It's Creamy, D-lecious and I Eat At Least 10 Liters of it Every Year! Guess What Food I'm Talking About.

No, it's not pudding. It's Gleeda -- גלידה -- ice cream, and I'm on my way to a yummy tasting. Gleeda has to be one of the most popular words we Israelis use because you won't believe how much gleeda we eat. On average every Israeli eats 10 liters of ice cream a year! 10 liters!!! That's over 10 quarts and more than the average Italian eats. They weigh in (Weight Watchers talk?) at only 6.2 liters a year. And Italy is home to gelato, the famous ice cream that's very dense and not quite frozen.

Even our Prime Minister is crazy about gleeda. He loves eating it (pistachio is his favorite flavor) and serving it to his guests. You wouldn't believe how high his ice cream budget is! 

What's so good about our gleeda? Just about everything. We have all the flavors, and even a few that we've invented on our own. I'm on my way to taste one of our latest flavors -- Hummus ice cream!

An Israeli original, it's served with a drizzle of olive oil and topped with pine nuts. "That's nuts," you say? Not nuts. I said topped with nuts. Our Hummus ice cream is 60% chickpeas and the rest is cream. Hmmm... this could be the next health craze.

All this Gleeda talk makes me drool.  Gotta reach that tasting ASAP.



Photo Credit: The Hummus Blog

Israel Just Broke the Record for Largest Shabbat Dinner!

Shalom Girls and Boys:

My head is still buzzing from meeting all the people attending the largest ever Shabbat dinner. Can you believe? Two thousand, two hundred and twenty six guests? Make that twenty seven. I didn't officially sign up.

Where did this happen? In Tel Aviv, of course! The same city Lonely Planet ranks among the top 12 action packed metropolises! The same place ranked as the 9th best beach city in the world by National Geographic! And now, the same city that is home to the Guinness World Record for the largest Shabbat dinner!  Kol HaKavod Tel Aviv!

How do I know that this was the largest ? A Guinness World Record adjudicator -- that means someone who judges an event -- monitored the meal, making sure that all Shabbat laws were kept. And he made sure there was a headcount. Poor me. He kept on trying to swat my head off. I was only trying to help. He just didn't get it.

What can I say? It was unforgettable! Jews from all over came. I'll let you read all about it.
And I want to thank White Shabbat for organizing it. You guys are so terrific that I've decided from now on, every Thursday I'm going to sing I'm Dreaming of a White Shabbat. 
But today is Sunday, so for now I'm going to wish all of you a Shavua Tov -- a good week!

Zvuvi for President!

Shalom Girls and Boys:

I'm feeling very presidential. This coming Tuesday Israel's Knesset -- parliament -- is going to vote for the country's 10th president -- and in my opinion, I'm perfect for the job.

There's been a lot of dirty politics during the campaign.  I called all 120 Knesset members to attention. Enough is enough, I said. Have you forgotten that the president is a good will ambassador, not a politician? Save all the mud slinging for the next parliamentary election. Right now focus on the fact that I'm the best candidate to succeed Shimon Peres. 

Here's why:

1. I'm the only candidate who can match his energy level. Correction. I'm the only one with more energy.

2. I'm always on the move, and when I fly, I fly for free.

3. I know how to create a buzz.

4. I'm a master communicator.

5. I'm never caught off guard. I know how to wing it like no one else.

6. I'm a trained diplomat who knows how to fly into the face of danger.

7. Shimon may be a visionary but I've got 4000 separate lenses in each of my two eyes, which means I have omnidirectional vision. No one knows how to take in the whole picture better than me.

8. I'm not a fly by night. You can depend on me to fly the flag with honor.

9. Most leaders would like to be a fly on the wall at important meetings of heads of state that they're not invited to. Ahem...need I say more? Even superman Shimon can't beat that.

10. Flynally. I know how to P-A-R-T-Y!!! With dignity of course. I've never sent out an invitation that's been turned down.

This coming Tuesday it's Zvuvi for President!

Emblem photo credit