Book & Cook

1959 “Mommy, Mommy! Come look who’s coming to visit.” I rushed home yelling. “Come Ima it’s Uncle Robert, he came with a big army truck.” Everyone in our family knew; Mom was a great cook. In every opportunity they have they would stop by for lunch or dinner. On the other hand, I could never figure out why. I didn’t like her food. It just didn’t taste good to me. Most of the time, it was too spicy. Anyway, Uncle Robert had an afternoon pass, and he came with his army truck for a short visit. Both Avi and I loved it when relatives serving the army came to visit. They always had something for us. Chocolate bars or chocolate covered waffles from the military cantina. Uncle Robert was a truck driver in the army. This time he came with a huge truck and he parked it in front of our shack on the sand dunes. It was Friday afternoon and Mom made her usual “Couscous” with chicken vegetable soup. Uncle Robert loved it. “So, what’s new?” He asked. “Oh, nothing much.” Said Mom. “I’m starting to wor...

  “It is time to move again” Mom Said. “But don't worry, we aren't moving far, just to the next street to a bigger shack.” When we moved from Be'er Sheva we took a very small shack. It was a one room wooden shack covered with black tar sheets on the outside walls and tin roof to keep the rain off. We had a small out house where my dad had to pour lime into the deep hole under the wooden seat every night and another out house where we showered. It had a small water tank placed on a tall pedestal with a special kerosene burner called “Primus”. Mom used to turn it on every afternoon, before dad would come from work so he could have a nice hot shower. I will never forget how Mom would prepare for “Passover”. She would take all the kitchen tools outside so she can clean and “kosher” them for the holiday. Dipping them in boiling hot water she had placed yet, on another “Primus”.  Even the kitchen table was left outside until she finished cleaning the room. We had to eat dinner ...