On Sunday, I had lunch at my favorite Israeli coffee shop. I had a pita with labne, za'atar, tomatoes, and eggplant, and a lemonade. Sometimes when I go I get their Moroccan iced tea, which is fabulous. They also do a shakshuka sandwich which is, frankly, so good it should be illegal.
They play lots of Israeli music, and the main guy working there sings along loudly in Hebrew.
There are lots of local restaurants that have similar dishes on their menus: Palestinian, Lebanese, Turkish, even Greek. No one has a monopoly on hummus, pita, or falafel. Each culture approaches these foods a little differently, which is where the magic really lies. All of these food traditions can and must coexist, and one culture doesn't negate any other.
The existence of an Israeli food culture doesn't negate the Palestinian one, and vice versa. For those of us who still believe there could be a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians (and in the region as a whole), keeping both cultures alive and celebrated is so important. Because one culture subsuming the other is what the extremists want. And we don't capitulate to extremists.
Anyway, fuck New York Magazine.
