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<DIV><TT>inyron: "Falafel is vegetarian, right? Are a lot of foods I can
find there? <BR>Are a lot of people? I mean, I shouldn't have a
problem finding <BR>enough food, right? Can I ask the person I'm buying
it from? Do <BR>most people there speak Hebrew and English? Would
a college dining <BR>hall have vegetarian meals? I have some problems
with my college <BR>here in the states supplying enough non-meat protein
products."</TT></DIV>
<DIV><TT></TT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>One by one:</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Falafel is vegetarian. It's made of roughly ground
chickpeas rolled to small balls and deep-fried.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- You can easily find vegetarian foods here. The
soy-based replacements are extremely developed here. In the supermarkets, they
very often overtake the meats section. In restaurants, you can almost always get
special vegetarian dishes, and if not, there are still simple non-meat-based
foods.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- There are many vegetarians here, but they are
certainly not the majority.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- In university cafeterias there is almost always a
vegetarian option. Because of Kosher issues, some cafeterias don't serve meat at
all.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Usually people will tell you if there's meat in your
meal. The simplest way to make sure would be to ask if it's "Kosher Parve" (no
meat, no dairy products) or "Kosher Halavi" (no meat, containing dairy
products). I wouldn't try this method in the Jerusalem Arab restaurants, though.
They'll simply tell you it's not Kosher at all.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Most people here speak at least basic English and
will be very eager to help you any way they can.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>I hope that reassured you a bit. If you
have any more questions, feel free to e-mail me either on-list or off-list (<A
href="mailto:yael_pou@hotmail.com">yael_pou@hotmail.com</A>). Give me a call
when you get here, maybe we can arrange a tiny HP4GU get-together
:).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV><TT>inyron: "who is celebrating her third-year-as-a-vegetarian
anniversary this <BR>month. Yay! That doesn't seem like much, does
it?"</TT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><TT></TT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>congratulations! Been one for ten years, until I've
been told it's either that or babies. Chose the babies.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>Amy: "What =is= Israeli food? I've been to
Israel and I still don't know. <BR>Except for falafel, of course, which I
could live on (and die happily <BR>of clogged arteries) but which will do
nothing to advance an argument <BR>that Israelis eat more
healthfully."</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>Oh. Israeli food is a fusion between the local
Middle-east / <FONT size=2>Mediterranean foods and what folks brought from their
east-European roots. some examples:</FONT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Hummus (of course) with ful (large type of beans)
hard boiled egg, pine-nuts and some spices. Eaten with pita-bread and maybe
onions.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Thina: liquid spread made of sesame seeds and
spices. Always a side-dish for something else.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT>;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Felafel. Eaten inside pita with hummus, thina,
salad, pickled everything and chips.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Fresh thin cut vegetable salad. *Not* what other
people call a 'salad'.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- a variety of other salads, based on eggplant,
cabbage, and many other vegetables. An Israeli restaurant will usually present
you with ~ten types of tiny salads and some hot pita bread before you give your
order.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Anything filled with rice and meat: cabbage leaves,
vine leaves, onions, zucchini, green or red peppers...</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>-Barbecued chicken/ship parts. Seasoned, with no
sauce.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- chips (what can we do?)</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Ptitim (=flakes): baked flour based "seeds", cooked
in water and spices. Usually not very tasty *shrugs*</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- Shawarma: turkey or ship chopped meat cooked in a
very special way on a huge pole in front of an open fire. usually served inside
a lafa (large flat pita) with hummus, thina, salad, chips and some hot
sauce.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>- pickled hot peppers and a hot-sauce called "sehug"
are very common here.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>There is also a variety of other ethnical foods which
we have assimilated, but i'll spare you.</TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT></TT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><TT>yael *who will retire from this thread now, to
everyone's relief*</TT></FONT></DIV>
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