How the Mahane Yehuda Shuk Taught Me To Cook

Macaroni and cheese from the box, spagetti with sauce from a jar, microwave popcorn, these were some of the things I was best at making when I got married.  It’s no wonder I was skin and bones… After a year and a half of marriage, we moved to Jerusalem.  We lived in the city center, right near the Mahane Yehuda Shuk (open market).  The Shuk spaned two street with alley ways that connected the two streets.  It was packed with food, spices, bread, bakeries, butchers… you name it, you found it… sort of.  Honestly, I couldn’t find anything.  I found chicken and rice and some fruit and veggies.  After several weeks of eating chicken and rice EVERY EVENING… my precious husband says to me, “Babe, I love your chicken, but we could really use a bit of variety.”  I broke down.  I didn’t know where to go, hardly spoke the language, I was homesick and just wanted Meijer!!

My neighbor graciously took me on a tour of the Shuk within the next few days and showed me where to find everything I needed.  The major difference from our food in the United States was the lack of premade and boxed food.  There was little to none.  That meant, NO Cream of Chicken soup… NO Cream of anything soup.  No pasta in a box with a ready made mix.  No packet to make an alfredo sauce.  Imported dressings, like Ranch, were very expensive.  I had to learn to cook.  I simply could not fake it anymore.  (Not that I was fooling anyone… ask anyone who knew me.)

Thus started the journey of cooking.