Throughout the city, families gather in outdoor mini fairs where children jump inside inflatable tents, have their face painted, do crafts, and devour ice cream. The more religious mothers are well dressed, and look perfectly in control of their little caravan of children, the youngest still in the carriage, and the others running around her having good fun.
Eating out in Israel during Pessach is a breeze. Would you believe it if I told you that food outlets and restaurants kosherize their kitchens and convert their menus into Pessach delicacies and bakeries sell a variety of cakes and cookies that are nothing but the bread of affliction? When I spotted a sandwich bar open, I asked Yaffa how come they were serving bread. She replied that they make a kosher for Passover bread that is so tasty, that most will not notice the difference. How about a slice of delicious fresh pizza on a cushiony potato flour base, all kosher for Passover? I treated myself to one, and I can assure you that it beats any Domino Pizza crust, anytime. I love it!
On my way to find a decent store to buy spinach, I stumbled into a park, filled with families having picnics, apparently a very common recreational activity during Pessach. I was attracted to the field by the smell of BBQd delicacies, Mizrahi music blasting out of speakers, and the sound of human voices, children laughing or crying and adults chatter gathered around rectangular picnic tables covered with food and more food. At the distance I spotted a group of observant men and their children playing Soccer, all dressed in their traditional garments, in spite of the hot sun.
At the end, I did not find the store where I could find spinach to make my Mother's RIP traditional Mina de Espinaca, so without hesitation I boarded a bus that took me to Shuk Hatikvah, an outdoor market in a very busy commercial area of Tel Aviv. I was able to find fresh spinach from one of the vendors that was still open, as during the Holiday they close early, and many merchants were already gathering their crop to close shop. When I questioned my spinach man about the freshness of the spinach, he ran inside the shop to get me three "fresher" packages which I came home to wash, leaf by leaf, all fresh and perfect. Interestingly, spinach in Israel is not like I am used to. The stem is long, thick and strong, and the leaves attached to it are abundant and bold. As I write this blog, my Mina de Espinaca is ready to be baked for a women gathering I organized at my temporary home. I always like having guests, but in this case I wish to acknowledge show gratitude to a few women that have shown me their support, namely Yaffa and Miriam, and a few others that I am getting to know but who are already in my bucket list for good people.
Enjoy a few shots of Passover goodies to be found in the beaten track streets of Tel Aviv.
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