9 days

Last night I went to the Shuk to buy some stuff at the health food store nearby - something called Tempeh.  I met my daughter's Iranian boyfriend in his equivalent-of-a-dollar-store and he promptly handed me a drink of diet soda - a new diet Orange soda that he insists I buy for Hubby instead of Coke.   I saw his mother behind the cashier.  The prospective mother-in-law.  She looks at me sadly or seriously.  I couldn't tell which.  "Your daughter is stubborn" she tells me.  I know that.  But should I do the Israeli thing and argue with her.  Normal Israelis would yell - "what do you mean she's stubborn?  Look at yourself.  You think you're perfect?...."  and the argument would have continued for 1/2 hour.  But doing my "active listening" bit, I asked her - Why do you think she's stubborn?  She just shook her head sadly and said "It's not good.  It's not good."  I looked at the boyfriend.  He said - "she came to my house on Friday night.  She had a cold.  We all begged her to have tea with lemon.  No.  She wouldn't have it.  She knows it's good for her but she didn't want it."  I guess it must have been real insulting for them for her to refuse their cold cure.  We parted by the boyfriend giving me a spatula to take home with me.  "For your eggs" he said.
 
I bought the rest of my stuff at the market.  Now Jews go into a period of semi-mourning because of the ancient siege around the ancient temple in Jerusalem.  It's called "The nine days".  Jerusalem is not having it's street fair this week and I can feel the city honoring this tradition.  More observant people don't do laundry during these days, don't bathe/shower - (sorry, I'm not taking that one on in this tropical heat), don't buy new clothing, don't listen to music and don't eat meat and wine, except on the Sabbath (and you can wash in honor of the Sabbath). I've decided I'll do the no meat/no wine bit so I'm perusing my files for dairy dishes.  I've got the week's menu.  There.  The kids may not like some of the stuff, like vegetarian chili and soba noodles with vegetables, but I'm tired of pizza, falafel, spaghetti and more spaghetti.  So they'll fret.