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Israeli street food – the magnificent and humble boureka

The square shape of the bourekas tells us that they are filled with a potato filling One does not have to spend a long time in Israel to get your first introduction to a boureka. These savory stuffed pastries are everywhere You'll find them for breakfast in hotel dining halls, in countless bakeries and coffee shops, on picnics and even at restaurants that only serve bourekas. They are often eaten in Israeli homes as part of a 'light' or diary meal in the evenings. (Most households in Israel usually serve the large cooked meal at lunchtime.) More often than not, bourekas are also an integral part of the wonderful Friday or Shabbat brunch table. To be really honest however, you basically eat a boureka whenever you encounter one. They are that irresistible. If you stop to grab a quick coffee at a coffee shop, the comforting smell of the bourekas will convince you to upgrade to a 'café ve'ma afe' (coffee + pastry). Wandering through street markets, the sight of fres

Queen for a Day - Thoughts in the middle of the 2015 Gay Pride parade

I never thought that I would ever be part of a gay pride parade. I am on the shy side and also prefer to hang out in smaller groups.... not dance in the street with 100, 000 people!

Sometimes one has to wave a flag too.
And as my mom has taught me, everybody should be treated as a human being and be given a kind word. Isn't it better to treat people normal everyday instead of just partying with them once a year and waving a pretty flag around?


This is still true for me but then two things happened:

1. My wonderful 52Frames photo group held a gay pride photo walk. One of the founders of this creative group mentioned that people are flying in from all over the world to take part in this parade and it is basically on our doorstep.

Who can resist a call to action like that?!!

2. I got a severe case of cabin fever..eh..actually..apartment fever. I work from home and though I always make sure that I get some 'outside' time, it really felt this week as though the apartment is closing in on me. I just had to get out! :)

I had all these aloof lofty photography ideas about showing the sadness behind the makeup, the tottering about on high heels and of being an unattached observer behind my camera. The plan was to go, to shoot and come back.
"Don't ask me how much I paid for these!"

Instead, I danced.

In the middle of Tel Aviv I found myself dancing on a bench next to a friend while a sea of partying people marched right in front and behind us. We basically had front-row seats and managed to take hundreds of photos. After a while however I realized I was just as much a part of the crowd than everybody else.

There is nothing like seeing MASSES of people, most of them dressed very colorfully..and a bit skimpy, to realize that we are all part of this huge glob of humanity. Deepak Chopra says that every human is like one cell that together makes up this huge organism thing. I however, think that we are even smaller than cells.

If you look for the light, you will find it.
(Just hear me out a second - I was the one dancing on that bench between all those people!)

I think that us people are basically molecules. And just like molecules we have these 'energies' or vibes between us. With some people you have a stronger connections than with others, many you are neutral to and some you even repel. Just like molecules we also have all these spaces between us and we like to think that we are all individuals but actually we are all part of the same thing.

We are all part of the same thing.

We are all gay, we are all transgender, we are all straight, we are all conservative, we are all shy and we are all extroverts.
She was working the crowd and everybody was loving it!
Wow... Who would have thought that going to a gay parade to take some photos and hang out with my friends would lead me to these insights.

Do NOT disregard the power of heavy makeup and high heels!

Please DO listen to my mom and treat everybody kindly but also if you have the chance to get out of your comfort zone, definitely take it!...you just might dance on a bench surrounded by 100,000 people. And you just might realize how wonderful every single person on this planet is.

'No Smile', 'Mona Lisa Smile' and 'Half Smile' also attended the 2015 Tel Aviv gay pride parade.

June 2015
Israel



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