Sabih

BY AMOS

Sasson Somekh (see post below) also gave me the definitive etymology for the popular fast-food dish known as "sabih" in Israel. While everyone agrees that it was brought to Israel by Iraqi Jews, there are various stories about the origins of the word. Somekh claims that he knows the person who first sold the delicious eggplant-egg-potato-in-a-pita sandwich (probably somewhere in Ramat Gan, but I did not ask). The man's name was ... Sabih, which Somekh tells me was a popular name among Iraqi Jews in the twentieth century because it was religiously neutral.

Haifa Restaurant Refuses to Serve Uniformed Patrons

BY AMOS

View of the Post Office and McDonald's in Hadar at Herzl and Nevi'im Streets

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Azad, a restaurant in the Hadar neighborhood of Haifa (official name, Hadar ha-Karmel, Splendor of the Carmel) has made the national news after a soldier complained that the restaurant's hostess was refusing to serve him because he had come in uniform (see full story). Asked by reporters, the hostess reiterated the restaurant's policy of refusing service to uniformed would-be diners, whether they are IDF soldiers, ambulance personnel, police officers, firewomen, or scouts. The manager on duty explained that the meaning of the restaurant's name is "the free man," and that because "this is the policy [sic], it has to be respected and [the issue] shouldn't be taken to other places." Without saying so explicitly, she denied that the restaurant was discriminating against soldiers for ideological reasons, claiming that the owners are merely trying to maintain a certain atmosphere in the establishment. Meanwhile, city officials are threatening to review the restaurant's license.

Restaurants and clubs can ask patrons to adhere to dress codes, but the refusal to serve uniformed diners, most of whom will most likely be soldiers, police officers, or paramedics, is frankly speaking disgusting. These are servants of the public and they deserve to be seated at any restaurant they choose, even if it wants to maintain a formal atmosphere, provided they behave in a polite manner like all other patrons. As Israeli citizens, the owners of Azad owe these men and women that much. If the restaurant's policy is ideologically-motivated and envisioned as some kind of statement against the state, it is a complete failure and amounts to discrimination.

The restaurant's owners are Arab Israelis. It will be hard for them to escape the perception that they are trying to make some kind of statement against the state and against people serving in the army. A group on the social networking site Facebook, calling for a boycott of the restaurant, has attracted nearly 4,000 members. The tag line of the group warns that "racist comments will be deleted," but many of those who have joined interpret the restaurant's actions as part of a general antipathy toward the state and the army among Israel's Arabs. For more careful and nuanced views, look elsewhere.

The neighborhood in which the restaurant is located is one of the poorest in the city. The largest subgroups in the population are haredi Jews, Arab Israelis, and recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union.

Osem to Enter European Dairy Market

"Bamba"

Gad Dairy, a subsidiary of the Israeli food manufacturer Osem has announced that it will enter the European dairy market. The subsidiary, which is Israel's fourth-largest creamery, will introduce its cheeses to the British kosher market first and apparently has ambitions to expand into the "ethnic food" sector (Ynet). Those who have tasted some of the country's other dairy products will probably agree that Israel turns out excellent supermarket cheeses and yogurts.

Gad Dairy's estimate for 2009 domestic and international sales is $70.9 million (270 million NIS). Its parent company, Osem, is the fourth-largest food manufacturer in Israel, after Tnuva, Strauss, and Coca Cola Israel, with sales at around 3,220 million NIS for 2009. Osem is also the maker of the infamous Bamba and Bissli snacks and invented "ptitim," which are often annoyingly referred to as "Israeli couscous."

Complaining about the inferior quality of American cottage cheese is something of a pastime among expatriate Israelis in the U.S.

Hummus Wars

Vegan "maqluba" at Saha in San Francisco (May 2007)

Shooky Galili, Ynet columnist and freelancer, has launched two new blogs, one in Hebrew and one in English, devoted to one of humanity's great inventions - hummus. The Hebrew version, חומוס להמונים (Hummus for the Masses) is more relevant to people in Israel, as it contains reviews of humusiyot (hummus eateries) across the country, and even excursions into the land of the sabih. Note to Ariel: we should have gone to this place instead. The English-language edition, "The Hummus Blog," is more basic and touchingly earnest at times but still informative. Galili is clearly on a mission.

Some of you may have seen the "hummus dictionary" by Galili that appeared on Ynet and was subsequently denounced as "orientalist" by one of Angry Arab's cronies. To be fair, the English version of that article was a bit silly at times. But as a reader of AbuKhalil's blog, Anonymous 5:26 pm, pointed out, it is a very poor translation of the original article.

If you are in a place far from real hummus, I do not recommend reading Galili's blogs. Jeha, on the other hand, might be inclined to dispute Galili's assertion of Israeli/Palestinian hummus's superiority over the Lebanese variety, with a nice bowl of the stuff in front of him.

Another note: I know that some of you occasionally see me in the "Sunrise Deli" here in Berkeley. Well, I am done with that place. Is there anyone else who is sick of the mediocre quality of most of the food, the small portions, high prices, and miserable excuse for customer service? Sorry for being harsh on the poor people, but I am disappointed every time I walk out the door. It's still the best in Berkeley, I guess (which goes to show you how terrible the hummus conditions here are).

Seeing as this post has devolved outside our usual format, I'll take up the game of tag that Jeha is currently playing. So Kishkushim, specifically the "Gaza or Bust" post, has been tagged as one of "5 blogs that made [Jeha] think." So here are 5 blogs that I've been looking at recently:

1. Obviously Jeha's Nail - for unmatched erudition and hilarious videos.
2. The Head Heeb - great writing and unparalleled scope.
3. The Happy Arab News Service - for Nobody's dry humor and hard-hitting realism.
4. Nizo's Blog - for the refreshing perspectives, innuendo, and exchanges in the comments section.
5. The Augean Stables - thorough.