Fattat Hummus

I popped down to the kitchen in my office and this large array was on the table. My first thought was...holy S*** that's a lot of hummus!

This my friends is Fattat Hummus, which is hummus with little pieces of pita bread already cut up and mixed in side. How do you eat it? You just scope about 5 spoonfuls onto your plate and eat it!

Very bizarre, psychologically I'd rather scoop hummus onto dry bread and eat it rather than having the 2-in-1 deal.

Your Falafel or Mine?

In my first blog entry entitled "Your Hummus or Mine?" I reflected the claim to fame of the world famous middle eastern food. It's "Jewish! Israel makes the best Hummus" I heard on the plane, thinking about how I wasn't so sure about that little fact.

A few weeks ago I was outside of Gaza, up in the city of Akko which is one the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the area. It has been in the hands of the Romans, then the Arabs, then the Crusaders, then back to the Arabs (we're talking year 1191 here). The UN 1947 Partition Plan included Akko as part of the Palestinian state, but during the war of 1948 Akko was besieged by Israeli Forces. 13,000 residents became refugees and fled as a result. Sigh.

Strolling through Akko, I found this post card and it speaks for itself.

I'm Sad

There are many sad times in Gaza.

Today I was in the kitchen and popped down to get a cup of coffee, ended up talking with my sweet co-worker H. H and I started talking about my Arabic classes and I was practicing the basics of "your office, my office, our office".... she giggled, and told me about how she once had the opportunity to study in Virginia.

She had won a scholarship, but they soon informed her that they were sorry, and they would choose someone from the West Bank because it was impossible to get her out of Gaza. H also had the opportunity of studying in Belgium, again, she won a scholarship, and soon enough encountered a denied exit from Gaza.

I couldn't help but burst into tears in the middle of the kitchen thinking about the pain and sadness and the block to opportunity and knowledge. She even said it matter-of-factly, and had clearly dealt with the pain and sadness of it when it first happened. After receiving notice, H cried for two days, moving on to the resilience that many Gazans have built up over time.

This is not the first impediment to education that I have heard of. Knowledge is power, and education is a right.

It's a sad day.

Recycling Dorito Bags

So...growing up I was a pretty good kid, right Mom?

I never lit things on fire, or tried to take something appart, or try to make some kind of explosive out of household cleaners. But, one thing I've always wanted to is shrink a bag of chips!

There is a ton of Garbage in Gaza, and on the way home I saw a bag of "Mexican" flavor Dorito chips that came from the tunnels. I picked it up, took it home. Did some research on how exactly the shrinking mechanism works best (put it in the microwave for 8 seconds) and VOILA! My first bag was a total failure and I fried it, the second bag worked!

Hi hi hi.

Now I have a recycled Dorito bag key chain. Straight off the streets of Gaza.

Rosy's Gym & Beauty Salon

Behind Hijabs and Nikabs are bundles of beautiful women with luscious locks and sleek haircuts. I went with two friends to Rosy's Beauty Salon, owned by Miriam who is a buisness-minded british woman who has lived in Gaza for 26 years. Miriam and I chatted while I was under the eye pencil, being polished up with a 25 makeup process.

Miriam's business contains a gym with aerobics classes, along with a full on beauty salon (hair styling, dyes, waxing-- you name it). She also has a clothing store on the side. The beauty salon experience is a true behind-the-scene to the lives of some women in Gaza. Unveiled and tweezed- women prep for their engagement parties, weddings, and in my case- a Hena party (upcoming post).

"It's hard to get the products"-- Miriam notes- since everything has to come from the tunnels, and from Miriam's experience it's the first thing to stop- since it's a luxury item. Evidently- rice and beans would come first in times of need.

Waxing is a big part of beautifying processes in the Middle East (especially in this age of hairlessness- lasers, ultra modern 90 bade razors that change models every month, hair removing lotions...) From the stories I've heard, women often having "waxing day"-- with homemade Halawa: Sugar, Water, Lemon.

A simple recipe to hairlessness. The syrupy wax is made, and let the ripping begin! As a treat, mother's often dip a spoon into the Halawa and give it to the kids for a homemade lollipop.

Waxing is also essential for the bride-to-be, requiring a full body wax for the day of her wedding.

Sounds like a nightmare to me.

Here's a recipe for Halawa, which I'd rather call Hell- owww aaa!

Ingredients for Halawa

1. Two cups of water
2. Three cups of sugar or three cups of honey
3. Two teaspoons of lemon juice

Procedure

1. Place all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil.
2. When its colour changes to golden brown, lower the heat and continue to simmer.
3. Keep a careful watch on the colour. Once it starts to change to brown, turn off the heat.
4. Allow to cool a little, then pour small quantities onto heavy duty plastic, of the cereal bag type. Plastic that is not heavy duty will melt. It is not a good idea to use a plate, as you will need to peel it off something pliable after it cools.
5. When it becomes cool enough to handle, pull a piece off the plastic and pull and stretch it. This will immediately cause it to change color, from a clear golden brown to an opaque gold. It should be easy to stretch and pull. If it is too hard, you have left it on the heat for too long and must make a new batch. If it is too liquid, it has not been heated enough and must be heated once more, or a new batch made.

My Hummus!

The most superbly presented hummus, drenched with olive oil and topped with a juicy black olive. Mouthwatering!

Mandi Meal

This is just a pile of dirt. It is a very nice pile of dirt. I walked over it a few times by mistake as I pranced through the citrus garden at B's house.But suddenly, the pile dirt was pushed away to reveal a magical treat.
I gasped! This is where lunch is? B happily presented a beautiful meal called Mandi, which is cooked underground for over 2 hours.
After the top is carefully lifted, a fantastic three-tiered dreamy meal was revealed. Containing slow cooked onions, potatoes, carrots and chicken. The oil of the chicken drips onto a platter of yellow rice making the most superb, succulent, tender treat.
And voila-- one of the most mouth watering dishes I have tried yet. Beautifully presented, the carrots were tender and the chicken was dreamily seasoned with secret spices!

QUE DELICIA!