31 Mar Shuk al Carmel: Tel Aviv
Haggling over trinkets and sweets, while eating the best Shawarma, and all with the Mediterranean Ocean as a backdrop. Talk about sensory overload, all of my desires being met and my hidden skills being used simultaneously. This sounds like a great way to spend the day and get to know the city of Tel Aviv. I have spent an entire lifetime learning the art of persuasion and haggling and no other place was this skill more put to use than the Shuk al Carmel. Just feet from my hotel down a windy road and through an alley is where this delicious adventure started on King George Street. Incredible smells, food stalls, fresh fruit juice, olives, candy, baklava, cheese and fresh produce lives here. The colors and variety will blow your mind. I spent nearly fifteen minutes happily haggling over the price of a fresh pistachio and dried onion spice mixture, which happened to mysteriously drop in price drastically after I walked away and played hard to get with the gentleman trying to pull a fast one on me. What he doesn’t know is that bartering and negotiating over specialty goods is one of my favorite past times. I won.
After my spice expedition, olives. Just the most gorgeous colorful mountaneous piles of olives I have ever seen. What is wonderful about these type of outdoor markets is that you are encouraged to taste the product before purchasing. These local merchants are all masters at their craft, whether it’s curing the olives, mixing spices and making cheese, they appreciate an enthusiastic customer who admires their work.
Right about the time I was finished purchasing what felt like twenty pounds of spices and olives, I was struck by an intoxicating smell of grilled onions and smoky meat. In the middle of the Shuk there are different food stalls that serve a plethora of grilled meats. I sat down at one that probably had a total seating of about 6 people with a full view of all the hustle bustle of the people in the market. Perfect setting for lunch and a show! I merely told my server that I was hungry and would eat anything. He brought me a chicken shawarma which is a grilled chicken sandwich stuffed in a pita with a spicy chimichurri, tomato salsa, and tahini. I inhaled it. But did manage to savor the flavors and enjoy each component of the sandwich and all while watching the people of the market talk loudly and scurry along with bags of goods. This was so good that I had to go back the next two days and have the same thing for lunch. After my sandwich I ordered a cup of mint tea with a freshly baked piece of baklava from the baklava lady right behind me. The fresh baked baklava was a lovely ending to one of the most delicious meals I’ve had.
I left the market that day with bags of goodies from specialty food items, handmade beautiful dresses and some jewelry. Carmel has a lovely variety of things to see, taste and experience. Plus the fact that you can do all these things and go to the beach all in one afternoon isn’t so bad.
As I write this I can still taste the glory of this simple yet epic sandwich. Sadness has consumed me now, I long for a bite and I’m afraid I can’t replicate the flavors even if I tried. I guess all I can do is go back. Tel Aviv, I hear you… I’m coming.
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