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Tasting tour in Wadi Nishnoosh

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The forecaster promised a rainy day

Luckily this time he didn't keep his promise, because on Thursday 26/12/24 we arranged to meet at Beit Hagafen, to enjoy a tour defined as the 'emerging market', a culinary tour in Wadi Nisnas.
An overcast day was not so suitable for the event.

Yair Zeidner, our guide, showed up on time and called the group to gather in the "Habit" exhibition space in the "Third Space" galleries on site, to do a round of introductions. It was a group of over twenty men and women from all over the country, who came to visit the city of Carmel and experience the Haifa of the 'holiday of holidays'. It turns out that our city is quite popular as a tourist site, to the attention of the city captains.

In art, as in art, there is no such thing, there is no such thing!

Before we left, Yair led us to another hall, on the floor of which were laid carpets, made of, no less and no more than...spices. Another proof of the truth is in the well-known saying of Eldad Ziv: "In art, as in art, there is no such thing as there is no such thing". The insects that nibbled on some of the carpets probably didn't hear about it.

Spice carpet - entry is prohibited for vacuum cleaners (Photo: Yossi Berger)

When we stepped outside, the streets were still wet from the night's rain, and a bright, warm winter sun smiled upon us and lit up the houses, in shades of golden copper. Yair gathered us around him and enthralled us with his explanation of the sloping environment with churches, stone buildings and towers. This is an environment familiar to almost every Haifai, or visitor from the outside, who has made his way to Hadar and Carmel and visited the "Holiday of Holidays" festival. There is something magical about a culinary tour seasoned with the spices of history and local stories.

We started walking down the street and even before I could swallow saliva, I noticed a table blocking the sidewalk, in the doorway of a store that bore the sign "The Salad House". On the table were plates full of appetizing types of salads. The fact that Yair the guide was standing at the door of the store and talking kindly with a nice lady, who probably owns the place, hinted that this was our first stop. According to the speed with which the contents of the bowls disappeared, it was possible to conclude that even a short walk in the light of the Haifa winter sun can stimulate the appetite.

Salad barrier in the middle of the sidewalk - guide Yair Zeidner and the owner of the house (photo: Yossi Berger)

A street sign with a moral

As we continued down the alleys to the bottom of Huadi, we did not lose sight of the fact that at the end, we would have to climb all the way back. Before the next culinary stop, we stopped at the foot of a street sign that indicated we had arrived at A-Tograi Street. What I liked was that the writer of the sign added an interesting biographical summary that explained who the man was who the street was named after and how he met his death.

Another proof that licking a ruler is not an insurance policy (Photo: Yossi Berger)

Wadi Nishnoosh

While Yair enlightens us about the meaning of the name 'Nisnas', which is no less than Mongoose in Arabic, and tells us about the history of the place, tantalizing culinary smells wafted through the air and reached my nostrils. "What's a mongoose now?" I thought to myself, it seems to me that the name Wadi Nishnoosh is much more appropriate today for the character of the neighborhood. And as if to strengthen this idea that came to my mind, Yair finished his historical review and asked us to turn back and approach the stand where plates of tempting hummus were on display Tavon, which were taken out from the nearby store that bore the name "Humous Alsham".  

For those who the name sounds familiar, it is because 'Al-Sham' means 'Great Syria' which made headlines recently, after the fall of Assad's regime. In addition to conventional hummus plates decorated with chickpeas, there were also copper plates that looked different from the usual in that, in addition to the familiar hummus, there were also fried onions, tahini, goat yogurt, patush and other kahana and kahana spices, next to quarters of fresh pita.

Hummus Alsham... not for nothing - enthusiastic diners outside and inside (photos: Yossi Berger)

Between one quarter of a pita and another, I looked up and noticed that the street was decorated with original works of art that fit in with other elements on the street. This phenomenon was discovered later in the tour in almost every alley. Artworks were integrated in an original and surprising way in different places. The uniqueness of combining art with culinary, undoubtedly does something to the soul.

Culinary and street art - good for the soul (photos: Yossi Berger)

The old man and the falafel

The next culinary station did not require us to walk more than twenty steps. The sign above announced that this was the old man's falafel, but we were greeted by sellers who looked rather young. The contradiction was settled by the young salesman who greeted us with a smile on his face. While scooping out of the bubbling oil some balls of falafel made into talapias, the guy told about the history of the place. The place was founded in 1950 by George and Najala Nafara, who knew how to brew a delicious concoction to produce falafel balls that became a household name in the neighborhood and the entire city. I tasted it...the rumor doesn't lie. - indeed delicious.

The old, the young, and the same falafel (photos: Yossi Berger)

The rest of the tour brought us sights of a lively and awake market. Despite the relatively early hour and the worsening weather forecast, the alleys were full of people and vehicles, perhaps because of the upcoming holidays that are coming our way.

Alleys bustling with holiday and holy spirit - Wadi Nasanas, end of 2024 (Photo: Yossi Berger)

fault

Along with the beautiful sights, I was disappointed to find a neglected corner, which did not connect me at all to everything that was happening around. An abandoned building, a neglected passage and shabby graffiti. Looks like a glitch... like a hatchet that grew in the wrong place.

The opposite of a work of art (Photo: Yossi Berger)

Elbit in the case

We reached the square inside the market. The warm sun tempted some of us to sit on the benches while Yair explained about our next stop, a store called Elbit in Fatme's case. A red-haired cat with a healthy body, caught my eye as he left the nearby butcher shop and made his way to the center of the square. He jumped on the wooden bench on which the tired ones in the group were sitting and began rubbing their buttocks, demanding a caress.

The rubbing redhead (photo: Yossi Berger)

The stuffed nipples

When filled plates of various kinds were served individually to each one, the redhead left for him back to the butcher shop. Petma's vegetarian delicacies apparently did not suit him, but for me, the handiwork of the mischievous Petma and her accomplice were incredibly delicious. Yair revealed to our ears that in her free time, when she is not cooking, Petma is an MDA ambulance driver. If she brings the ambulance for her own reasons, I am sure that the health condition of some of her evacuees is already improving on the way to the hospital.

The stuffed ones and the nipple - playful palate and eye sight (photos: Yossi Berger).

Coffee and carob syrup

Good coffee and sweets are a necessary condition for a successful ending of a tasting tour. The name of Mustafa Abu Elardat as the owner of an unusual recipe for fine coffee, went far. Legend has it that people even come from Eilat to buy coffee here. Mustafa greeted us warmly and insisted that the whole group, until the last one returned, be squeezed into the small shop and the mill house behind it. The smells are indeed stunning. It turns out that the owner of the place is also amazing at making fine olive oil and carob syrup that is good for health.  

Mustafa, coffee and carob syrup (photos: Yossi Berger)

Haifa Santa Claus

On our way back, and as befits the holidays, we arrived at the foot of the house of Haifa's Santa Claus. The place is open to visitors and allows everyone to take a look at Santa's residence and meet him personally. Everything is really nice but the snow and the reindeer carriage are definitely missing. Santa really seems to be overflowing with kindness and generosity. On Christmas night the children were waiting to meet him at our house, but he did not come. Could it be because Kiryat Haim is Haifa's stepdaughter?

Our Santa Claus (Photo: Yossi Berger)

How can you end a tour of the Wadi without a short visit to the yard of the artist Tony Ashkar, and without looking up at the sky and seeing up there, an upside-down coffee pot and cups, which do not obey the laws of gravity?

Unspilled upside-down coffee - Tony Ashkar's creation (Photo: Yossi Berger)

A prize-winning puzzle

And finally: how is it possible without a holiday riddle:
Whose artwork is this?

Holiday riddle (Photo: Yossi Berger)

Among those who guess correctly, a free annual subscription to "Hai Pa" will be drawn.
Happy New Year, Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

contact: At watsapBy email

Yossi Berger
Yossi Berger
Resident of Kiryat Haim. Has a bachelor's degree in industrial design at Bezalel and a master's degree in industrial engineering and management at the Technion. Father of six and grandfather to one cute granddaughter. Rafael's pensioner, a volunteer police officer in the traffic police in the past and now he is mainly engaged in writing. The four prose books he wrote were published. A member of the Society of Writers and a partner in the group of poets from the Kiryat. https://booketesh.weebly.com/

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