Parking Spot
Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie
Place: Siftach, San Simon Park, Jerusalem
When: Sunday, mid-afternoon
Environment: The turquoise green coffee cart is set up at the far end of a neighborhood park, away from the playground and towards the dog park and ping pong table. In terms of seating, there are a handful of picnic tables, some small folding tables and chairs, and park benches, as well as rolled up wicker mats you can borrow. Leafy trees provide shade, and patchy grass and walking paths lend ambience. It’s a popular stop for mothers with strollers and kids coming home from school. The offerings are mainly of the “treat” variety: cookies, pastries, candy, ice cream, etc., plus teas, coffees, and other refreshments. Sometimes they have small croissant sandwiches and little pizzas, too.
My Order: Small cappuccino (NIS 12); large peanut butter chocolate chip cookie (NIS 15).
The low-down: The coffee was fine: not too watered down, but also not going to win any awards. The cookie was big, dense, and chewy, but with a crunchy exterior and some chocolate and peanuts on top. It was a good cookie – the kind where I promise myself I’ll only eat half now and save the rest for later, and before I know it, I’ve eaten the whole thing. Overall, Siftach is an excellent non-committal option, if you’re in the area. You can sit, you can go, you can play with the kids, you can walk the dog. Read a book, chat with friends. And grab an indulgence along the way.
Who else was there: A mother with a baby and a toddler borrowed a mat and parked themselves on the grass. The mom, in her striped long-sleeved tunic, green pants and sports sandals, pushed the stroller, and the little girl in her pink tee and floral leggings carried the mat.
The girl got to pick her afternoon treat while mom got herself a caffeine infusion. They took their goodies to the grass to enjoy in the afternoon sun. This is always the hardest part of the day: when the daughter is done with nursery school and the father is still at work. The mom has to find ways to entertain her kid without resorting to screen time, while still paying attention to the baby. So often they find themselves taking a leisurely walk to the park, and rewarding themselves upon arrival. Considering the pace of the toddler’s short legs, it takes up a good chunk of afternoon. Then when they finish their sweets, they roll up the mat and return it to the coffee cart, and make their way home for some more playtime before dinner, bath and bedtime routine. Dad will come home at some point during the evening preparations and ask how the day was, kiss his kids goodnight, and settle in for dinner with his wife. She looks forward to easier afternoons that don’t leave her panting at the end of the day.
