It’s 4:30am here in Israel and the airport is packed.
If it weren’t for the dark outside you wouldn’t know it was so early. The shops are still open( who even buys underwear and perfume at 4 in the morning though) and the people next to me are tucking into cheese baguettes and Iranian salads whilst I can only just stomach my over priced soy latte. (Side note: can we stop charging extra for plant milk please, I’m trying to save the animals and environment)
My flight home is at 6:55am, stopping off at Istanbul then finally Barcelona where I have 6 hours to kill before my sister lands at 7pm (I’ve already decided on which veggie restaurant I’m trying out). I did what all skint travellers do and instead of paying for another hostel room I decided to nest down in the airport, so I arrived 8 hours early for my flight (which still hasn’t come up on the board) and managed to get a solid 1 hour on two chairs whilst the cleaners swept the the floor around me. Well, Everyone did say to get here early as the security checks take so long!
Before I left I had to have one last falafel pita so my sister and I went to the grottiest take out place. We found out that The grottier the place the better the falafel. Yes the place was grotty as hell, somewhere you wouldn’t find me dead in the uk but man, that was the best goddamn falafel Ive ever had the pleasure of eating. Piled high high with salads, pickles, hummus and tehina (pronounced “tri-na” like the locals) and stuffed with the herby, salty and crispy fried balls of the good stuff. it was not prettiest thing, I don’t think “falafel king” care about Instagram-able foods, and the pictures of me eating it even less- so I’ll spare you from seeing those. With a full tummy and and sad farewell to this beautiful country I set off home. Basically jumping into the road to catch the last bus drivers eye (they will literally drive past you if you just stick your hand out- I quickly learnt this.
I am sad to be leaving as I haven’t even touched the surface of Israel and it’s culture. I will write up a post about it I’m sure. There is so much more to see and experience but for now it is time to go home and I think I might need a break from hummus. For a couple of days. Maybe.
Ps. Here’s a lil recipe on how to make tehina- basically a whipped tahini dressing, you can add spices if you like and can play around with it. I like to add sumac and date syrup to mine. They have it with pretty much EVERYTHING here.
Tehina -this makes a lot so adjust the quantities as you need.
1 garlic clove – crushed
Lemon juice
Sumac
Squeeze date syrup
Salt
Tahini – you want the ones from an authentic Middle Eastern store not the over priced ones from the supermarket
In a food processor add about 2 cups of tahini with the garlic, squeeze of lemon, 1tsp sumac, pinch salt and syrup.
Get the blade going and as it whisking slowly pour in some water- not too much at once until it whips up and goes fluffy. It with lighten In Colour.
You will use around 1 1/2 cups of water until you get a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce. Season.
If you wanna do a smaller amount- omit the garlic and in a small bowl combine 2-4tbsp tahini with the rest of the ingredients. Add some water and stir vigorously. It won’t be as fluffy and whipped but it’s good for a quick dressing!
Jodie Cox 