Questions from One of our Eleven Readers!

Despite my best efforts, I don't always address everything in my blog posts. With that in mind, we welcome reader questions! Unsure about something? Leave a question in the comments and we will answer it! We just appreciate that you're taking the time to join us on our journey.

Tricia had a few questions about a recent post. Maybe you had those same questions. Maybe you should read her blog too. My lovely wife answered her questions really well

Q: Whats a "shuk"?

A: The "shuk" is the open air market where you can get pretty much anything you want. Its mostly food (fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads), but there are also some other kinds of shops where you can get clothes and misc other things. Actually, the most recent post on the blog is a video that Jeremy did for a friend of ours at the shuk, so you can see what its all about. We absolutely love doing our food shopping there. The fruits and veggies are super fresh, and everything is incredibly cheap. This week we bought tomatoes for the equivalent of about 20 cents a pound.

Q: Is cheese not kosher? Why would the nachos need fake cheese at a kosher place? Or is it just to provide a vegan option?
A: Oh the cheese. First of all, cheese here is like nothing you've ever tasted before. It is SOOO good. Its pretty hard to find things like cheddar or block cheese here, but the cottage cheese and softer cheeses are absolutely amazing. They have so much more flavor than in the states. Cheese can be kosher, and a lot of times here it is, but restaurants that are kosher serve either dairy or meat, but not both. So, this restaurant that we happened to be at was a meat restaurant, so they don't have any dairy products. The soy nacho cheese was really gross, but in general its incredibly easy to eat as a vegetarian or vegan here.

Q: Funny about the cottage cheese... wonder why that is?

A: A friend of mine here told me that the cottage cheese comes in such small containers because after its open, it doesnt last for very long. Maybe something about the freshness and lack of preservatives. So, they put it in small containers (think like a store brand individual yogurt size) so that you finish it before it goes bad. Ours usually last about 2 days in the fridge (or one serving each if we're both having some).

Q: How do you adjust the blinds if they are outside the window, and don't they get torn up in the wind and weather? Or is the weather always perfect in Israel ;-)

A: They're amazing and I want them back in the states. Instead of being fabric like they usually are at home, the blinds are made out of a really heavy duty metal or opaque plastic, and come down to cover the entire window. You can leave openings for light to come in, but if you close them all the way they completely block out all light from outside. Its actually really nice to not be woken up by the light in the morning, and it also helps to keep things warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Also, when the wind and dust pick up, it blocks it out. Each window has a cord next to it that you pull either up or down to raise and lower the blinds, so it all gets done from inside. It's pretty neat!