A Breakfast Rant

OK, this is about a clash of preferences more than anything else. I fully realize that the American way is not the only way but it is the way I'm used to. Therefore, this breakfast rant.

Now I like many things about the lunch and dinner foods served here in Israel. I love the hummus, falafal, shwarma, babaganoosh, tabuli, lamb, turkey, rice, pita, etc. No problems there at all. Nothing really exotic, but different nevertheless. I can eat it all. The problem is breakfast. A Mediterranean breakfast is a sight to behold. It begins with a big bowl of salad. That's right, lettuce (Pic 1). The meal continues with a delectable selection of tomatos, bell peppers, cucumbers, two kinds of olives, and raw onions. Then comes the meat course: tuna fish, and sliced herring! For crying out loud, onions and herring for breakfast? You see the problem for me is that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about how good those pancakes with maple syrup are going to taste in the morning. If I'm on the road and I know I'm going to eat at a restaurant for breakfast, I wake up more quickly and with more excitement. I love breakfast. Maybe that's why I'm such a morning person. But I must confess that during my time in Israel breakfast has been an unwelcome necessity. I walk to the cafeteria with shoulders slumped wondering how I'm going to be disappointed today.

I guess I should have known. Last time I was here, in 2001, the same thing happened. Everyday I hoped for something "American" and everyday my dreams were shattered. Once during our trip in 2001 the hotel we were supposed to stay at bumped us to a different hotel. We were upgraded to a very, very nice hotel in Haifa. I was so excited. Dinner was fabulous. I thought to myself, Self, this is a quality hotel. This hotel serves Americas. This hotel will have real scrambled eggs, waffles, muffins, and maybe even bacon for us unclean gentiles. What did this high class hotel serve for breakfast? High class salad, high class tomatos, and you guessed it herring. It was high class too! I was devastated.

Last week we were in Eliat, a resort town on the Red Sea, and I found a McDonalds. Now I reasoned, McDonalds serves breakfast. Here's my chance. Maybe I can get an egg McMuffin. Guess what McDonalds doesn't serve breakfast in Israel. I guess they couldn't find a supplier for their McHerring. Disappointment strikes again.

Then again maybe some good has come of this. Could this help me understand the Bible better? Consider this, when Jesus met his disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection he saw them in their boat and called to them, "Friends, do you have any fish?" When they finally pulled their boat onto shore and ran to the Lord on the beach he had a fire prepared and breakfast laid out on it (John 21). What was on the menu? A typical Mediterranean breakfast. Herring anyone?

Steve