I'm Like Israeli weather now:

 Clear and hot and not a cloud in this guy. Boo? Yeah.

Eyal shared some pretzels with me and that was a good lunch. We discussed the similarities between pretzels and Oreos. One is a sandwich and the other can go on a sandwich. One is salty, the other sweet. And Eyal concluded with "you can't kill an Oreo with a pretzel gun." Wise, wise words.

I had arranged with the Oshins for a 6:15 reservation at Mojo's, a 20 minute walk away, so I left the house at 5PM. That is a bit later than I would normally leave but I'm on vacation.

Sometimes the familiar is shaken up by the smallest of changes. Tiny choices which seem inconsequential make a huge difference. On my walk, I decided to cross the street later than I usually do and walk on the other side. I also decided to walk on one block over for a short time. Because of that, I saw shops I haven't ever seen. I discovered a bookstore I heretofore was unaware of. I am still looking to find a specific old siddur so i walked in to ask. The proprietor was very friendly, set up a hotspot so I could download the picture I have to show him and when he was unfamiliar with it, recommended another shop where I might have more success. Really nice of him. I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Eating pizza. But also going to a different bookstore.

He heard from my lack-cent that I was American and he asked "Where are you from?" I am finding that question harder and harder to answer these days. Where AM I from? Where do I belong? What does the question even mean? Not sure but I hope the answer involves pizza.

I crossed over to Ben Yehuda to continue my deliberate stroll. This is the essence of vacation -- walking slowly and just celebrating being here or anywhere I happen to be. I stopped to watch a really religious looking giuy absolutely shred on his electric guitar (took a video but accidentally erased it and I don't know how to recover a trashed video). I watched as cars didn't really move out of the way of an ambulance that had its lights and sirens on. A couple moved aside but most sped up, trying to stay ahead of the ambulance, expecting everyone in front to move out of the way.

Even without a data connection, I found my way to ShlomTziyon Hamalka. On the map, sometimes complicated and distant routes are actually short and easy and sometimes, places that seem right next to each other require a heckuva walk to get to and from each other. Mojo's is next to Harvey's Burger Shack. I am glad that I am not to be eating in a shack. Sounds dreadful I arrived at 5:52 so I sat and basked. It isn't that there is an inordinate or especially unusual number of flies in Jerusalem. It is that the ones who live there are unnaturally obsessed with me. Sure, it is flattering, but ultimately annoying. There are a bunch of other restaurants in the same block (Noya, Kadosh, Yam Suf etc). All are kosher and all are on this one little section of a fairly small street. Turn a corner and 5 more appear. That's pretty cool. After all my visits, I'm still finding new alleys, and new places to try.

At 6:15 the Oshins appeared and huzzah, the Oshins appeared! We walked in and went up the up stair case to sit. There was a conference on the mound and we decided to forego appetizers and order three items from the rest of the menu, so we were planning on a meat pizza, a main, and a set of wagyu sliders. Then the waitress (a former Frisch student! Shoutout to the Shatzkes family!) told us it was taco Tuesday so we shifted from sliders to tacos. Plus we got a pizza called "Thee Animal" (with, according to the menu, "animal onions") and a serving of KFC (Korean Fried Chicken). The tacos were a bit spicy but delish and the spice was at just the right level. The pizza was fantastic, with a great crust and tasty toppings. The chicken was good but what really sold it to me was the rice. It wasn't fancy but do you know the last time I had any rice? I don't, so please send the information to me. Sharon and Jeff has small tastings of 3 beers and then made their choices (1 IPA, 1 Pils) and I had a Sprite Zero. I should be a spokesman for Sprite Zero. He, Sprite Zero people, I love your product. Please send me some free stuff and I will influence myself to drink more.

The food was good and the conversation and company were great. We traded stories about our kids, got caught up on lives and just relaxed. You should go, and on a Tuesday. And with the Oshins! Normally, meal would end there because I am gun shy as it applies to Israeli desserts. Somehow they put nuts in everything. But Mojo's is very allergen aware and the waitresses really know their business and can get answers they don't have at the ready. I was assured that there were no nuts in the Hot Chocolate Souffle. So I got that and it was nice to be able to eat a dessert. The Oshins got lemon curd with pistachios on it. I was told that I could get it without the pistachios but I kept looking at the description and was unable to find the word "chocolate" in it. Also, "curd"? Thanks no thanks.

Then a cool and relaxing slow stroll back here, another choice I recommend.