Revisiting Jerusalem
We’re revisiting Jerusalem – the cookbook – today; and we’ve got a little glimpse of the city. Andy in Andy’s Corner is revisiting Jerusalem crickets.
I’d been struggling to know what direction I wanted to go with this blog. Should I focus on Jerusalem, the Cookbook, which I blogged about almost 2 years ago and which was the source of the recipes we all enjoyed at our last Dining In? Or should I write about Jerusalem, the city? I’ve never been there so I could hardly give any insight or perspective into such a complex, fascinating place.
But then I found an online site (do we love Google or not? 🙂 and the blog came together in a nano-second. In a recent blog I wrote about friendships among women of different generations. And Jerusalem could/should be all about friendships among people of different faiths and ethnicities. Just a year ago around 800 people gathered at midnight in Jerusalem to sing Bob Marley’s “One Love” in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. That occasion and Marley’s lyrics are so perfect for today’s world.
One love, one heart
Let’s get together and feel all right
As I mentioned earlier, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, who are the authors of Jerusalem, a Cookbook, both grew up in Jerusalem, Ottolenghi in the Jewish west and Tamimi in the Muslim east. They believe food may be the only thing that can bring the city together. I’d suggest food – and song (and maybe divine intervention).
Here’s our menu based on Jerusalem, a Cookbook. Why don’t you invite a diverse bunch of friends for dinner and have everyone bring a dish to share. Then crank up the volume on your speakers, put on Marley’s “One Love.” You could follow that up with Simon and Garfunkle’s 1964 hit “Last Night I had the Strangest Dream” and John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Or take a different approach: for our dinner party I had a playlist of songs with familiar artists, selected because all of the songs had Jerusalem in the title.
Some of what we heard included…
- “Jerusalem ” sung by Neil Diamond in the 1980’s The Jazz Singer
- “Crossing to Jerusalem” sung by Rosanne Cash
- ” Run, Come See Jerusalem” sung by the Weavers (which is actually about a 1929 hurricane in the Bahamas
- “Jerusalem” sung by Matisyahu
- “Jerusalem” sun by Edith Piaf
- “Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan” sung by Lauryn Hill
- “Walk in Jerusalem” as sung by Mahalia Jackson and also sung but The Oak Ridge Boys
- “Jerusalem” as sung by Steve Earle
(An aside: one of the greatest things about doing this blog is that it’s forcing us to learn or re-learn “stuff.” I just sat down and paid more attention to the lyrics of “Jerusalem” as written and sung by Steve Earle. The song fits this blog theme and this day and time so beautifully and poignantly. In an interview Earle stated, “I believe that our future, our existence as a species, will be determined in Jerusalem.” Interesting to contemplate.)
Should you have a Sonos system and would like the complete Jerusalem playlist, just let me know! 🙂
Who were those diverse guests at our dinner? Former competitive speedskaters, New Jersey to California transplants, and wildlife rescue experts.
And what did we dine on? Here’s the menu and the recipes follow:
- Hummus served with pita chips and veggies
- Zucchini and Turkey Mini Meatballs
- Conchiglie with Yogurt and Peas and Chile
- Beet and Carrot Slaw
- Spiced Chickpeas and Summer Veggie Salad
- Orange and Almond Syrup Cake
“Let’s get together and feel all right!” …