Iftar (my first!) at Wadi Attir in the wide desert

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I got to participate in a lovely iftar this week, my first!
No, it wasn't in this big Bedouin hospitality tent, but it WAS in the courtyard of the new buildings next to it.

It was at Project Wadi Attir, a new and growing Bedouin + Jewish sustainability initiative in the Negev desert.
If you enlarge this photo all the way, you can see the modern and clean sheep and goat shed.
One of their ways to have income is to make and sell cheese.
Traditional Bedouin medicinal herbs and cosmetics are another.

Here is the courtyard where we assembled and later, at sundown, ate.

The iftar was in collaboration with Women Wage Peace, a multi-faith non-political movement formed by women in the aftermath of the big 2014 conflict with Gaza.
They arranged a panel discussion by a Muslim of Wadi Attir, a Polish Catholic priest from Beer Sheva, and a woman rabbi, who presented the different attitudes and approaches to religious fasting.

On the left: Lina Alatawna, the new young (!) female (!!) Bedouin Director General of Project Wadi Attir--a big success story!  See here:
http://www.sustainabilitylabs.org/wadiattirnews/lina-alatawna-named-general-manager-of-pwa/

On the right: "Ghadir Hani, formerly our Executive Secretary, has begun working with Ali in the Field Crops department, managing outreach and sales, and helping with special programs. In addition to farmer's markets, Ghadir has also been introducing the products to new markets through word-of-mouth marketing events in people's homes in nearby neighborhoods like Omer, and has been a fixture at special local events..."  quoted from the April newsletter.

The  man wearing a kipa is my town Meitar's mayor; he also spoke, as did the mayor of our neighboring Bedouin town, Hura.

While the adults heard the talks, the Bedouin kids and their young Jewish guests made squares for a peace quilt out in the tent.

The following day, Unity Day in Israel, this happened (quoted from Women Wage Peace English Facebook page):

Unity Day at the Women Wage Peace Mothers’ Tent outside the Knesset
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On June 6th, Unity Day, we will spread out 150 quilts which were sewn from thousands of Pieces for Peace which we received from all over the world; we will then create a human chain of unity, and will express our common longing for peace; later Yael Decklebaum will join us at the tent and will sing her songs and talk about her journeys to peace; we will sing the Prayer of the Mothers with her.
1-4 PM Presentation of the Peace Quilts in the Rose Garden
4 PM A human chain along the street leading to the Knesset

After all was said and done, the sun set and we hastened outside to the waiting tables full of good food (some prepared by the hosts and some brought by us guests).
The Muslims dug in without hesitation.
They had been fasting from food AND water from before 4:00 a.m. until 7:47 p.m.!  
I can't imagine having that kind of self-discipline and devotion for the entire month of Ramadan, which often falls during our very hot summer.
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Here is a nice explanation from "What You Should Know Before Attending Your First Iftar."

The fast itself is considered a purification of sins and a time to cleanse mind, body, and soul. Feeding a fasting person is believed to come with great reward from God and therefore many individuals, organizations, mosques, and community centers will offer an Iftar gathering in which the breaking of the fast is celebrated. It's usually not a ceremonial affair, although at many community gatherings this is often seen as an opportunity to educate and create an inter-faith gathering with delicious food, friends, and conversation.

Ramadan kareem!
(This blessing/greeting means "May you have a generous Ramadan," i.e. be generous in your giving to others.)
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(Linking to inSPIRED Sunday.)
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A tale of a tail for sale

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I was surprised to see something new in our local supermarket's meat department.
I was then somehow shocked to read the label; it said (and I translate literally from the Hebrew)  "TAIL OF A CALF."
I was really curious by then because never have I seen a whole long tail for sale!
After sneaking a photo for the blog, I came home and started googling.

OK, so I did already know there is something called oxtail, but oxen are not used for that anymore; and if you do see it for sale, the tail bone is chopped into smaller pieces.

Apparently there is a new approach to eating meat based on a 2004 foodie classic, The Whole Beast, Nose to Tail Eating by chef Fergus Henderson.
As one kosher butcher explains it,
"Nose to tail eating is a philosophy in which one eats the entire animal thereby honoring the animal's sacrifice and reducing food waste." 

Here is how an Australian organic food blog talks about it.

I am not qualified to explain about the historic complications of kosher tail requirements.
There is something about having to remove the sciatic nerve and having this nikkur done by specially trained menakrim.
In fact many Jews believe/d -- mistakenly -- that eating beef hindquarters is forbidden.
But if you are interested please see "Cow butts are kosher" in the blog The Kosher Omnivore's Quest.

Your input is welcome, dear readers.
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P.S. Speaking of beef, here is a favorite photo of mine from Jerusalem's shuk (open market):
http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.co.il/2013/03/a-heavy-yoke.html
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday. My K is for kosher.)
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New meaning to "Spanish omelette"

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The stamped Large white Israeli eggs are what I normally buy.
See the L on the shell? 
But now during the Jewish High Holidays, the Days of Awe, there are so many festive meals to be cooked inside of just a few weeks that the country apparently ran out of eggs.
I was astounded to open a new carton and find brown eggs!
I examined the Hebrew label and discovered they were imported all the way from Spain!
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)
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Nice seder last night

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Nice neighbors invited me to their long and bountiful seder table last night.

No noodles in the chicken soup; that's forbidden food all this Passover week.
Fluffy matza balls are much much better anyway! 

I brought to the seder a box of three special hand-made matzas from Kfar Chabad. 
The historic bakery in Kfar Chabad is the world's largest producer of hand-make matzot. 

Matza shmurah is baked quickly in a brick oven like in the picture. 
Its interesting story is explained in my post from last Pesach. 
But the main thing, as the box says, is "Get a taste of freedom," freedom from slavery in ancient Egypt and from all kinds of things that shackle our growth today.
Chag sameach--happy Pesach! 
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday.)
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Forest to Plate in Kfar Sallama, Galilee

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The most delicious vegetarian lunch I've ever tasted!

This young Bedouin brought huge trays to our tour group directly from the kitchen window of the family preparing all these fresh dishes.

Here the basket of hot pita came.
All the ingredients were local, in season, organic, and -- did I say? -- delicious!
Some were grown right there in the yard where we ate, while some were gathered in the wild.
In fact, the business card of  the family enterprise reads  FOREST to PLATE.

Right there in the yard, between the modern houses of this village in the Galilee, is a diwan, a Bedouin tent of hospitality.
If our tour group from Meitar had been a few decades younger, we could have eaten inside, sitting on the ground.
You can see video of guests dancing there to live Arab flute music at The Bedouin Experience in the Galilee page on Facebook.
Their website is in Hebrew but has photos and music.

The old traditional Bedouin embroidered dresses are always nice to see.

The Galilee is covered with olive trees and still the oil production does not meet the local demand.
So many foods are made with olive oil.
In the garden an old olive crushing stone was on display.

Right under an olive tree!

One of the village's mosques.

Kfar Sallama has more than 3,100 inhabitants.

A photo of the village from 2008, from Wikipedia.  I'm sure Kfar Sallama has expanded since then.
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Very interesting is this list and map of Arab localities in Israel.
Check out the Northern District (ya'ani, the Galilee) especially.
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(Linking to ABC Wednesday K-day.)
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Hot chestnuts!

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I see that December 14 is the newly-created Roast Chestnuts Day.
For me, every time I go to the city of Neuchatel it is roast chestnut day.
For me and many others -- look at the long line of people waiting in the cold to pay several Swiss Francs for a few hundred grams of the nuts!
You can see (especially if you click and enlarge the photo)  the silhouette of the man doing the roasting, while an older woman (his wife?) stands at the window of the kiosk weighing, wrapping them in paper, and selling.

Here is my little purchase.
It's also good as a hand-warmer.  :)
I always start eating on the tram, because the soft nuts can be peeled so easily, AND THEY ARE SO GOOD!
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Who's been writing on my roast?

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I've seen meat stamps on beef before, but this is a first to see "kosher" hand-written on my falsch fillet!
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Cotton candy aka grandma's hair

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For ABC Wednesday,  K is for kosher cotton candy. 

In Hebrew it is called "grandmother's hair."

Our Meitar Scout troop held a happening at the athletic field, with lots of activities and free stuff for the young visitors.
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UPDATE:  Robert Geiss, a photographer living in Greece, just informed me that also in Greek cotton candy is called grandmother hair!
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Friday farmers market in Meitar

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A farmers market, in Meitar!
It has happened every Friday morning for the last three weeks, and each time it gets bigger and better.

These cheeses came all the way from Hanoked, a farm in the north, near Akko.
The sign says "boutique cheeses."

In the center of town is the Mercaz, the commercial center.
A few stores and the Local Council (like a city hall or municipality, IF we were a city).
Now it is mid afternoon and everything is closed for the Sabbath; businesses and offices will open again on Sunday.
Shabbat shalom, Sabbath peace to you.
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World Chocolate Day, sweet memories

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Today is World Chocolate Day!
July 7, 2016 marks 466 years since chocolate was introduced to Europe.
It arouses sweet memories of a trip to the north on a rainy day in March.
Right there where we were staying, in Kibbutz Degania Beit, was a small chocolate factory! 
Or as their sign says,

Galita, the chocolate farm
Exciting chocolate experience

The store had a precious cocoa tree full of cocoa pods (behind glass!).
The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Carl Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, who called it Theobroma ("food of the gods") cacao.

After lots of free sampling, I decided on a little bottle of delicious chocolate liqueur.

Who knew!  Jews had a hand in the production and spread of chocolate centuries ago. 
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(Linking to signs, signs.)
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The giant silo--so near yet so far

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I always wanted to see the inner workings of a giant silo like this one in Kiryat Gat.
But it looks like my view from inside the train will be the closest I ever get.
At least I learned some interesting facts from the Shintraco Ltd. website:

The silo can store 30,000 tons of wheat.

"The Company carries a broad range of seed, animal feed and food products, such as wheat, wheat fodder, barley, corn for animal feed and others which are imported from Eastern Europe, Western Europe and South America; sugar imports primarily from Europe; millet imports (bird food) from China and Europe and smaller quantities from the US, as well as sesame seed imports; raw and peeled from the Far East India, China, as well as from many African countries (Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, and others)."

"Shintraco Ltd. was established in 1991 by Shalom Hatuka and Geneva's Proalim S.A.   Shalom Hatuka started his career as an agriculturist. The contacts he made over time (within the Arab sector) and his command of the Arabic language helped him in his activities as an importer.
The cancellation of Israeli government limitations on flourmills in Israel, which had restricted mill owners to purchase only US wheat, represented a breakthrough in wheat imports to Israel. Flourmills began to demand imported wheat from other countries in order to mix different types of flour together, which allowed for prices to decline. Because of its international connections, Shintraco has transformed quickly into a reputable importer of wheat."
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Burying carrots in the cellar for winter, Europe style

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Today is International Carrot Day.
It brings back memories of my wonderful month with an Austrian farming community.
It was October and some of the root vegetables had been harvested and were awaiting further attention in two colorful wheelbarrows. 

Look, a three-fingered carrot!

Ready for longtime storage in the big underground cellar.

But THIS was new and exciting to me (although common knowledge for Europeans)!
They bury the carrots in this sandy ground in the floor of the cool cellar!
The old and true ways of food storage during the winter.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Walnuts on the radiator

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In a nice shop for cooking and baking equipment in Vienna.
At the Christmas markets I saw plenty of chestnuts being roasted.
But this was my first time to see walnuts being dried on a radiator.
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A Viennese gingerbread house

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More goodies from Vienna's Christkindl Christmas market -- a gingerbread house!
And if that is not beautiful enough for you, look at the lovely face of the young lady.

Even the sign is special.

A Pirker gingerbread house made from genuine Mariazeller gingerbread
with 50% bee honey in the gingerbread dough
handmade in more than 20 hours of work
Long-lasting and sweet as honey
Please don't nibble.

Happy holiday time to you!
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UPDATE!  Photoblogger Merisi Vienna kindly sent us links to the Pirker family's website.
It is filled with sugar and spice and everything nice and begins like this:

The sweet aroma of honey, spices and Lebkuchen gently infuses the air in Mariazell. The unique Marizell honey Lebkuchen have been baked here for more than 300 years. The blend of spices used is a closely guarded secret, and the recipe is passed on from generation to generation.
The Pirker family has kept the traditional handicraft of Lebkuchen baking alive to the present day.

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Every pork product imaginable

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By the time I had seen my 4th or 5th Christmas market in Vienna, I started taking pictures of only the REALLY unusual (to me) things.
Like this Speck Standl -- a booth for all things pork!
If you enlarge the photo you'll find Teufelswurst.  Devil's sausage??

For me, a "nice Jewish girl" in Israel who does not eat unkosher food, ALL the meats hanging there seemed to be "from the devil."  ; )
I felt guilty (and a bit sick) even just smelling them and gawking at them.

The chestnuts looked nice, though.

The yellow wheel of this steam engine (?) was turning, I guess helping to roast the Maroni, the chestnuts.

Everyone entering the Weihnachts Markt am Hof stopped to inspect the two fancy cars on display.
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Check the previous post to see a different Viennese Christmas market.
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
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