Hands on Deck
Camembert sandwich
Place: Katerina Bakery and Food Truck, entrance to the Israeli Primate Sanctuary, Kfar Daniel
When: Tuesday, late afternoon
Environment: The entire outfit is outdoors. There’s an actual coffee cart when you first enter the gate (signs point the way in), and beyond it is a deck with various tables both on the deck and nestled among the trees. Generally, the area is surrounded by tall, green vegetation of all sorts. Umbrellas and other manner of shade provide a bit of respite from the heat, along with large outdoor fans. Speakers play music at a reasonable volume. And don’t worry – there are restrooms, despite the somewhat wild setting.
My Order: Camembert Pretzel Sandwich (NIS 48); Freddo espresso with milk (NIS 22).
The low-down: The warm sandwich came in a pretzel roll, which is always more fun than regular bread. The onion jam was the most prominent flavor, overpowering the slice of camembert and very few arugula leaves. A side salad of pretty much just microgreens and a few halved cherry tomatoes was served in a mound on the cardboard tray beside my sandwich. It was seasoned with a nice vinaigrette. The freddo was refreshing on a hot afternoon; I know it shouldn’t have milk in it, but I like to cut the bitterness a bit. It was a better option than my standard cold coffee (less milk and ice) and much better than a blended iced coffee (that sugar is too much for me). In all, the food was fine. The cakes actually looked pretty appealing. The main draw for me was the location, since it was conveniently on my way home. If I pass that way again, I’ll try dessert. Or maybe pizza. Or perhaps a salad.
Who else was there: Two guys in their twenties wore light denim shorts, neutral-colored tees and sported some stubbly facial hair; they ordered shakes and pizza. The two ate in relative quiet, comfortably.
These guys met at a volunteering gig they both do at a local community center, helping kids with their homework. They have their own lives, working at jobs and getting degrees at university, but it didn’t seem like enough. These days, people pitch in where they can and when they can. And for whatever reason, they both chose to participate in an after-school program, to be there for kids who needed some help. It’s just a few hours twice a week, and now that both happened to have finished their reserve duty, they wanted another way to be involved in the community at large. And not only do they get satisfaction from the volunteering, they’ve made new friends. So why not grab a pizza on a Tuesday afternoon between obligations?
