No Holding Back
Blue cheese and beet croissant
Place: Elah Café B’emek, Kibbutz Beit Guvrin
When: Thursday, midday
Environment: This café is actually a food truck, parked just past the entrance to Kibbutz Beit Guvrin in the Elah Valley. Tables had been spread out in front of the food truck on synthetic grass, among olive trees and across from a cow shed. There were lots of birds zooming around and cackling in the trees. A few Bluetooth speakers were nestled in the crooks of trees, playing soft rock slightly too loud. Almost all of the tables were full when I arrived, but a large portion emptied out after not very long.
My Order: Blue cheese croissant sandwich (NIS 42); small cappuccino (NIS 12)
The low-down: The cappuccino was nothing special (it seemed to have been produced by an automated machine, with no barista art to it), but it was very hot and not too milky. The croissant was warm and flaky and filled with sweet beet and jam flavors, balanced by the salty cheese, walnuts, and bitter leaves. I would definitely order that sandwich again. There were tempting-looking desserts as well, but I held myself back (this time). It should be mentioned that the food truck was named both for its location in the Elah Valley, and in memory of a cousin of one of the proprietors, Elah Or, who was killed in a flash flood on a school trip. (No kosher certification, btw.)
Who else was there: A cute little light brown terrier. She had two-toned curly hair, a white underbelly and legs, and ears that stood halfway and then flopped at the tips. Her tail similarly curled up toward her head and then flopped. The dog wore a multicolor beaded necklace, along with a pink collar. She was weaving from table to table, begging for scraps. She also found another small dog to tussle with. The bitch even bopped me on the leg numerous times to get my attention, but I refused to share my croissant with her. She got some pats, but that wasn’t what she was after.
The dog lives on the kibbutz. Actually, one of the young women working at the food truck owns her. She was adopted when she was a tiny puppy, and given all the love in the world. She wasn’t smothered, though.
In kibbutz living, things are a bit more free – no leashes required. She used to sit home alone all day, but she would get into trouble – chewing on furniture and chasing birds. So now she gets to go to work at the coffee cart instead. She meets new people, plays with other dogs, and eats whatever scraps people share with her. Sometimes, she protects the area and growls at strange men, herding them out of the way. And when the truck folds up in the late afternoon, she goes home to snuggle in her dog bed and rest after a day of guarding and begging.
