How crazy is life. Who would have thought that last week's constant, overwhelming feeling of sadness would so quickly be replaced by this week's sick, petrified feeling in the pit of my stomach. Being so far from home and family during a crisis is exactly what I was afraid of when we decided to come here to work for the summer.... I think a good chunk of my salary is going to be lost to the daily overseas phone calls to my kids and my mother. And through all the hourly bulletins and news flashes of where sirens are wailing, where there was a fall or a blast, where the Iron Dome shot one down, etc., we here are busy breaking our 1700 eggs, draining our endless mountains of pasta, and baking off tray after tray after tray of cornbread (from a mix, of course- don't get excited). The show must go on. Every quarter of an hour or so, one of the workers or Israeli volunteers looks at his/her cellphone for the umpteenth time, only this time their eyes pop open really wide and everyone watching them jumps and we all shout - "What! Where? How many? What? 30 of them? What? Haifa??" It's so surreal. One of the best things I saw this week was an interview with British journalist Melanie Phillips (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOCjtHagaTw for those who missed it- intro is in Hebrew but the interview is in English)
This week was dominated by concern in the kitchen about an impending inspection from the state health department inspectors. Although I keep telling them that after dealing for 15 years with Dena, Zina, Vera, and Olga from the Jerusalem city health department (Chapter 10 in my book), this should be easy as pie. I hope. I'm certainly interested to see how the bureaucracy works in this part of the world and if it's any more sane than at our end.
What could be wilder than 750 campers in a wooden dining hall (all singing, thumping, dancing, and banging echoes like crazy- as if it weren't loud enough to begin with) for a regular suppertime meal? Try- 750 campers in a wooden dining hall that just finished dinner, with a sudden turn of weather and the camp head screaming out- shut all the doors, all councellors account for every single kid, nobody go anywhere not even the bathroom, till further notice from me ( me and Marvin are thinking " kidnapping? bomb threat? what could it be?".) Well, it was a sudden tornado warning! And they turned on the big screens and had a full blast sing a long for an HOUR till the warning passed! And- we were STUCK in there with them! (and people keep asking are we having fun at camp...)
I noticed that a few of the parents of families that are here either as nurses, teachers, rabbis, lifeguards, whatever are interested in healthier options for food, so I started making these marinated toasted cubes of tofu. First everyone thought I was nuts, but soon they were asking for some tofu at every lunch. And now I make it and offer it all the time! Ha. Next week I'll be making them my quinoa salad, and we'll see what happens.
Sunday is visiting day, and I see the weather report includes some thunderstorms... So what could be more fun than 1250 people in a wooden dining hall? I'm thinking- 1250 people with the parents and siblings of those 750 campers... do the math. Report to follow next week...
Best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and peace and quiet in Israel...
Friday, July 11, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
A SAD WEEK, BUT THE KITCHEN GOES ON...
We obviously were all hoping for good news, but it wasn't to be. In the middle of the weekly big buffet lunch for the campers and staff ( a ball-breaker for us to prepare and run- extensive salad bar, potato and sweet potato bar, and pasta bar, with all the accoutrements and sauces) we were told, in between the two shifts of lunch, about the tragic news of our 3 boys' bodies being found. Us and our Israeli mishlachat workers. We heard 1/2 hour before the news even broke in Israel.
So here is the epitome of the surreal nature of life- here we are sobbing in the kitchen, in between mounds of pasta and mountains of baked potatoes, and---- well, the kids have to eat!
This really is such an amazingly Zionistic camp. The director and rosh mosh spoke so wonderfully to all the kids and the staff, stressing how Jewish life is filled with so many different emotions, how in Hallel even when we thank Gd for joyful things, we still say "אנא השם הושיע נא " , how just because we pray our kishkes out doesn't mean that Gd necessarily will answer, etc. it was very strong and I saw how so many of the kids were deeply moved. I so missed this week being home in Israel so I could talk and connect to my own kids and friends and neighbours- I always get strength from that. (of course I also miss tomatoes and cucumbers that taste like tomatoes and cucumbers, Turkish coffee, good yogurt, good cheeses, good olive oil, silan, and sushi rechavia).
And of course being here in Honesdale, Pennsylvania is less fun when my son is dodging missiles while trying to simply write his exams at Sapir College in Sderot...
Anyway, this past week we had a Chinese lunch- egg drop soup, deep-fried eggrolls, and stir fried vegetables. That was the easy part. The mess was the lovely, fresh lomein noodles that Morrie got me for the meal- only I put the whole lot into the giant soup pot- not realizing that it was way too many at once, and they clumped and got stuck in the spout and we couldn't get them out of the pot....it basically required 3 people to do surgery from above and below to get out enough noodles to serve. Oops.
Marvin has learned to cook 2 things- he's been doing the scrambled eggs, and he made pancakes on the griddle .
My 2 exciting tastings this past week- local baskin robbins pralines and cream ( i cannot believe how absolutely magnificent this still is- it was my favourite flavour growing up, and i think it just still might be...) , and the other thing is- jelly bellies! In 40 flavours! In the same bag! I even got Marvin hooked on them... So many yummy tastes on the tongue, except for this one awful soapy one I keep getting and I can't seem to locate which one it is...
Here's wishing the world a Shabbat Shalom, a nechama from above for the grieving families, and peaceful quiet in Eretz Yisrael.
pancakes on the griddle
Would you like some pasta? How bout some pasta with your baked ziti? (its true). Or some pasta with your mac and cheese?
So here is the epitome of the surreal nature of life- here we are sobbing in the kitchen, in between mounds of pasta and mountains of baked potatoes, and---- well, the kids have to eat!
This really is such an amazingly Zionistic camp. The director and rosh mosh spoke so wonderfully to all the kids and the staff, stressing how Jewish life is filled with so many different emotions, how in Hallel even when we thank Gd for joyful things, we still say "אנא השם הושיע נא " , how just because we pray our kishkes out doesn't mean that Gd necessarily will answer, etc. it was very strong and I saw how so many of the kids were deeply moved. I so missed this week being home in Israel so I could talk and connect to my own kids and friends and neighbours- I always get strength from that. (of course I also miss tomatoes and cucumbers that taste like tomatoes and cucumbers, Turkish coffee, good yogurt, good cheeses, good olive oil, silan, and sushi rechavia).
And of course being here in Honesdale, Pennsylvania is less fun when my son is dodging missiles while trying to simply write his exams at Sapir College in Sderot...
Anyway, this past week we had a Chinese lunch- egg drop soup, deep-fried eggrolls, and stir fried vegetables. That was the easy part. The mess was the lovely, fresh lomein noodles that Morrie got me for the meal- only I put the whole lot into the giant soup pot- not realizing that it was way too many at once, and they clumped and got stuck in the spout and we couldn't get them out of the pot....it basically required 3 people to do surgery from above and below to get out enough noodles to serve. Oops.
Marvin has learned to cook 2 things- he's been doing the scrambled eggs, and he made pancakes on the griddle .
My 2 exciting tastings this past week- local baskin robbins pralines and cream ( i cannot believe how absolutely magnificent this still is- it was my favourite flavour growing up, and i think it just still might be...) , and the other thing is- jelly bellies! In 40 flavours! In the same bag! I even got Marvin hooked on them... So many yummy tastes on the tongue, except for this one awful soapy one I keep getting and I can't seem to locate which one it is...
Here's wishing the world a Shabbat Shalom, a nechama from above for the grieving families, and peaceful quiet in Eretz Yisrael.
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