One Bite At A TIme

Headlines about Israel are dire. Again. The country’s very existence is threatened. Again. 

Stress levels were high yesterday evening as Israelis rushed, jostled and elbowed their way as if their very survival depended upon it. 

All for donuts.

Headlines may scream out, attack, threaten, but Israelis shrug their shoulders and deal with priorities. Like getting the tastiest, freshest batch of sufganiyot (donuts) for Chanukah.

Last night was the first night of Chanukah and to feel the real spirit of this holiday, you have to head to the bakery. 

Which is what we did.

Here are the latest sufganiya headlines:

Sufganiot selling like hotcakes in Ra’anana’s Amit Bakery.

The bakery was packed as people elbowed their way to the tables filled with a variety of donuts. As soon as a tray was put down, people grabbed empty cartons, a pair of pincers and set to work filling their boxes. And when the tray sadly sat empty, a smiling baker came out with a fresh tray and the exercise continued again.

At one point, the owner cried out “Sabrinot, Sabrinot,” as if we were in a shuk. The pulse quickened and the pincers clicked. I looked down at the popular tray and saw donuts that defied the definition of donut: cream-filled, cherry bedecked and chocolate streaked. 

Sabrinot, Sabrinot!

The mere sight of them created a donut impulse like never before. We ran back inside and were soon in sufganiya Sabrina heaven.

Roladin presents 12 unique flavors for 2013.

We left Amit and headed to Roladin, the largest chain of bakeries in the country featuring a nadir of gourmet flavors. This year’s flavors include the Rosha Ferulina with crème anglaise, walnut chunks, chocolate coating bedecked with bitter chocolate shavings. The Malabi is chocolate filled and topped with white chocolate coating and coconut shavings, while the Biscotella is cream filled with chunks of Oreo cookies topped with Oreo cookies chunks and finished with a generous helping of whipping cream.

Roladin was abuzz with excitement and the busy staff were wearing festive shirts with the words “I love Chanukah. ” Even the donut boxes were dressed up. Across the box were the words “Life Tastes Better With Roladin.” We are in Hebrew-speaking Israel, but according to Roladin’s take on delicious, life tastes better in English.

Whatever the language or flavor, the focus here is on good times. Here in tenuous, tiny Israel,  we take life one delicious bite at a time. 

Happy Hannukah. 

Chag Sameach