Friday, August 22, 2008

Lewinsky Beauty, Lewinsky Beast.

The last of the market trips (all taken for a column published on the Hebrew website of Haaretz) was to the spice market in southern Tel-Aviv. This place gives a sharp proof that beauty resides in the most unlikely places.

Here, twixt neglected facades and celular antenae,


beauty does reside,


as does the excellent veal-head stew of the Egyptian gas-burner man.


4 comments:

DCheslow said...

where can you get egyptian veal head? is it called mensaf? do they do the heads of any animals that didn't spend their lives in tiny pens?

יובל בן-עמי Yuval Ben-Ami said...

I love it when people consider me a source on where they can get head. This really good stew is available on Lewinsky St., between Ha'aliyah and Zvulun St.

I don't know what kind of life the animals lead. Of course it is a good question but one that would unfortunately leave you very hungry if you ask it too often in Israel. My advice is to eat mostly lamb and to buy it from Arab butchers, since the stock in their communities is usually allowed to graze naturally.

Luckily for you - mensaf is an Arab lamb dish! It usually consists of a leg of lamb served over rice in a unique yogurt sauce. Let me know when you're going to have some. I'll join you.

DCheslow said...

Yuval - I actually heard that mensaf is an animal head (lamb or goat), and the eyeballs are given to the guest of honor at the meal. I have to get myself invited to a festive Ramadan meal...

יובל בן-עמי Yuval Ben-Ami said...

No need. I'm going to bring that exact thing to your pot-luck.