Olives and Mezze

The terraces of olive trees, seen from the office window, one of my enduring memories of Bethlehem. When a friend’s husband had two olive presses shipped from Italy, I was keen to see those in action. The modern versions clattered like ships engines and stank of diesel. To the best of my knowledge, Palestinian olive oil is not exported. It is possible some finds its way into Israel. In which instance, the bottles are likely to have made in Israel labels. Just as some Israeli wines are made from Hebron grapes, cultivated by Palestinian families. As alcohol is forbidden to Muslims, it seems eminently sensible, selling the grapes to others for wine production.

The above came to me, when reading Carol Drinkwater’s book The Olive Route. I enjoy munching olives, especially with the variety of mezze to be had at the Philadelphia, in East Jerusalem. Middle Eastern cuisine, is mostly delicious. One of my regular spots the American Colony Hotel. Some less salubrious restaurants, have surprisingly good food. Décor isn’t always a guide to the quality of the cuisine.

Last night I found a superb web site by Matt Brandon, The Digital Trekker. His portraits of people in India, and elsewhere, are deeply touching. As a subscriber to webshots, I’m impressed by many amateur photographers there. Flickr another site, with superbly creative contributors.

Over the weekend, I had another wander in Castle Ashby Village. This thatched house captured my attention.