fresh-squeezed oj, Take That Waltz, and another burger

I made fresh-squeezed orange juice with the two remaining oranges yesterday morning:

Beautiful!

After a productive Biblical Hebrew lesson, I took the light rail over to Damascus Gate and walked to the Cinematheque to watch another film at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Unfortunately, since I can't understand enough Hebrew, I'm limited to the movies in English. I watched Take This Waltz, a Canadian film directed by Sarah Polley. It was really well done. The pacing, colors, acting, storyline... all well-measured and quite believable. I also fell in love with the interiors of houses--you'll know what I mean if/when you watch it. I have many more thoughts on the film, but it's better for in-person conversations, since I'd like to hear your thoughts on it too. You should check it out if you can; click here for screenings in the States. (image credit: IMDB)

And of course, a post wouldn't be complete without more photos of food for you food-lovers. Ironically, I still haven't had a falafel yet in Israel this summer (working on it!), but I've had kosher burgers twice (no cheese). Most recently, I went to Burgers Bar, where I ordered a spicy burger with a fried egg on top (claro) and a bunch of sauces, including tahini (which they call tahina here), bbq, garlic mayo, and sweet chili. The place was hopping with high schoolers, so it took a while to order, but mmm so worth it! (that is not salty snow all over my fries... it's the flash)

Woody Allen and mushroom-chestnut pasta

Last night, after an afternoon's worth of hand-washing my clothes, I met up with Sara and Myles at Lev Smadar, which is one of few cafe/restaurants open on Friday nights and Saturdays. It's also non-kosher and has an old-fashioned movie theatre inside. The red curtains get drawn before the movie begins! It is also notorious for never starting their movies on time. If you're ever in Jerusalem, you should check it out. It's on Lloyd George 4, just off of Emek Refaim in the German Colony.

The three of us sat at a corner table (great for people-watching) and enjoyed bruschetta. Myles and I each ordered the mushroom-chestnut pasta at the waitress's suggestion and Sara ordered the Madame Croque. We also ordered cappuccinos, an apple pie with homemade whipped cream, and a little pot of cheesecake. Also. Pop tastes so much better in other countries... Ben told me in Turkey that it's because they use real sugar. Mm.  

We watched the new Woody Allen movie, To Rome With Love, which was hilarious and made me want to go to an opera. Too bad the Italian parts were only subtitled in Hebrew though... (image credit: fine art notebook):

laundry by hand (and dinner with some divvies!)

My laundry bag's been getting pretty full, so I asked Avi where the laundromat is (My subletter told that there was one nearby). Avi said he didn't know, since he and Alex usually just wash things by hand or take a load to their parents' places in Haifa and Tel Aviv. Hm... okie doke.

So, I grabbed a bucket and started! I'm actually still working on it... figured I'd get a post in while I wait for some clothes to dry on the line before I replace them...

Here's the bucket with some shirts inside. I brought some detergent from home in little bottles, so I was good to go:

After squishing and rubbing the clothes in the soapy water for a while, I rinsed them in the sink with the faucet and shower-head. At first I was pretty gentle about it, but by my third load, I got pretty darn vigorous to speed things up:

That's a pair of yoga capris! I'm leaving my larger items for the next time I go to Myles's house to use his washer though, since I doubt I can do a good job in my little bucket.

I have some lines outside my balcony, which is convenient. It turns out that since it's Friday, the entire neighborhood is also working on their laundry... there are clothes hanging out on the floors beneath me:

The little plastic clips looked kinda dinky to me so I was a little nervous that things would fall in the wind, but they are surprisingly sturdy.

Here's one shelf complete:

They smell so nice, toasted by the sun!

And for good measure, here are some Divvies (plus a new friend from Prague) at a homemade dinner last night!

a Masada sunrise, Ein Gedi waterfalls, and floating in the Dead Sea

I was convinced to join a tour group to Masada, Ein Gedi, and the Dead Sea that left from the Abraham Hostel at 3:10am in order to make it to Masada in time to catch the sun rise. I ended up in a van with Myles, a girl from Germany, a family from Spain, a couple from Australia, and a lady from Brazil. I love the conversations and friendships that form while traveling...

We got to Masada in about an hour and started hiking up the 350 meters before the sun flushed the foggy sky in oranges and purples. It was quite strenuous...

Goodnight moon...

Hello sun!

Yes, that's the Dead Sea... quite receded.

We got to the top before the sun filled the sky. Since many of you have already seen photos from my last visit to Masada, I'll just include a few here that capture the increasing light. It was magnificent to watch the stones glow...

This is a photo of me at the bottom of a very deep cistern. You'd certainly need to store a lot of water out here in the Judean Desert! The photo was taken from about a third of the way up:

See those black specks at the top of the tower above? Those aren't Tristram's Grackles, which are all over the Dead Sea area, but Israeli drummers. The music created a lively atmosphere. And speaking of birds, check out this columbarium (that some people think is a dovecot) and the shadow-play:

My favorite window:

I strongly encourage those of you who aren't familiar with Masada to read about it. Here's a link from UNESCO to start with. The site is massive (image credit: Wikipedia):

Map of Masada: 1. snake path gate. 2. rebel dwellings. 3. Byzantine monastic cave. 4. eastern water cistern. 5. rebel dwellings. 6. mikvah. 7. southern gate. 8. rebel dwellings. 9. southern water cistern. 10. southern fort. 11. swimming pool. 12. small palace. 13. round columbarium tower. 14. mosaic workshop. 15. small palace. 16. small palace. 17. public immersion pool.

18–21. Western Palace: 18. service area. 19. residential area. 20. storerooms. 21. administrative area. 22. tanners' tower. 23. western Byzantine gate. 24. columbarium towers. 25. synagogue. 26. Byzantine church. 27. barracks.
28–39. Northern Palace: 28. grand residence. 29. quarry. 30. commandant’s headquarters. 31. tower. 32. administration building. 33. gate. 34. storerooms. 35. bathhouse. 36. water gate.

37–39. Herod's Palace: 37. upper terrace. 38. middle terrace. 39. lower terrace.

A. ostraca cache found in casemate. B. Herod's throne room. C. colorful mosaic. D. Roman breaching point. E. coin cache found. F. ostraca cache found. G. three skeletons found.

Then, we took the van over to Ein Gedi (Joshua 15:62, 1 Samuel 23:29, Ezekiel 47:10...), where we hung out under a palm canopy until the entrance to the waterfalls opened (it was not even 8am, after all!). Upon entering, we were greeted by ibexes, rock hyraxes (featured in Leviticus 11:5 as an "unclean" animal even though it's not a ruminant), and many Tristram's Grackles. I stood very close to an ibex for a while as I watched him eat from a tree.

Check out this guy's incisors:

Especially after our hike up and down Masada in the intensifying heat, it was glorious to sit under the waterfalls:

(this guy is for you, Seth)

And finally... the Dead Sea! No balls of sharp (although pretty awesome) salt crystals on the shore this time... just delightful, squishy mud. The land behind the floating me is Jordan!

:)

figgy. burger. museum. new friends.

Just came back from having a burger, fries, and coke, which hit the spot :). I always seem to crave a homemade-patty burger in a toasted bun (real bread, not that weird fast food spongy stuff) with all the fixin's whenever I travel. I remember that in Seoul (Itaewon, to be specific) Seth and I were the only ones in the entire place eating the burgers with our hands... everyone else ate 'em with fork and knife! Silly silly.

Then finally found some fresh figs to try... decided that I'm not a huge fan... :/... but they are lovely, even when dusty like these. Again, all this for ~$2...

BTW. The Israel Museum is insane (photos next time). When I was there in March, I spent so much time at the Shrine of the Book that I was only able to run through the archaeology rooms downstairs before the bus left. I didn't get to step into the fine arts wing at all then. Goodness... this museum is HUGE! Their collections from other continents are quite impressive... the African artifact section is particularly notable. Gosh, and their modern art collection is extensive (more details in subsequent posts). I was pretty overwhelmed by the Jewish Art and Life wing... so many elaborate items! I particularly loved the wall of menorahs from different countries and the restored synagogue from Cochin, India.


I only spent about two hours at the museum today, just to get a lay of the land... next time, I'm gonna camp out there for the day and sketch some faves, study in the library, and wander and gawk some more. There was a neat exhibit on Hasidic Jews, which I combed through -- I learned a lot since I didn't know much from the get-go. I'm a sucker for travel sketches, so obviously loved the drawings by Dehodencq in a small exhibit called "The Jews of Tangier." I said hello to the celadon pots that always make me smile in the East Asian section. Can't wait to go back!!

(Later addition:)

I just got back from having dinner at my other roommate's friend's place five minutes away. She made pasta with zucchini, red peppers, an Israeli type of feta-like cheese, and some spices that I haven't heard of before, like za'atar from her hometown in the south. We also drank delicious cherry juice made from a syrup that her dad made. They told me stories from med school and I learned that many Israeli med students choose to practice medicine in other countries since the pay and quality of life for doctors are so low here.

Alex (this roommate) speaks Russian and Avi (the other roommate who showed me around the Old City) speaks Arabic, so we're hoping to teach each other a bit of the languages we carry with us... I taught Avi how to count to 10 in Korean by writing them out in Hebrew for him. He learned very quickly and recited them for Seth on Skype yesterday!

"China! China!"

I was going to sleep early and wake up at dawn since I've grown to really enjoy that here... but I keep on hearing "China! China!" in my mind and it makes me fjakldfjslkag.

It happened today on my way to Damascus Gate as I passed by some men sitting out on the curb. With that sly, (in my eyes) mocking grin I've seen so many times, one of them calls out to me: "China! China!" The others laugh, and I cringe, want to yell at them to learn some other Asian countries, consider sitting down with them for a candid conversation about their reasons for calling out like that and how it affects me, and shrink in fear and anxiety, all at the same time.

Whether I'm in Philly, Madrid, Istanbul, Bethlehem, or Jerusalem, this happens to me on a pretty regular basis. I've grown to expect it, and am surprised when I don't hear it. It's always males, ranging from middle school to middle aged. Usually males of color for some reason. I've never heard "Ireland! Ireland!" called out to a redhead or "Mexico! Mexico" called out to a Latino. Both would also be irksome and ridiculous. Why "China"? It's obviously a big country. The standard go-to when it comes to anything Asian. Of course, "China! China!" bothers me because I'm not Chinese (sometimes, they also say, "nihowma" or "konichiwa"... not Japanese either), but it mostly bothers me because of how unsafe it makes me feel. The tone is most often mocking, with a disturbing flavor that makes me feel violated. I hate it. I feel like I'm simultaneously being made fun of for being Asian and claimed as a piece of female flesh to harass.

Some friends have attempted to make me feel better by claiming that they're trying to flirt with me. Okay. While it may flatter some people, I'd rather have them not see me at all. It makes me envy the women walking around in abayas. Really.

I'm sure the timid, cutsie stereotype of Asian girls doesn't help. Nor do those nasty ads in the back of city newspapers where stars and hearts cover private parts of coy looking Asian girls with fluffy bunny ears or something like that. That's why I dislike the bathroom at Fatty Crab in Manhattan so much... for shamelessly plastering their walls with those ads and screwing in a red light bulb. Blech. The food is good, but the bathroom alone makes me refuse to go back.

I sincerely hope that I haven't offended anyone by this post. And to family members: I am fine. I've learned to put on "la cara de pocos amigos," and move at a determined pace when necessary. I've developed a habit of covering my behind. I figured I'd vent a little and while I decided against getting into politics etc. in this space while I'm in Jerusalem of all places, it's not all chickpeas and bright flowers, so other points of tension may arise.

chickpeas!

My subletter left me some food, including a nice bag of dried chickpeas. This is a post dedicated to these special little legumes.

First, a chickpea-carrot-sweet potato-onion stew with lots o' spices, that I happily ate for a few days (apologies for the unattractive photo):

I know. There is something missing: GREEN! Alas, there was no parsley, green onions, etc. available at the time. I ate it in a green bowl to make up for it :). The sweet potatoes and carrots were surprisingly sweet... they rounded out the paprika and crushed black pepper, and the ginger gave it a zing. I often ate it with a few slices of the rye loaf from our bread basket.

Next, a chickpea-tomato-cucumber-red bell pepper-lemon-ginger-evoo salad that I just made:

Mmm... I can set a bowl of this on my desk just to smell the mint, lemon, and roasted cumin. Such simple dishes!

A highlight for me today was having lunch at Azura, a small and much beloved restaurant in the Iraqi Market of Mehane Yehuda. I ordered one of their famous meatballs and a salad. The pita was fresh and so soft. I used it to eagerly mop up the tomato sauce after eating the meatball. The pickles on the side was a nice touch, and the green sauce was pretty darn spicy. I ended up sitting next to a Jerusalemite with guests from the States. We had a chat about New Haven, and they gushed about Azura to me as I pondered the menu. The food came out about 10 seconds after I ordered it. Total cost: 36nis (~$9).

Earlier in the morning, I took the light rail to Damascus Gate (using my monthly pass, which has my photo and name spelled out in Hebrew:  קר'סט'נב בק) and strolled around the Christian Quarter in search of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, which is very close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Thank God I know Spanish, since most of the folks I encountered in the alleys only spoke Spanish. I got there a little early and read some more of Matthew... the bells rang and the service started, but it was all in Arabic... whoops! Wrong part of the church (darn it, I need to learn Arabic!)! Eventually found St. John's Chapel and enjoyed a service I could understand. It reminded me of YDS chapel, esp. once we sang Halle Halle Halle-lujah :). We have a guest pastor from Ohio until the end of the month, and he is a very direct speaker, with abundant references to the historical context of the Bible, which was fab.

I felt so pro, zipping along the light rail and bus systems today. Had my first Biblical Hebrew tutoring session, and it was extremely productive. I anticipate learning a lot from her. While I was annoyed at first, I'm now grateful that my course got cancelled at Hebrew U!

Speaking of food... I ate some Japanese crackers made in Israel last night... kosher!