Title of Shared Piece: FOOD

Group members: Cari Rose, Marlee Dannenbaum, Sydney Fodiman

Since all of my group members had similar feedback, I decided to do an overall summary of what they said. They thought that my voice sounded very natural and how I would sound if I were to be say this in the conversation. They really felt this at the end when I say, “So… now that I’ve written about 750 words on food, I’m really hungry and going to grab some lunch.” They believed that the language that I used was very casual and pretty unsophisticated, especially when I used the word “yummy,” and the phrase, “to die for.” Marlee, Cari, and Syndey all agreed that the structure of the piece that I shared was pretty organized. I started with an anecdote about my recent experience at the restaurant, Magazzio and then moved onto one chef. My group members think that I did a good job at inviting the reader in. It’s a fun piece to read. Lastly, no one gave me any feedback on what to revise specifically. Unless this were to be given to a more serious reader, I should make it less casual.

Bolded are the 3 revisions:

 

FOOD

Because I normally use my free writing to write about the beach, I’ll take a little break and write about a different topic – food. Tel Aviv is known for many things. It is known for its nightlife, clubs, bars, the beach, the start-ups, the expense (haha), and one of my favorites, it’s restaurants. They have every type of cuisine here! Israeli, Mediterranean, Mexican, American, Italian, Thai, Japanese…the list can go on and on. Some people think it’s silly to put so much time and thought into their meals, but if were being honest, you need to eat to live, so why not make it fun!

My friends and I legit talk about food like it’s the only thing in the world that matters. One of our guy friends once said to us, “Boys talk about sports, betting, girls, and that type of stuff… what do you girls talk about.” The first response we all had was, “food.” Especially my friend, Miki. She knows the most out of all of us and always takes us to the best restaurants in Tel Aviv. Last night she took 10 of us to Magazzino and I think it was the best meal I ever ate. We got SO much. First, we shared salads; Caesar salad and the Magazzino salad. The Magazzino salad was simple but delicious. It was shredded lettuce with a lemon vinaigrette and shredded parmesan cheese… Mmmm. Next, we got a truffle pizza and a margarita pizza. Both delicious. And finally came the main courses… pasta. Pasta rocks. I shared the four cheese tortellini and the carbonara with my friend, Jane. I love sharing food because I love to get a little taste of everything. But if you thought that was all we ordered, you were wrong. A few of my friends go to the dessert bar to pick out what we’ll finish our feast with. Next thing I know, out comes seven desserts. Seven. Two “Crack” pies, two cookie/brownie pies with vanilla ice cream, one Nutella cheese cake, one coffee cake pie, and a carrot cake. Man, I was full.

Just to be clear, we do not always feast like this. It is our last 10 days in Tel Aviv so were trying to fit in as much delicious food as possible before we go to our normal lives filled with salads, juice cleanses, and bar class. But for now, we eat.

Anyway, as I said before, the restaurants in Tel Aviv are highly top rated. One of my favorite chefs is Eyal Shani. He’s the chef of North Abraxas, Romano, Port Sa’id, Malka, Miznon, and Rustico. Out of all of those I’ve been to North Abraxas, Port Sa’id, Rustico, and I didn’t get ot go to Miznon, but I went to my friends Independence Day party and they catered it. On May 21^st, my friends and I are doing our last dinner abroad together at Romano so the only one I have left is Malka. Malka is his kosher restaurant and I hope I can try it before I leave. The thing that I love about his restaurants besides how amazing his food is, is that his restaurants don’t have plates. They serve the food on the table and you just have to go in for the kill with your hands. It makes the experience very fun. I think my favorite so far out of all of them is Port Sa’id. At this restaurant, you cannot make a reservation so be prepared to wait. One night when all of my friends were going out clubbing, three of us decided to get a nice dinner and have a chill night. They told us it was a 40 minutes wait (thanks to no reservations) so we bought a bottle of wine and waited outside. I felt a true Israeli, chill vibe there and loved every minute and every bite.

The last meal my friends and I are getting is one of the top-rated meals in Tel Aviv and it’s a true hole-in-the-wall. Those are always the best. It’s called Hakosem and it’s to die for. It’s just another Israeli stand with pita, falafel, schwarma, schnitzel, etc. I got a laffa with falafel, cabbage, cucumbers, humus, spicy sauce, pickles and tahini. I’m going to miss Israeli food so much.

I have about a week left here in Tel Aviv and I of course have food plans made already. I am going to attend the annual Food Truck Festival and share a bunch of things I’ve never had with some friends. I’d also like to try Malka, Manta Ray, Romano, M25, and Taizu. I have already started to make reservations!

So… now that I’ve written about 750 words on food, I’m really hungry and going to grab some lunch.

 

P.S. I’d also like to know what your favorites are so I can expand my horizons!

 

Workshop Review Question Responses from Partner Rachel:

Reader: Rachel Wechsler

Author: Paige Halpern

Instructions to the reader: Respond to the questions below thoroughly, and to the best of your ability. Remember that feedback given to the author can provide them with important insight into their writing.

Instructions to the author: Read the feedback from the reader carefully, and incorporate the feedback to the extent that you feel is beneficial into a revision of the piece, or writing done in the future.

1. If you could replace one word in the piece, what would it be and why? Provide alternatives to this word.

If I could replace one word in the piece, it would be the word “yummy” in the sentence, “. It is our last 10 days in Tel Aviv so were trying to fit in as much yummy food…” I would replace this word with either the word “delicious” or “scrumptious.” I feel that they would help to emphasize the way you feel about the food because they are very descriptive adjectives.

2. What is the most significant sentence in the writing and why?

I think that the most significant sentence in the writing is the final sentence that says, “So… now that I’ve written about 750 words on food, I’m really hungry and going to grab some lunch.” It really helps to put into perspective how important food is to you in your experience in Tel Aviv. You talk so much about how the food has shaped your experience, and you saying that you are going to get some food after writing about it helps exemplify your feelings.

3. How would you describe the narrator’s tone?

Your tone is very enthusiastic and shows how much you appreciate the food in Tel Aviv. You use great adjectives to explain how you feel about every meal that you have eaten, and it shows how special this experience has been to you.

4. What more are you are hoping to discover about the narrator or their experiences?

I am hoping to hear more about the meals that you have planned for the next week. You seem to be very passionate about the food that you eat, and I am interested to know how you feel about the next few dinners that you have planned.

5. What is one aspect of the piece you, as a reader, identify with personally?

I personally love food as well, so I found myself identifying with this piece of writing. I love to try new meals, and also have a lot of plans to try as many restaurants as I can over the next week before going home.

6. What is one aspect of the piece you do not identify with personally, but teaches you something?

One aspect of the writing that I do not identify with is the part about the great desserts that you tried. I am allergic to nuts, so it is often very difficult to order desserts while being sure that they are completely safe for me to eat. Under these circumstances, I have missed out on a lot of experiences at meals.

7. What is your favorite image (description) in the writing and why?

My favorite image in the writing is when you discuss waiting outside of Port Sa’id with a bottle of wine and you said it made you feel a vibe. It allowed me to envision the situation and understand better how your experience at this restaurant was.

8. What specific part of the writing engages you most and why?

I was most engaged in the part of the writing when you explained the dishes that you ordered at Magazzino. I have never heard of this restaurant before reading this piece, and I feel like I now know about the great food it has to offer and am very interested in trying it out.

9. What about this piece has caused you to reflect on your own writing?

The passion that you exhibit in this piece has caused me to reflect on my own writing and wonder if my work is as enthusiastic. I get excited about things often, but your tone really shows how passionate you are about food and made me feel like I was present at the meals that you describe.

10. Does the narrator go beyond external description, and reveal their subjective, interior reactions?

Yes, you did an awesome job at explaining your reactions. Every single meal and restaurant you described included a lot of passion and it kept me engaged the entire time that I was reading it.

11. Does the plot or narrative of the piece come across as complete? Why or why not?

Yes, you begin by explaining all of the different types of food in Israel. Then you explain specific meals that you have had and wrapped it up by telling us how you plan to end your semester abroad with your plans for eating. Overall, your piece explains your true feelings and provides a lot of detail for readers to understand.

 

 

 

FOOD

Because I normally use my free writing to write about the beach, I’ll take a little break and write about a different topic – food. Tel Aviv is known for many things. It is known for its nightlife, clubs, bars, the beach, the start-ups, the expense (haha), and one of my favorites, it’s restaurants. They have every type of cuisine here! Israeli, Mediterranean, Mexican, American, Italian, Thai, Japanese…the list can go on and on. Some people think it’s silly to put so much time and thought into their meals, but if were being honest, you need to eat to live, so why not make it fun!

My friends and I legit talk about food like it’s the only thing in the world that matters. One of our guy friends once said to us, “Boys talk about sports, betting, girls, and that type of stuff… what do you girls talk about.” The first response we all had was, “food.” Especially my friend, Miki. She knows the most out of all of us and always takes us to the best restaurants in Tel Aviv. Last night she took 10 of us to Magazzino and I think it was the best meal I ever ate. We got SO much. First, we shared salads; Caesar salad and the Magazzino salad. The Magazzino salad was simple but delicious. It was shredded lettuce with a lemon vinaigrette and shredded parmesan cheese… Mmmm. Next, we got a truffle pizza and a margarita pizza. Both delicious. And finally came the main courses… pasta. Pasta rocks. I shared the four cheese tortellini and the carbonara with my friend, Jane. I love sharing food because I love to get a little taste of everything. But if you thought that was all we ordered, you were wrong. A few of my friends go to the dessert bar to pick out what we’ll finish our feast with. Next thing I know, out comes seven desserts. Seven. Two “Crack” pies, two cookie/brownie pies with vanilla ice cream, one Nutella cheese cake, one coffee cake pie, and a carrot cake. Man, I was full.

Just to be clear, we do not always feast like this. It is our last 10 days in Tel Aviv so were trying to fit in as much yummy food as possible before we go to our normal lives filled with salads, juice cleanses, and bar class. But for now, we eat.

Anyway, as I said before, the restaurants in Tel Aviv are highly top rated. One of my favorite chefs is Eyal Shani. He’s the chef of North Abraxas, Romano, Port Sa’id, Malka, Miznon, and Rustico. Out of all of those I’ve been to North Abraxas, Port Sa’id, Rustico, and I didn’t get ot go to Miznon, but I went to my friends Independence Day party and they catered it. On May 21^st, my friends and I are doing our last dinner abroad together at Romano so the only one I have left is Malka. Malka is his kosher restaurant and I hope I can try it before I leave. The thing that I love about his restaurants besides how amazing his food is, is that his restaurants don’t have plates. They serve the food on the table and you just have to go in for the kill with your hands. It makes the experience very fun. I think my favorite so far out of all of them is Port Sa’id. At this restaurant, you cannot make a reservation so be prepared to wait. One night when all of my friends were going out clubbing, three of us decided to get a nice dinner and have a chill night. They told us it was a 40 minutes wait (thanks to no reservations) so we bought a bottle of wine and waited outside. I felt a true Israeli, chill vibe there and loved every minute and every bite.

The last meal my friends and I are getting is one of the top-rated meals in Tel Aviv and it’s a true hole-in-the-wall. Those are always the best. It’s called Hakosem and it’s to die for. It’s just another Israeli stand with pita, falafel, schwarma, schnitzel, etc. I got a laffa with falafel, cabbage, cucumbers, humus, spicy sauce, pickles and tahini. I’m going to miss Israeli food so much.

So… now that I’ve written about 750 words on food, I’m really hungry and going to grab some lunch.

One object that has become significant to me is my kindle. Before coming abroad, I was very stubborn in my opinion that hard copy books are better than a kindle. I was stuck in the olden days. Everyone in my family was into kindles. My dad insisted on giving me his for abroad because I was able to download any book I wanted and didn’t have to worry about schlepping books around. I have fallen in love with my kindle because it is very convenient and a great escape. Don’t get me wrong, being busy here with friends and endless activities is amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. But sometimes, it’s nice to have some quiet, alone time with my kindle. Reading in general brings me home. Not home to my house, but a comfort place. I find myself always reading with my mom on vacations so when I read here, I feel like I could be with her. This past week it has hit me how long I’ve been away from home and I find myself with my kindle more than I have the first few months. Looking forward to being back on the beach at Clearwater Beach Club (where I’ve belonged all my life) reading alongside my parents. But in the meantime, I will soak up and enjoy the rest of my time in Tel Aviv.

 

Another object that has become important to me are my AirPods. I loveeeee my AirPods. I got them right before abroad and they seriously are a game changer. When I’m on the phone it legit feels like I’m on some important business call. I know it sounds silly but it’s true. It’s also hilarious when I’m with all of my friends on the beach and were all wearing it, it’s a funny sight. They also motivate me to work out more, which is really important here. I love watching all of the Israelis run along Gordon beach. Headphones without strings are strangely much more enjoyable to work out in. And after eating falafel and pita every day, it’s really important to get a good workout in. These are also meaningful because my parents got them for me for my birthday and I love having things here from them because I miss them a lot.

“Wonder” by Tuvia Ruebner Response

 

This poem starts off pretty straight forward and as it comes to a close, gets a little confusing. I can easily pull from the start that the narrator has been living a normal life, but it hasn’t been like that all her life. Her children comment on the plaster falling from the walls. In their put-together home, I guess the plaster on the walls are intact. Next, things get really intense. She names many, many people in her life that have not just passed away, but murdered. Even the people who were saved in the beginning, were then murdered. How did she survive? What happened? But, it seems like the people have moved on and, “no one talks about what doesn’t need mentioning.” After rereading the poem, I think I understand the end. At first, she says that birds sing beautiful songs, “you can still hear the blackbird.” I interpret this as, yes, birds are beautiful but describing a bird as a blackbird makes it more dark than happy. But again, happiness ends the poem showing that even after such horrible things, there is hope for happiness.

 

Photo submitted on moodle

High Point:

 

There were many great times during this Passover break, so it’s been a little difficult pinpointing the highest. Over this break, I traveled throughout Italy with some great friends. We hit Rome, Venice, Florence, and the Amalfi Coast. Every city was as beautiful and full of history as the next and, of course, the food was fantastic. But, there was a little twist to the trip, my travels back to Tel Aviv. The only friend that’s on the Tel Aviv study abroad program that went to the Amalfi Coast was my friend, Rachel, who is also taking this class. Rachel and I were booking our flights from Naples to Tel Aviv for Sunday, April 21, and there were only options with layovers or really expensive direct flights. One of the options was a 4-hour layover in Athens, Greece which sounded like the best option. We were both disappointed that it wasn’t enough time to go explore and we’d be sitting in the airport twittling our thumbs for a few hours. But, then we saw a 15-hour layover that was also in Athens for half the price and we both lit up with excitement. We were like, this is either a really stupid idea or a really smart idea. It ended up being the best idea and had the most amazing day together. Rachel and I landed in Athens around 12:30pm, just as planned. Rachel’s probably going to add to her high point if she writes about this that she was assigned first class. Don’t worry, she didn’t let me forget while I was only two rows behind her. Anyway, as we get off the plane and out to the cab line with our cross-body bags and hefty backpacks, we have some trouble getting a cab that only takes credit card. We are in the year 2019 and most cabs should take credit cards. But, I also do admit that it’s smart to have cash on you while traveling. We take out money from the ATM, and of course get scammed $20 wit the awful rate and make our way back to the cab line. A very generous driver, Dimitris picks us up and is so kind to us. We tell him that we have this layover and he offers us all of these suggestions on how to spend the day and also offers us a ride back to the airport for our next flight. It’s so amazing meeting such nice people, sometimes cab drivers want nothing to do with you. He gave me his card with his number and told us to text him with any questions or any trouble were having. After Dimitris dropped us off in the city center, we found a pleasant rooftop for brunch. We had some great Greek salads, humus, and gyro. I personally like the humus better here. Next, we became huge tourists. We saw the Parthenon and Acropolis. It was magnificent! Next, we walked around the city buying souvenirs and messing around. We were so proud of ourselves for taking this journey. Next, we enjoyed a very cheap happy hour and texted our new driver friend for sushi suggestions. I know it sounds strange to get sushi and Greece but after eating pasta for 10 days straight and Italy, we needed some sushi. It was delicious and needed! Lastly, Dimitirs picked us up at the restaurant and ushered us back to the airport. It was a wonderful day touring a new city with one of my best friends!

 

Low Point:

 

It’s pretty hard finding a low point of such a great opportunity to travel anywhere I wanted in Europe. It’s important to remember how lucky we all are for this study abroad experience. If I had to choose something that bothered me while traveling was some people attitudes in the Amalfi Coast. Rachel (my friend from my high point) and I, we’re meeting our college friends in the Amalfi Coast while our other friends visited other places. We were later on told that more of their abroad friends in Barcelona were going to join us on the trip. We had no problem because a big motto of mine is, “the more the merrier.” Rachel and I arrived later than the rest of the 8 girls and told us that the Airbnb that we ordered is in a very farm-like place and not in the town of Sorrento where we booked it. As we pulled up to the Airbnb, we had noticed that, yes, they were right about it not being in the best location, but we are in the Amalfi Coast about to see Positano and Capri, there should be no complaining. If it were my close friends I’d tell them to shut up and put on a smile, but since we aren’t so close I couldn’t be as straight up. They then complained about how the wifi in the villa didn’t work well, the smell of the place, how the beds were set up. It was really just annoying and a vibe killer. I didn’t let it ruin my weekend there but if I were to do it again, it would just be with my close friends and not my friends, friends. I don’t like to dwell on things so I don’t have much more to write about the low point of my break. But to end on a high note, one of my best friends, Cole, was coincidentally in Sorrento that same weekend and I got to have a nice day on a boat with him to Capri!

The passage that I found most interesting and pretty disturbing as a woman was the nine legal principles for getting a divorce. I know these principles were written a very long time ago, but it still makes me angry. I’m sure if I were a woman at this time, it would all seem normal, but growing up in a time where women have the rights than men have, it just makes me take a step back while reading this. “The husband must give the get to the wife. She cannot take it.” Like… that’s she can only be given something she can’t get it? “He sends her out.” The man has all of the power in the divorce. If the woman wanted to get the divorce, she couldn’t? Life was just unfair for women. Sometimes I forget that I another life I wouldn’t have the rights that I do now and feel appreciative for where the women of the world are now.

Based on the first two pages of the essay “Leaving Babylon: A Walk Through the Jewish Divorce Ceremony” by Judy Labensohn, I would describe the narrator’s attitude towards the divorce ceremony in Israel tedious. It’s just an unnecessary step to being free. I use the word “free,” from her quote, “Now, just as the Children of Israel walked back to their homeland, their freedom, I am walking to mine.” She compared getting her divorce to children finally being able to return to their home after who knows how many years. I can tell she thinks this process is tedious and unnecessary from the way she describes the process. She added that she already has a document that was signed and stamped by an Israeli judge. She is telling the readers that she has already jumped through one hoop to get divorced and that she has to do more than that to get the freedom she’s been longing for. I can tell that process is very unnecessary in her eyes by the way she describes how she is dressed. She says that wearing the long skirt, conservative blouse, and a sunhat is uncharacteristic of her. She even adds her husband’s reaction of, “Who the fuck are you kidding.”

A Lover from Palestine

 

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-lover-from-palestine/

 

In the first paragraph, I see a good amount of contradiction. Darwish writes, “your eyes are the thorn in my heart inflicting pain, yet I cherish that thorn…and its wound lights the lantern, its tomorrow makes my present.” From these lines, I can infer that this is a special love to the author, but this love is also not right for him. He adores this love, but they also can’t be together.

 

What I took from the second paragraph is that he tried to make their relationship work, but it cannot workout because they are from different homelands that I am going to assume do not get along. I make this assumption from the lines, “Your words were a song And I tried to sing, too…we gathered the splinters of sound, mastering only the elegy of our homeland!” I am not positive though because I don’t know if “our homeland” means both of theirs or their separate homelands. It is very sad for the author to accept this and he wonders if he could’ve done something about it. “Was it your departure that rushed the lyre of was it my silence?”

 

I think it was confirmed that the girl that the man in the poem is in love with is Palestinian and he is not when he wrote, “Palestinian she was and still is.”

 

He still loves her and looks for signs of her when he looks at the moon. I believe that he promised the Palestinian something. I think it is her because he said, “beyond the darkness and the wall,” which means that it has to be a secret. He also writes, “as long as our songs are swords when we draw them.” This can be inferred that they songs and love that they have together in secret have to be fighting when in public and war is going on.

 

I really had a hard time with some of the paragraphs because I couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say. I feel like the tone of this poem was him yelling. He’s mad at the world for making him fall in love with someone that he should not be with. He is a knight and is fighting the country of his beloved?