A prize so valuable that a lieutenant colonel sent an agent on not just one mission to secure it, but two. The item? A box of tahini.
An agent from Israel’s military intelligence service was tasked with buying jars from a Palestinian village in the West Bank for, reports the Jerusalem Post, “non-operational needs.”
It led to a military police investigation, with the senior official who gave the order discharged and others reprimanded, including a prison sentence for one.
Photo: REUTERS
It isn’t known from which village the sesame paste was procured, but Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, is famous for its tahini.
“It has been for hundreds of years,” says Joudie Kalla , chef and author of the cookbooks Palestine on a Plate and Baladi.
“I think it is the most amazing tahini because it is not mass-produced. They don’t use modern technology, they are using 150-year-old machines that grind it, almost by hand, so the texture is far superior to many other brands — even other Palestinian brands that use more modern methods.”
The small batches mean the producers — often small family firms — can keep the quality high.
“It should be 100 percent sesame seeds, but other brands use other nuts to get that flavour [and] to bulk it up.”
Although it is more expensive, it is bought by ordinary Palestinians, says Kalla, although because of the political situation, she hasn’t seen it exported around the world.
“I have not seen it here in the UK. I think the only way you can get it is if you have someone going there and bringing it back. My family brings it back for me and it really is very different. It’s got a nuttier, creamier consistency. The tahini I buy here is quite watery. The ones from back home are slightly thicker, a bit more smoky, a caramel color, they have a peanut-buttery texture.”
She uses it, she says, on everything.
“I did a cooking class the other day and we used it for falafel. I use it to make tahini brownies, I use it on fish with lemon, yoghurt, tomatoes and parsley. We mix it in salads, on meat. It’s healthy, a good fat and it tastes great.”
Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
RSS