilgrims and tourists galore. After the bumping down the stairs luggage episode, the 'hangry' factor overtook and to the nearest decent looking eatery it was. And also because a very vocal staff ushered us to a table while we were checking out the menu on the stand outside. If you have ever been tempted to try cheese and anchovies pizza, please don't. In fact, stay far away from it. And just go for the pita bread with fillings, the pickled chilies, vegetables and the dressings, one can never go wrong.

Jerusalem is one place which makes you go back to history books because it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that history not just lives but is alive and kicking at every corner. And that cliche 'if walls could talk' was actually true we would drown in a bottomless sea of voices. On the Via Dolorosa one gets goose bump and to be in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built on the site where Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose from the dead; to stand before the glass encased Rock of Calvary where Jesus was said to be crucified is a is-this-happening moment. To see the Al- Aqsa Mosque from where as per Islamic belief Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven from the rooftop of Austrian Hospice at the most possible closest distance (Entry is only for Muslims). The Wailing Wall, the Karaite synagogue built in the 8th century, the oldest active synagogue in the city, the City of David, the Ethiopian orthodox churches, the Russian Orthodox churches, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the list could just go on and on. As the popular joke goes : While Tel Aviv plays, Jerusalem prays!

The Wailing Wall

Via Dolorosa

Anastasis, the tomb of Jesus Christ inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

After all the prayer houses we move to a somewhat quieter and more of present times part of the city and a Chinese restaurant is hard to resist. The place is called Mian Noodles and it turned out to be one of the well known Asian eateries in the city. Red and black were the dominant table ware colours and ours was red. The wine was good, the chicken and vegetable noodles and the fish ball ramen were in polite conversations wholesome but in actuality bland. Strangely, the chili sauce lacked the minimum bite and we called it quits there. It is a universal truth that once the taste buds get adapted to the 'chat pata' Chinese cuisine, it becomes a perpetual addiction with no cure.

Talking of Chinese, one Saturday it had to be Chinese because there was just no option. Jerusalem from sundown on Friday to Saturday sundown is completely unreal. It is Sabbath time and everything, just about everything comes to a complete halt. All public transportation come to a standstill, few taxis operate but they are almost scarce, all commercial shutters are down including restaurants, markets. In the later hours of Saturday, the synagogue goers just spill out all over till late into the night.

The dress code is strictly black and white, no trousers for ladies , only skirts and head covered. There are also different denominations - the Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mirhazi, Orthodox etc and the mode of dressing on Sabbath is said to be an indicator of the denominations. So Saturday it was and hunger pangs were calling.(Thankfully the breakfast at the Austrian Hospice Meinl Kaffee cafe was filling) And somewhere in the city, we thought an eatery was open and it was! Up a flight of stairs and - sorry I never got the name - and the place had pork on the menu! It was manned by staff of Chinese ethnicity. Above all, the food was tasty in the street side food manner, the chili sauce hit the right notes and the jasmine tea was perfect!

All shutters down on Sabbath

Put aside all religion related monuments and ruins, then Machane Yehuda Market will hands down emerge as the most iconic feature of Jerusalem. The market dates back to the Ottoman period and when they say just about everything is available here, they don't lie. From art to accessories, crockery to clothes, homeware to hosiery, fresh food, speciality, foods, bakery products, sweets, plants, spices and the whole shebang. The first impression is energy and vibrancy and initially it might appear maze-like, but. there are two main aisles and then small walkways that branch out. And in between small restaurants, cafes, music clubs and bars. In one bar where we took a break, the lady bartender, of Yemeni origin, is convinced that the other half is from one of the Middle Eastern countries. Hah!

Machane Yehuda Market

We are catching up with an old friend for lunch and he steers us away from the main market to the street across it. It is a small place with some tables right on the footpath. The best place to eat here, he said. It was and, unbelievably for me the aubergine came up tops again - smoky, a touch of sweetness from honey and everything yummy.

In one of the lanes, near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, lined with the expected souvenir shops and eateries, two birds in a cage are creating ruckus, the female trying to avoid the amorous male at the side of the entrance to Al-Sultan restaurant. Someone comes out running , removes the female and puts her in a separate cage and covers it with a beautifully patterned small rug. I enquire about the rug and before we know it, we are seated inside persuaded to try the 'best ever' halva. We do, its sinfully delectable.

THE LIVE-LY DEAD SEA

Driving out of Jerusalem towards the Dead Sea, one moment everything is bright and sunny, the road meandering down, the right flank gaining height and like the slides in a rudimentary kaliedoscope, the scenery begins to shift. The terrain turns more rugged and barren, the vegetation sparse and Bedouin settlements spring up here and there. Wham! its full blown desert zone then- the Judaean Desert, the sun seeming somewhat harsh and uninviting. It could have been some miles, it could have many miles and another slide pops up. The Dead Sea is somewhere on the left but not visible. So far oasis was something restricted to geography books and driving into one is a surreal experience. With the Dead Sea on the left, the Ein Gedi on the right is a three in combination of an oasis, an archaeological site and a nature reserve. We were told that David wrote many of the Psalms while he hid there; the hiking trails are called Wadi David hikes. If you imagined an oasis as a lush, verdant haven, well your imagination is totally off track here. The terrain is still desert like with uphill climb over the rocky cliffs, the vegetation rough. Another slide pop up- the sound precedes the sight and the David spring is almost like a revelation. The landscape naturally changes and its more dense greenery. The hike goes further to the David Waterfall. The contrast between the beginning and what unfolds gradually is striking. The area is renowned for the Nubian ibex who shares the habitat with wolves, foxes, bats and birds of prey.

Beduion settlements on way to the Dead Sea

Ein Gadi Natural Reserve

Date Palm Plantations in the desert!

Back on the road, the scenario that follows next could have been straight out of a Hollywood epic. Masada, the remnants of the majestic fortress built by Herod the Great, King of Judaea (37-4 B C) dominates the skyline. Right on the edge of the Judean desert, Masada is at a height of about 1400 feet above the Dead Sea. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001 as, ' it is a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, its violent destruction and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army in 73 AD'. It is said that about a thousand Jews besieged by the Romans chose to kill each other rather than surrender and become slaves to the Romans. The guide tells us that the 'Masada shall not fall again' is ingrained in every Israeli soldier who has to make a night time march to Masada as part of the initiation process into the army. The journey to the Dead sea is not just all about desert and history, it is also about unbelievable thriving orchards and plantations, miles after miles and pit stops buzzing with cafes, souvenir shops and the inevitable camel rides!

Masada Fortress

The Dead Sea is located at the lowest point of the earth, about 400 m below the sea level. And no, it is not dead! It is in fact, alive with tourists and more tourists, each bent on proving that they can jauntily float around in the salt lake, never mind the body weight they carry. Then there is the unique watering hole - the Kalia Beach bar which advertises itself as the lowest bar in the world at 420m below the sea level. And there is where I watched a member of a large group of visitors merrily place her sandals on the common table. No one from her group raised any eyebrow. Seated at a little more than handspan distance, one counted up to 10 and politely asked her to remove her sandals. The response was a disdainful lookover. Politeness be damned, stared back, pointed a finger at her, then pointed to the sandals and pointed to the floor. Point taken!