On a Few Things Israeli

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There are a few things people don't tell you about Israel that, as an American, I find a bit strange.

First, people don't keep their dogs on a leash. Not in cities - not anywhere. As someone who lives in New York, where the average dog is 75% pit, I have simply grown cautious when it comes to strange dogs. And I love dogs, pits included. I live with a darling New York rescue mutt and he's sweet as can be. But when I'm walking down the street in a foreign city and I see a German Shepard trotting freely towards me, I'm bound to get a little bit nervous.

On Traffic:
People ride their bicycles on the sidewalks. I asked around to see if this is in fact legal and at best, got a shrug. And I'm not sure if it's because bicycles careen down the sidewalk that motorists seem to think it's okay for them to ride on them too - but boy does it make me jumpy. No more i-pod wearing for me.

Crossing the street can be something of an adventure. On the one hand, jay walking is strictly forbidden here. The fine for jay walking is something like a couple hundred dollars - or maybe it was shekels, I don't remember. But coming from New York where traffic lights for pedestrians are more of a suggestion, I'm not used to standing on the side walk at a red light waiting impatiently to cross with no car in sight.

On the other hand, white pedestrian crossing lines replace many traffic lights. As far as I understand, a pedestrian need only walk out onto the street of massive coming traffic in order to cross. The traffic supposedly stops for you. I see people do this all the time - women with strollers, people with unleashed dogs, the elderly. But I have yet to feel comfortable and can often be seen stepping a foot onto the street, jumping back onto the sidewalk, repeating the process a couple of times, and then just making a mad dash of it across.

On Food:
The food in Israel is terrific. Fresh fruits and veggies, a million different kinds of salads, etc. While the food on our group trip was not spectacular, I know that Israel is capable of turning out some really simple delicious food. And it's evident by the fact that everyone everywhere looks fit and healthy. They have great hair and skin. Israeli's are beautiful - I am constantly jealous of them - more on that later. But the one thing they have yet to figure out is how to boil an egg. As far as I can tell, they drop an egg in boiling water and leave it in there for the better part of the afternoon. Then serve it for dinner. And the hard boiled egg seems to be a major part of every meal. Though, it's mostly fine by me because eggs are pretty fattening and I probably shouldn't eat them anyway.

On Something Else Entirely:
There exists a national chain of gas stations called "Yellow." Outside of the major cities, you see them everywhere. Traveling with the group, we frequently stopped at the Yellow for the bathroom, a meal, or a snack. The thing that makes the Yellow special is that its logo, or mascot or whatever, is a goat. And not a cartoon goat. Just a photograph of a goat. And depending on the product it's pushing, this goat is adorned with various cartoon accessories. The first time I saw the goat it sported an upside down red coffee mug as a hat. It was an ad for ice-cream.

Okay, must get back to the beach. It's beautiful outside. Sunny, breezy, warm. It smells lovely. Dry and sweet.

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Comments

[goat]

coffee mug hat
Please don't insult my coffee mug hat. Baaaa. Also, here in Israel, we prefer our egg yolks with a slimy green film on them. Baaaa. Baaaa.