Wednesday, December 9th, 2020

One of my favorite gelato joints, “Doctor Lick”, is now “Aryeh’s Ice Cream.” As I walk toward it, I see the new sign. The curfew didn’t happen. I’m downtown. The place where I had gotten the great sahlab is closed for the evening. This other shop is across the intersection from the city square, on the edge of a smaller plaza next to the Great Synagogue. It’s still open. I haven’t had dinner yet, but I’m in the mood for sahlab. I’ve gotten it here before. The worker is dishing sherbet out from a large tub into a container that fits in the counter display. There aren’t any other customers right now. He asks me what I want, then says to wait a moment. It takes him a couple of minutes to finish transferring the sherbet. He picks up a metal instrument and guides it along the top of the sherbet to give it a fancier surface, He puts the container where it goes, then scoops out a sample with a small spoon and hands it to me. It’s apricot. It’s good. He pours some of the sahlab mix into a paper cup and steams it with a cappuccino steamer. Coming around front, he puts crushed peanuts, coconut, and spices on top and sticks a spoon into it. I pay. It’s fifteen shekels, slightly less expensive than the other place. I pay with a twenty shekel note and put the five shekel piece he hands back as change into the watch pocket in my jeans. I’ll use it to get a donut tomorrow. I take the sahlab to a bench in the square and sit down. Few other people are around. A man reads a newspaper at the other end of the set of benches. A woman paces between me and the gelato shop, speaking on her phone in what may be Russian. At the far side of the square, three young women sit on the ground, against a wall. From where I am, I can’t see what they’re doing. This sahlab is good, but not as good as at the other place. Once I get past the top layer, the body of it is liquid, like eggnog, not foamy. I don’t have to use a spoon. I can drink it. The flavor is a little less rich. Still, it’s a good second choice. I drink it slowly, watching and listening to what’s around me. When I’m done, I drop the empty cup in the trash can a few feet away, put my mask back on, and continue on home.