Tikva was zonking on the couch when she heard something strange outside, so shot out and started barking, telling me that there were "things" rolling down the ramp. Somebody had obviously been shopping at the macolet and overloaded a plastic bag, which broke and spilled its contents on the pavement at the top of my ramp. Plonked out on my crutches but whoever it was was out of sight, so I gathered up what I could see and put them in smaller plastic bags where they could be seen if he or she came back. He or she never did so when it got dark I brought them in - and they are sitting on the floor in my kitchen. They cannot stay there as they are blocking up my sink unit and the only food prep surfaces I have in my minuscule kitchen. I have no idea who had lost a lot of their shopping but what am I supposed to do? Potatoes, apples, pears, more potatoes... and I rarely eat potatoes.
Nobody came to claim them - I was over at the macolet this morning and asked if anyone had mentioned losing their shopping - so I guess they are mine to use. And while I was at the macolet Hai, who had brought in fresh lettuce asked if I would like the ones he was going to bin. No idea why as they looked OK to me. So this afternoon I got out my soup maker and made lettuce and potato soup. [Still a lot of both lettuce and potatoes left, but not to worry, I have enough freezer space to do another lot tomorrow and freeze what I make. One minor problem. When I bought this one, a Philips - I had originally tried to buy a Morphy Richards from Amazon, but there were apparently problems with Customs - no idea why as the cost was well below Customs dues. So I bought the Philips from eBay as a used but manufacturers reconditioned with all new electrical parts and cable, looking like new, and guaranteed for 12 months. Cheaper than the Morphy Richards and just a nominal postage charge. The only problem is that it came in its original box but with no instructions. Ach - it has various settings, just push menu to go to the one you want. It make great fruit compote as well as soup, which suits me fine. So, free potatoes, onions [there were a couple of those that had rolled down the ramp], free lettuce thanks to Hai, who was only going to bin them, some garlic, which I always have, herbs - a bit of this, a bit of that - and some yummy thick soup. As the weather is still hot here, I had a mug-full but let it cool down, and have some portion size frozen. Want not, waste not. Or is it the other way round?
I agree Malka, waste nothing, that is our war baby ethos. Every week we 'eat up' any uneaten food before starting the new stuff. If we really can't use it - into the dog pot it goes. So why refuse manna from wherever? How are your bruises?
Carole - being old and very thin skinned, I just have to look at an arm or leg and bruises appear! All fine at the moment though B"H but I have Arnica tabs and cream for badduns which work great. Talk about war baby ethos. I had a bag of frozen small green broad beans, which I like added to salads. But after steaming in the microwave for five minutes and let cool, they needed skinning. No problem. Beans to the left of the sink with a container in front, get a bean with left hand and pop it in the container with right hand, skins going into a bowl into the sink. Lovely green broad beans in the container and skin in a bowl in the sink. Throw away the skins? Waste them? Why? I just added some to Tikva's supper of supplements, raw meat and vegetables, and her bowl was, as usual, licked clean! I checked her first-thing-in-the-morning poo and no sign of the skins so she must have digested them. But even though some people have mocked me for using a soup maker, it makes life so much easier for me and I can make enough soup for maybe six portions in just 20 minutes, and it blends everything when cooked. Makes perfect fruit compote as well. Obviously if I am using chicken or turkey necks, wings, carcasses etc to make soup for myself [Tikva has hers raw, I cook them for me] I use a large slow cooker as they need long, slow, cooking, but for these odds and sods of vegetables [or bruised fruit], I would not be without my soup maker.
Boker Tov Malka, 'Makolet'... I haven't heared that in a few years. I really enjoyed your grocery story, lucky lucky you. Malka, Makolet, Tikva.... It took me a minute, and then I smiled. I guess we have some other things in common, other than just our love of dogs . Mah nishma ba Aretz? ~Elana~
Ha kol beseder, toda [for those who think we are talking in gobbledegood, it is basically the translation for all OK, thank you]. B"H Yes, Malka, makolet, Tikva - and my previous dog, my beloved epileptic Pereg [the one in my avatar] - all regular posters on Breedia know where I live and have done so for over 31 years now, so understand what I mean when I call the little store across the road the makolet. And what I mean by trissim! The makolet, which is literally ~50 metres from my home, sells all basics but are limited with fruit and vegetables, only stocking the minimum they know people will buy. Same with frozen things, as they know that people with cars will go either to the shuk for f&v or one of the nearest shopping centres. But these people will still go to the macolet for basic everyday things. And it is the only makolet on the Moshav. No public transport so if you do not have a car [or want to get a taxi from town] so the macolet is worth its weight in gold. I buy all meat [well, mainly poultry] from a stall in the shuk in town. The people who own it live just up the road from me, so I telephone them, usually on a Wednesday and say what I want, and Mikhaël brings it to me on the Thursday evening. Usually what they have left after everyone has bought for Shabbat. And I owe him 73 shekalim as I forgot to pay him for the last lot.
Oops... 73 Shekalim in debt The last time I was in Israel, was when they changed from the Lira to the Shekel. It seems like a life time ago, sigh.... When I left, I sat on the plane and cried like a baby (for some reason, I had the feeling that I would never be back again ).
I hope you have been back since then. Maybe to stay one day? I cannot think of a better place to live. When I came here in August 1985 Lirot had already changed to Shekalim. But then they changed the Shekalim to new Shekalim, so thousands were reduced in to - oh, I cannot remember now. But 73 Shekalim [new shekalim of course, now known as NIS] is the equivalent of US$19.15 or £15.37 at the current rate of exchange. And I will pay Mikhaël when he brings my next order, whenever it will be! This Moshav is Mizrahi Sepharadi - and was founded by Jews from Djerba, Tunisia, who were used as slave labour during WWII when Tunisia was occupied, and were thrown out with nothing after the war. It is a small, mostly family Moshav, agricultural, and I think I am the only outsider - the only Ashkenazi. But after all these years I am accepted as family and I follow the Mizrahi Sepharadi customs, just as I would do had I married a Sepharadi. Ze ma yesh. Nearly midnight so Lila Tov xx
Friday and Shabbat comes in at 4.27pm so the macolet will be closing around 2pm - although at coming up to 1.30pm there are still people rushing in for last things as the makolet will not be open again until 6am on Sunday. So when I went across earlier Hai asked if I would like some sweet potatoes "just need a bit chopped off" and tomatoes "a bit squishy" but he had some perfect ones which I had bought. Want not waste not? Soup-maker on overtime and getting ready for the winter so cooking in bulk to freeze, a load of dried mixed pulses with some dried soup vegetables in a slow cooker, having been soaked over night. Well the pulses were soaked, the dried veggies not needing soaking so added once I had turned the slow cooker down from High to Low. I think I am like a squirrel hiding nuts for the winter, only in my case I am bulk cooking for the winter.
