About three weeks ago I became a tourist in Jerusalem. My family packed up our home in the States, stuffed things in storage, and after one stop-over found ourselves in Ben Gurion Airport. The shiny polished floors of the airport were soon a dim memory as we tried to trespass the littered streets of Jerusalem in the oppressive heat. I kept trying to think up reasons for why the Holy Land seemed dirtier then mid-town Manhattan but those justifications didn’t lift my spirits. It was only when my young children began pointing out the pomegranate trees that were also littered all around my neighborhood that I began to feel a bit better. They are beautiful trees with small green leaves and winding branches. The pomegranates seem like such an obvious object to inspire art, literature, and cooking and not surprisingly, they have done so for centuries.

The pomegranates weren’t the only eatables that got me through the high temperatures, long lines, and jet lag. Pretty much anything wrapped in puff pastry or stuffed in a pita seemed to do the trick.
The first few days were something of an Olympic tryout for me. With my shopping basket in hand I would select dozens of cheeses and yogurts dash to the checkout and make it home at top speed to sample them. The comfort I found in the quality and availability of the delicious Israeli foods made up for some of the less than optimal things I was experiencing in other aspects of my life.

Rosh Hashana is upon us and much like Passover and Tu Bishvat we foodies have an incredible opportunity to serve a side of symbolism along with our main courses. Inspired by a family friend who I watched cook for Rosh Hashana, I plan on serving carrots and pumpkins along with apples dipped in honey as  symbols to encourage a sweet new year filled with an abundance of good deeds. While there won’t be the head of a fish at my table (I’m vegetarian) signifying  the head of the new year, I will have a head of celery.  Perhaps much like the falafel sandwhiches  I can so easily gobble down to make my stay here more than tolerable, these colorful siymanim or symbols will make entering these yamim noraim or high holy days a bit smoother and easier to digest.