An Introduction to the Local Culinary Scene

Day 244 – I met with a friend today and we decided to go for dinner in one of those “hole in the wall” joints that if you are not a local you’ll never even hear about them. so I am not a local, it takes many years to become a local and I am here for only a year, but he is and he likes eating in exactly this kind of places and so we drove to a rundown neighborhood, turning left and right until I found myself parked in front of a sad looking “strip mall” few stores all in serious need of TLC. And then I noticed the place. Everything else was already closed, it was 8pm and dark, but this place had a 15vminutes line just to order the food. There were 3 dilapidated tables outside and everything else had to be “to-go” or actually, to stand around and eat. It’s a husband and wife and now their grandson is helping them. She is manning the grill he is making the all the ground meat mixtures, and put everything on skewers. You order and he just remembers everything for all the 20 or thirty orders on the grill. The interesting thing is that they open the place at 7pm and close when even they run out of Pita Bread, around 9-9:39pm, and if they run out and close and you are still in line – too bad, come tomorrow and try to be a little earlier. They have an interesting business model, for sure. But until they close, the place is a mad house. So we ordered and ate, standing of course, and everything dripping, but OMG it was just unbelievably good!! I have to admit, I would never even think of stopping in a place like that, let along buy food and eat it, but the turn-over is so high, it cannot be anything but clean. It was for sure a very unique cultural experience. I loved it!! I even took some pictures he told them I am from abroad and I want to show my friends. So the picture of this post is the real thing.

I am thankful for this night run on such an establishment. I am thankful of being now included in the “local circle” of people who are in the know of this place. I am thankful to my friend for this so special experience.