Braiding Israel

When you first come to Israel, it may be difficult to figure out how to live here inexpensively.  It is possible though.  Many people here make only 4000-6000 N.I.S. per month, and manage.  You just have to know where to buy things and how to cook.

First thing, you must find out where your local “shouk” is.  The prices there are usually around half to 2/3 what they are in the supermarkets.  The meat, fruits, and vegetables are also fresher.  So it is a better bargain all around.  Don’t go to the first place you see.  Walk around and compare prices and quality.  In time, there will be places you will know to go to first.

Second, do the math.  If you have say, 700 N.I.S. to spend per month on groceries, then you have to divide that by 30 or 31 (however many days you have  in a month).  You have to feed your family on 23 N.I.S. per day.

It doesn’t seem like much, but 23 shekels can buy enough food to feed a family of 3 or 4.  Think about it…A kilo of chicken breasts costs around 25 per kilo at the shouk.  You only need 1/4 of that, 1/2 kg. of rice, and a few handfulls of vegetables, and 2 eggs to make fried rice.

You can feed your family eggs and solet (grits) in the morning, sandwiches or salad for lunch, and beans and rice with some chicken or turkey in it, for 23 shekels a day, and nobody will feel like they’re starving.

Now, think of recipes that are within your budget.  I’ve already mentioned fried rice.  There’s also turkey soup, turkey breasts that you can cook and slice the leftovers for sandwiches or salad, onion fritters.  You can even make weekend treats like chocolate cake and cookies.

When you get to know more people in Israel, you’ll encounter people who have gardens and fruit trees, or small farms.  They are often trying to get rid of their extra.  A friend of mine brings me kilos of dates, lots of pickled olives, and figs jam every year.  You can get many nice things free or in exchange for favors if you are a generous person and appreciate generosity.

This system has worked for me very well.  I used to complain about how hard it is to live here, but now I understand that it’s pretty easy if you just know where to go.

Bolli Impanem, an immigrant from Nigeria, who came to play for Hapoel Tel Aviv, has opened a dance club.  Read more…

It’s one of many that have started so Africans from the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, and even the diaspora from the Americas and Europe can have places we feel comfortable.

My experiences in public have not been nearly as grim as for the average Black man in Israel.  As discussed occasionally on one of my favorite blogs, The Obsidian Files, Black women aren’t seen as the same kind of threat that Black men are.  Aside of guys here considering us an exotic…um…novelty, we’re not viewed as personally dangerous.  So in the club scene, nobody’s really trying to keep us out, and security isn’t watching us, waiting for us to do something, anything, that will give them an excuse to bust some heads.

So it’s nice that a few places here and there are opening up where we can meet and dance with Black men, and just be women for a change.  Even if we’re not viewed as dangerous, we do have to contend with stereotyping that is dangerous to us.

When I have the time, I’ll be exploring some clubs, the ones that are legal at least, and showing some love.