Turns out I live in the shuk + some meal math

Turns out I live in the shuk. Whenever I have free time, I seem to be in the shuk. Tonight we went to the shuk to party. My life revolves around the shuk. 

French Hill, where I live. 

 Some meal math: 

The shuk!  

Dinner begins with 1. 

1 conversation about food and moves 2 quickly to 3 people in the kitchen. 

4 dinner tonight we have 5 pots on the 4 burner stove and 6 people who are actually in the kitchen. 

7 people are sitting around, drinking wine and eating appetizers, they can’t wait till they have 8. 

9 extra dishes are needed and 10 extra utensils. 

Want some cheap cereal? Just be sure to check the expiration date.
Sometimes it expires in a month. Sometimes it expired
3 months ago! 

With 11 people, I begin to worry that there isn’t enough food and we are up to 6 dishes on the table, a number that is still increasing. 

12 was the first big dinner, but now it seems we have skipped to 15, 17, 20 people.

The birds love this store. They had just flown away when
I took this picture.

 5 people sitting on the floor, 9 people on chairs and couches, 8 dishes. 

6 people have wandered in randomly and are invited to stay.

Spices and spices and spices galore. 

 4 people clean up, 2 dishes are set out for dessert, 3 hours have passed since we begun. 

One of the few women who works at the shuk. 

Everyone is full, everyone is smiling, everyone is talking or just being. 

1 dinner = Me + a roommate, or maybe 2 + 4 people from another apartment + 2 people who live below us + 3 people who live above us + 1 person who lives next to us + some random people who seem to have a sixth sense and only ever show up when we are cooking food + 1 person from my class + a roommate’s friend = a normal amount of people for dinner any given night of the week.

On the menu this week?

Yesterday: Scallion pancakes, sweet and sour soup, rice noodles, sweet rice balls with a peanut sauce, tapioca pudding, bruschetta and pita, guacamole and chips, mashed potatoes with garlic and cheese, white rice, stir-fried broccoli, white wine, red wine, plum wine, cookie dough/cookies

Tonight: improvised curry made with left over coconut milk and so many veggies, scallion pancakes, left over rice, tapioca pudding, no-bake peach crumble, Israeli salad, leftover chili, leftover squash, potatoes and olive dish, broccoli and bean sprout dish.

Tomorrow for brunch: yogurt, fruit, pancakes, French toast (with nutella?), a frittata

My mantras: There can never be enough people. There can never be enough food. No, you don’t have to bring anything! (Just do the dishes later…) Stone soup (everyone contributes something at some point and we get to eat a wider variety of things and more things). Dynamics are important: if someone doesn't fit in well with the 12 or so normal people, well, that's all, bye-bye!

Nuts and dried fruit

I thrive in this setting, with so many people stopping in and eating and the chaos and the way that, in the end, everything always works out, and everyone is always so much happier after a good meal and good, leisurely time with friends. This is how life should be, yes? 

OF COURSE YES! 

Canddddyyyyyyyy

Don't know how I managed to miss taking a picture of the pastry stores.
Next time. Muhahahahaha.