Sunday, December 23, 2007
THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND
I'm going off to London for a few days at the end of January to my friend Stewart's 80th Birthday Party. I remembered that I had nikudot (points) on my El Al Europe account. So I asked my trusty Travel Agent, Ilana, to see how many points I had - enough for a free ticket? Yes. I needed 900 points - I had 944 - no problem. And - to make matters even better El Al is having a "special" until the end of the year - 650 points instead of 900 for a ticket to London. So that I have points left over toward another flight to Europe. Couldn't be better - no?
This morning Ilana called me. I have exactly the flights I want, seats on the aisle, the hotel I wanted - perfect. I have to pay "only" an additional $245 for the ticket. An additional $245 for the ticket? Yes. Why? For the fuel and airport taxes. Isn't that like going to a restaurant, ordering a meal and then being charged "additional" for the plates and cutlery? I don't understand.
Speaking of restaurants - I fail to understand why, when you order one quarter of a chicken you pay more for white meat than for dark meat. I mean one quarter is one quarter - is it not? Isn't one quarter 25% of a whole? Therefore, one quarter of a whole - whichever quarter it is - should be the same price as any other quarter - shouldn't it? I don't understand.
Still speaking of restaurants - I'll never understand Israelis. Nevermind that I've lived here just over 32 years and consider myself very Israeli - in some respects I guess. Most restaurants have what they call an eeskeet (a business lunch). It's a known fact that you can get the same food as in the evening - a whole meal in fact - for, very often, less than the normal price of the main course. And in most of the finest restaurants, too.
A week or so ago two friends and I decided to go out for lunch to "Buffalo Steak" - one of my favorite restaurants. When we got there at a little after 1:00 PM the place was empty. Absolutely empty. We sat down, the waitress gave us the menus - but there was no eeskeet menu. "May we have the eeskeet menu?" we asked. "Oh no - there is no eeskeet menu during the haggim (holidays)", she answered. True - it was Hanukkah - it was a hag - but the place was absolutely empty remember.
So - we very politely thanked her, said we would be back when they had the eeskeet menu for lunch and walked down the street to another of my favorite restaurants, "La Boca" - which was busy and jumping and was serving the business lunch. We had tacos, and fajitas, and kebabim, and entrecote, and potatoes and salad and tea with mint - for 69 shekels per person - about 17 American dollars. So - "La Boca" was doing a rip-roaring business serving their eeskeet and "Buffalo Steak" was empty. I still don't understand.
Yalla, Bye.
This morning Ilana called me. I have exactly the flights I want, seats on the aisle, the hotel I wanted - perfect. I have to pay "only" an additional $245 for the ticket. An additional $245 for the ticket? Yes. Why? For the fuel and airport taxes. Isn't that like going to a restaurant, ordering a meal and then being charged "additional" for the plates and cutlery? I don't understand.
Speaking of restaurants - I fail to understand why, when you order one quarter of a chicken you pay more for white meat than for dark meat. I mean one quarter is one quarter - is it not? Isn't one quarter 25% of a whole? Therefore, one quarter of a whole - whichever quarter it is - should be the same price as any other quarter - shouldn't it? I don't understand.
Still speaking of restaurants - I'll never understand Israelis. Nevermind that I've lived here just over 32 years and consider myself very Israeli - in some respects I guess. Most restaurants have what they call an eeskeet (a business lunch). It's a known fact that you can get the same food as in the evening - a whole meal in fact - for, very often, less than the normal price of the main course. And in most of the finest restaurants, too.
A week or so ago two friends and I decided to go out for lunch to "Buffalo Steak" - one of my favorite restaurants. When we got there at a little after 1:00 PM the place was empty. Absolutely empty. We sat down, the waitress gave us the menus - but there was no eeskeet menu. "May we have the eeskeet menu?" we asked. "Oh no - there is no eeskeet menu during the haggim (holidays)", she answered. True - it was Hanukkah - it was a hag - but the place was absolutely empty remember.
So - we very politely thanked her, said we would be back when they had the eeskeet menu for lunch and walked down the street to another of my favorite restaurants, "La Boca" - which was busy and jumping and was serving the business lunch. We had tacos, and fajitas, and kebabim, and entrecote, and potatoes and salad and tea with mint - for 69 shekels per person - about 17 American dollars. So - "La Boca" was doing a rip-roaring business serving their eeskeet and "Buffalo Steak" was empty. I still don't understand.
Yalla, Bye.
