Five Mediterranean Cuisine Lunches in Tel Aviv

Five Mediterranean Cuisine Lunches in Tel Aviv

By Roshni Udyavar Yehuda

published in the Chef's Arena September 2019 issue

https://ssca.edu.in/assets/pdf/SSCATheChefsArena-September2019.pdf

There is nothing that describes cosmopolitan and vibrant better than the city of Tel Aviv especially along its promenade at Hayarkon Street. Walking along the Tel Aviv beaches from the Reading Power Station to Jaffa has always been a delightful experience, absorbing the sights and sound of the bustling city on the one side while taking in the calmness of the deep blue Mediterranean on the other. The inner lanes of Ben Yehuda, Allenby, Dizengoff and Bugrashov, if you have a taste for art and architecture, can continue to surprise you each time you visit besides some interesting shopping with value for money!

In my short five-day trip, in which I had nothing planned, I was not only delighted by the city despite the heat wave after ‘Laag Baomer’ (a Jewish holiday which involves the lighting of bon fires - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lag_BaOmer), but by the delicious cuisine brought in by the variety of Mediterranean dishes that the city offered.

Walking across Sarona Park, a newly redeveloped colony established by the German Templers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Templers_(religious_believers)) 140 years ago, on the first afternoon, we bumped into Biga, a kosher restaurant and bakery chain that had an English menu on IPAD! Since it offered a variety of healthy options, we settled for a Currey Stew. The dish is made of black rice, spinach and mushrooms with pieces of tossed Tofu was not only delicious but filling for two, healthy and good value for money at just 60 shekels along with two whole wheat bread accompaniments.

On the second day, since our appointment took us to the spanky and upscale neighbourhood of Ramat Aviv, we decided to stroll into the mall, which is large, well laid out and interesting. On the first floor food zone, we saw Sima’s kitchen. As we were trying to inquire from the super busy stall, the gentleman behind the counter offered us a felafal, which literally melted in my mouth. The food looked middle eastern and delicious. We decided to settle for a combo which offered one main dish, two side dishes and unlimited salad which included pickled jalapeno, spiced onions, carrots, cabbage  and the like. The main dish we selected was couscous with chickpeas, chicken kofta balls in a stew and mushrooms. Once again, a delicious and filling meal for two, all for 50 shekels, add a tall glass of  lemonade made it 60 shekels.

The next day we walked in for lunch at a well-known joint called Felafel Gina near Azrieli Centre. The dish included hummus with boiled chickpeas, olive oil, tahini eaten along with Pita bread and unlimited pickled salad. All this for about 40 shekels.

On Saturday morning, we decided to take a guided tour of the ‘White City’ – about the origins of Tel Aviv in 1907 till the Bauhas movement in 1930s in the famous Rothschild boulevard in the heart of where the Tel or Spring was found by the 64 families which first settled in Tel Aviv. It was a good 2- hour guided walking tour in the streets surrounding Rothschild Boulevard (with its amazingly pretty little houses each of which with a history all its own. On the way back to our hotel on Hayarkon Street, we used Google maps to take the short cut from Rothschild Boulevard to Allenby Street and Ben Yehuda Street.

It was here, while walking on Allenby Street, that we stumbled upon the famous Abulafiyah store – well lit, clean and with people queeuing in to collect freshly baked items. The smell of the baked bread combined with the sight of the large fired oven, drove us in. Although it took us some time to get through with our order, to decide what to eat among so many delectable items, we first ordered a sambusak (the original Middle Eastern dish from which originated samosa) with mushroom and cheese filling, and baked bread with eggs fried on top, along with a plate full of salad. Aboulafiya Bakery on Ben Yehuda street is very famous and has become a household name. The original and oldest branch of this bakery is located in Old Jaffa, near the clock tower started by Walid Abouelafia. The Bakery sells a variety of baked goods, including Pita Bread, Bagels, Sambusak, Egg Bagels, Pizza and sweets like Baklawah and Cnaphe. 

And finally, the last day, and I was wondering that there will surely be a repeat of something I have already tasted. But then when we ended up at Felafel Gabai on Bugroshov Street off Ben Yehuda Street, I was mistaken. On a Sunday, the first working day of the week in Israel, people came streaming in, parking their bicycles, walking in from the beach nearby, foreigners, daily customers, old and young, there was a continuous stream of people being served fresh Middle Eastern delights. We had a two pocket pitas, one with chicken breast and other with shwarma mixed with delightful veggies, salads and spices and of course, accompanied with unlimited salad. After this filling and mouth-watering  dish, we had another Middle Eastern delight, a sweet dish called Malabi, made of almond milk, and sugar and dressed with pomegranate juice and rose water along with lots of powdered almonds and pistachios. After eating all this, it only made sense for me to take a nap! All this was not more than 60 shekels. With the steady stream of people coming into the restaurant from the busy street, the staff served fresh food quickly to customers, while occasionally  breaking into a jolly song promoting the delights of the Felafel Gabai.

Besides these eateries, we found the eateries on the beach-front expensive but after a walk along the beach one evening, we rested peacefully at a restaurant almost touching the beach and had a quarter plate of water melon. Among the eateries along the Tel Aviv promenade, London, with its food varieties and comparative costs, is a good choice.

So, those of you who think you need to pack in your theplas and khakhras on a visit to Israel, think again for here you have dishes dating back to history, bringing in the best of Mediterrenean cuisine -offering the best to non-vegetarians, vegetarians and vegans.

Dr. Roshni Udyavar Yehuda is a Practicing Architect and Academician, whose core competency lies in energy efficient and environmental design of buildings. She is Director, Roshni Udyavar & Associates, Mumbai, an Environmental Architecture and Consultancy Firm established in 2004. She was Head, Rachana Sansad’s Institute of Environmental Architecture from June 2003 to July 2017 where she initiated several environmental projects and headed a postgraduate program. She has more than 20 years of academic and professional experience and has travelled widely on professional assignments to more than 20 countries. She is an avid traveller and loves to learn about culture, food and music wherever she travels – in India or abroad.

Three Reasons for Excessive Water Logging in Mumbai this year By Roshni Udyavar Yehuda

https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-drowning-under-haphazard-planning-changing-weather-patterns/story-iDcURfCF2m6U4KquqnJSNI.html

This year, Mumbai saw exceptional rains in the beginning of the monsoon season causing water-logging in hitherto newer places. What are the causes? 

There can be multiple reasons for water logging in newer places this:

1)      Excessive concretization – in Mumbai, most of the building construction projects are redevelopment projects. In these projects, there is next to no open or garden space. Every inch of space is utilized for parking. This as compared to a three or four storied building with open ground prior to the redevelopment.

The run-off coefficient of a concretized surface or a hard paved surface is close to 0.9 or 1 whereas gardens and soft scapes have a run-off coefficient between 0.2 to 0.45. In other words, almost 50% of water falling on soft scapes gets absorbed in the ground while almost 100% water falling on concrete surface runs off.

2)      The storm-water system of Mumbai as outlined in the BRIMSTOWAD report is more than 100 years old and is designed for a peak rainfall intensity of 25 mm per hour with run-off coefficient of 0.5. With building and infrastructure construction in independent and individual sites, this storm water system is disrupted. This has lead to huge quantity of water suddently appearing in places where a storm water channel has perhaps been disrupted due to construction work. In addition, the run-off coefficient has also now increased in the highly concretized city.

3)      Lastly, the rainfall intensity in Mumbai has changed (this is my personal observation and should be verified by IMD) – as a reason of global climate change effects as predicted by IPCC. There are longer and intensive spells of rainfall increasing the peak intensity to way above 25 mm per hour. Each and every terrace acts as a concrete surface and as a catchment  generating several hundred thousand liters of rainfall in an hour. The city at present neither has the capacity nor the infrastructure to deal with current and future trends of rainfall.    

Reasons for boycotting ADHM

This is my first attempt at writing a film review and the objective is to caution those who are going being driven to theaters by popular print and electronic media reviews, to beg to reconsider.

For a film releasing on Diwali, when families are expected in theaters, it has a shoddy beginning as they show the two main actors getting engaged in a post-disco drunk sex scene. The two main actors who seem to have nothing more to do through the first half of the film except to go to discos, drink liquor, travel in private jets, live in hotel rooms – all with their parents’ wealth (who are funnily missing in the whole film) – begs the question, what is the film’s message?

The film is set in London (for the most part) and Vienna, Paris and Lucknow for the reminder bit but it is almost impossible to find this out for neither do you see the Westminster Abbey or the Eiffel Tower, but crowded discotheques with drunk and drugged people engaged in sexual reverie. It is only when the main actors of the film are seen in an underground metro station that you realize the location.

The role of Sabaa (Aishwarya Rai), supposedly a poet, is baffling and one tends to think that the heavily made up actress is brought in only as a glamour quotient to pep up the second half of the film, even the tears rolling down her cheeks appearing to be like glycerin. The role of Shah Rukh Khan in the film is beyond my comprehension.

Homes are lavish, set in Europe, pubs, discos, drinking, white skin and sex is all that is seen unabashedly throughout the film, which if anything, will raise the subconscious aspirations of the middle class audience. There is no connection – to reality, as I know it in India - or with emotion, as it should in a romantic film.  At the end, I was beginning to wonder what I was watching?

The dedication to the Army makes me laugh. What has this movie got to do with the soldiers who lost their lives on the border? Despite deliberate attempts, the film fails to depict a love story. The humor, with Lisa Hayden, is pathetic and best skipped. How the film received a U/A permit is beyond me!

But why the hype or overhype? Why didn’t MNS or Shiv Sena, the custodians of Indian culture, talk about the grossness of the movie rather than talk about Fawad Khan, who played such an insignificant bit.

Imaginatively hopeless storyline, thougtless dialogues and actions, a terrible waste of national resources – lots of reasons not to watch this film, least of which is Fawad Khan.

Survival At Stake - An Anthology of Essays by Rashmi Mayur

Edited by Roshni Udyavar Yehuda and Priyavadan Shah

Action Group India, June 2012

Introduction

"Life is a moment to be immortal" - the concluding line of his poem conveys the essence of the vibrant persona that was Rashmi Mayur - environmentalist, scientist, poet and much more. After traversing his earthly mission like a brilliant flash of light, he left on 11 February 2004 to continue his journey into the unknown universe. His spirit lives on in the souls of thousands whom he inspired to tread his path. Popularly known in India as the “doomsday professor”, Rashmi Mayur prophesied that if human beings continue on their present reckless path of mindless development, the earth’s ecological systems would collapse and the human race will become extinct.“The consequences of the war that has been waged against this planet for the last 200 years by human beings, may be that we may have no human inhabitants in the future.” However, unlike many crusaders who relinquished hope and left the battlefield, and others who refuse to recognize the symptoms of a diseased planet, Rashmi loved it enough to see it with the eyes of truth.

Dr. Rashmi Mayur with Roshni Udyavar, UNICEF South Asia
Director and Ricaardoe Di Done, President, Organization for the
Protection of Children's Rights (OPCR) at the International
Summit on Children, Poverty and Violence, October 2001

He was too optimistic to be biblical. “Nonetheless, we cannot be immobilized by the ugly reality. As long as we are alive, as long as we have vision and as long as we think of the future of the earth and our children, we must hope that sanity and wisdom will prevail.”

Armed with a doctorate and full of hope and enthusiasm, Rashmi returned to his country from the United States more than 30 years ago, determined to make a difference in the lives of millions of suffering and voiceless people. He was convinced that educating people about the outcome of their path and providing ecological alternatives would bring about a sustainable future. Ever since he has been on a relentless struggle: writing papers, educating through seminars, conferences and producing live projects such as ecovillages. Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General, described Rashmi as a “one-person world organization”.

Dr. Rashmi Mayur with then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri
Narendra Modi and Roshni Udyavar in 2002

Having aligned and worked with intellectual giants like Arthur C. Clarke, Jean Paul Sartre, Paul Ehlrich, J. Krishnamurti and Donella Meadows, Rashmi had a holistic vision for the planet,one that embraced peace, humanity, justice and equality not only for humans, but for millions of species who share this unique abode of life. “We must live on the planet during our brief span with such care and concern and love that the Earth has become richer again. And one day, when we are ready to go – because the evolution must continue – whatever footprint we leave on the planet will determine the whole evolution. Let us depart such that our children and the flowers will have another beautiful morning to enjoy the ecstasy of this earth and evolution will continue beyond tomorrow into eternity.”

Roshni Udyavar at the World Peace Assembly Taiwan, 2001

Rashmi was a world citizen. The earth was his home. He was revolutionary in that he denounced redundant institutions and practices, even patriotism. Rashmi was a doer. At the same time, he had the ability to inspire and work with a wide variety of people. He was an inimitable orator. Equipped with the latest, most relevant statistics, an immutable logic and humour matched only by his passion, he almost always set the audience on fire, awakening people to the reality and bringing forth followers. His Program “Voices of the South” on WBAI radio broadcast from New York had a fan following of thousands of people. His voice had a simplicity and logic that appealed to friends and foes alike.

Rashmi did not limit himself to any particular group. He built alliances with activists, NGOs, professionals, academicians, businessmen, religious groups and all types of people with a singular purpose of realigning them to the goal of sustainability. He recognised the need to integrate all sections of society, to garner their support and goodwill and wisdom for the protection of the planet. He was versatile, one moment shaking hands with the President of a country, the next moment laughing and talkingto children from a slum in Mumbai.

Rashmi had a strength, purity of purpose, simplicity, objectivity and incorruptible judgment seldom found combined in one individual. He was always in search – of true love and eternal happiness. He had a rare combination of knowledge, logic and passion. He often expressed his deep grief through his poems, which remain unpublished. He was convinced that suffering was

bad. He believed in human creativity and its boundless possibilities for civilisation and evolution.

Rashmi was a giver. He gave off his material assets as easily as he shared his deep and pure love. His belongings were few – a collection of 13,000 rare books, a suitcase packed with his bare minimum requirements and mostly gifts for friends, a bulky passport which he lost innumerable times along with his wallet and some cash which often slipped through the holes in his suit pockets. Despite his hectic schedule, he never grovelled over petty problems or cared to discuss his personal or financial problems. Nor at any time of his career did he vouch for high positions, which he could have easily attained. His mind was restless, always pondering about the welfare of humanity and the question of sustainability. Rashmi was a tireless workaholic. It was natural for him to get off the plane after a trip around the world and land up in office the next morning ready to send press notes and interviews.

Mark Dubois, a close friend and international coordinator for the Earth Day International once remarked of Rashmi: “ I think genetic engineering is dead wrong given our collective human maturation, ethics and economics, yet the world would be better if he (Rashmi) could be cloned and his touching, motivating, awaking presence inspire more people of the world to act.” If but a small part of his character, devotion and intellectual genius remains alive or is transferred to the youth, our country and this planet will see a brighter tomorrow, or as Rashmi often phrased the conclusion of his articles: “The future of our children’s dreams”

- Roshni Udyavar Yehuda (March 2004)

COASTAL ROAD - Why we don't need it

Roshni Udyavar Yehuda

The proposed Coastal Road is being purported as a solution to relieve the city’s congested roads and thereby reduce air pollution. It is also suggested as a measure to increase open space by sea-front promenades next to the proposed transport corridor.

This is a car-centric solution. If the number of cars have increased by 137% and two wheelers by 306% in the last 14 years in the city, the coastal road will ensure greater growth as the additional road space will induce demand. However, as the number of cars increase, infrastructure such as parking will prove inadequate in the city center. Already monumental structures (10 to 13 storeys of parking in residential buildings!) are being raised for the purpose of housing cars in a city where real estate rates are reaching the sky. The increasing numbers of cars and their parking lots as well as parking along roads and on footpaths, have already de-humanized the city. Even pedestrians walking on footpaths are not safe anymore.

Further, it will defeat the very purpose of decongestion and reducing pollution, as more cars will increase and not decrease pollution in the city. This is also highly unsustainable as the country imports nearly 70% of oil (3.8 million barrels of oil per day in 2013)– mostly for transportation. This exposes the country to the fluctuating global market and dollar. 

International urban best practices show that most countries – Germany, Denmark, UK, Netherlands - are moving towards creating car-free city centers - in a move to humanize them.

The plan for the Coastal Road mentions the increase of open spaces. It is not clear how access to these open spaces will be provided. Many of the present sea-facing properties are likely to have no access to the sea view. Most cities in Europe are now pedestrianizing their water-fronts - putting people before cars. 

 

Copenhagen - car free and pedestrian city centre

With just about 18 exits/ entries planned along an approximate 30 km stretch, it is certainly not suitable for bus transport which needs to halt at regular intervals and will also not be convenient for bus users as feeder transport such as taxi or auto rickshaws will be required to carry people to their final destination.

If the reclamation option is chosen, being the cheapest of the three options, at least 100 m seaward land will be created. This will surely change the coastal ecology, increasing the sea pressure in some areas, decimating mangroves and affecting beach widths. Already the reclamation for the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) has stripped the once verdant beach to a bare minimum strip full of garbage and many coastal structures are facing erosion. In a densely populated city where beaches serve as recreation spaces, we are endangering the ones that are left and creating artificial open spaces at exorbitant costs. This makes neither ecological nor economical sense.

Beach at Shivaji Park is reduced to a strip of garbage

The preparatory studies for the Greater Mumbai DP indicate that 51% of modal share is pedestrian transport, while 25% is train, 12% is bus, 5% is rickshaw/ taxi and 2% is cars. It seems that the entire infrastructure of the proposed Coastal Road on stilts and through tunnels, is targeted towards the 2% modal share of cars while not addressing the maximum modal share of pedestrian transport or even the train or bus. In most parts of the city, footpaths are either non-existent or inaccessible for even people who are not physically challenged. Surely the cost of improving this vital infrastructure for the majority will not be exorbitant.

There is no justification for spending Rs. 8000 crore (perhaps even more) on a transit system that will cater to a minimal population of Mumbai. It is subsidizing the wealthy few at the cost of the majority. Besides, who pays for this, as there is no mention of any tolls? The Bandra Worli Sea Link that was projected to be used by an average 65,000 vehicles per day, is being used by an average 45,000 vehicles per day and the toll which is by far the highest in the state at Rs. 10 per km, does not suffice for its maintenance. The Coastal Road will prove to be a high maintenance project. What are the costs to the exchequer?   

Besides, have natural disasters such as earthquake and Tsunami been taken into consideration in the planning, being a coastal city with a moderate to high-risk vulnerability for earthquake?

Solving Mumbai’s transportation issues is no mean task. We need a multi-pronged approach that considers all sections of the population and all modes of transportation. Addressing the problems of the weaker section and dealing with low-cost solutions, should be the first target.