Friday, January 29th, 2021

The bakery has set out a vat of stuffed grape leaves. I’ve never seen anything that wasn’t baked there before. I ask for a small container of them. They only have one size. They sell them by weight. The cashier puts some into a container for me, one at a time. I tell him to stop after five. He puts six in. OK. I buy them, along with a challah. I’ve already gotten most of my groceries at the Heart of the City supermarket. The chicken livers that I get are much cheaper than other meat. I hadn’t noticed that before. My favorite hummus joint is open on the city square. Customers line up at a table several doors down. A worker shuttles back and forth, taking and delivering orders. Delivery people have a different line, and apparently have priority. I get my usual hummus with tahini and a couple of pita to go. The price has gone up. It’s now 25 shekels rather than 22. I don’t have any coffee ready at home. I double back to the sandwich shop and get a large cappuccino. Two half-full bottles of ouzo sit on the counter next to cartons of regular, skim, and soy milk. I sit at a chess table and drink the coffee. The seat is a bit wet, but that’s OK. I eat the hummus when I get home. Even though I had a small breakfast, I’m full after half the order. I put the rest in the refrigerator to finish someday soon.