I am not certain which alternative universe the United Nations lives in.
To be honest, I have never understood the utility of the general assembly -- other than to provide jobs for people who thought high school student council was the high point of their lives. And it never fails to live up to all of my expectations.
Such as yesterday's vote to elevate the Palestine territory from "non-member observer entity" to "non-member observer state." By a vote of 138 in favor. 9 opposed. 41 abstentions. Silliness on skates.
My vote in opposition was spent at lunch. At Kitzel's delicatessen in Olympia.
There is a back story.
Olympia is a left-leaning town. Way left. The kind of town that prides itself on its food co-op that sells enough natural and raw food to please anyone with a food fetish.
And there is the rub. The food co-op not only sells natural food, it sells natural food with a leftist self-righteousness. The co-op recently decided to stop selling any products from Israel.
Why? You already know the answer. To the co-op, the only mature democratic republic in the Middle East -- the one that honors the rights of women, the right of free speech, even freedom of religion -- is the bad guy because its speaks in the voice of liberal democracy.
Olympia may be leftist, but some of its residents understand how a liberal democracy works. The solution? The free market. In the guise of a Jewish delicatessen. Not New York. Jewish.
Kitzel's, to be exact.
We had lunch there today. The place offers up delicatessen food at its finest.
For me it was egg salad on an onion bagel. My first choice -- a chopped liver sandwich -- had sold out earlier in the day.
The food was great. I am not certain I have had better egg salad. Plenty of dill. Several other herbs I could not easily identify. And a serving large enough that most of it fell out of the bagel. That is what forks are for.
The service was even better than the food. Personable. Friendly. Fun.
Everything you would expect from a delicatessen based on the principle of freedom of choice.
There is nothing better than eating good food while knowing you are making a positive social statement.
We had lunch there today. The place offers up delicatessen food at its finest.
For me it was egg salad on an onion bagel. My first choice -- a chopped liver sandwich -- had sold out earlier in the day.
The food was great. I am not certain I have had better egg salad. Plenty of dill. Several other herbs I could not easily identify. And a serving large enough that most of it fell out of the bagel. That is what forks are for.
The service was even better than the food. Personable. Friendly. Fun.
Everything you would expect from a delicatessen based on the principle of freedom of choice.
There is nothing better than eating good food while knowing you are making a positive social statement.
...the only mature
ReplyDeletedemocratic republic in the Middle East -- the one that honors the rights
of women, the right of free speech, even freedom of religion.
Dang, you beat me to it. This modish reviling of Israel by the collectivists can only leave one reeling in amazement.
I shake my head a lot these days.
ReplyDeleteEating at a deli is making a statement. I laughed so hard at that I nearly fell off my chair!
ReplyDeleteCulinary treats make the best political statements.
ReplyDeleteSo sad that logic and critical thinking is missing from the liberals, if they would ever expound on the thought process they would see the folly in their agenda.....
ReplyDeleteBack in the 80's, it was prohibited to bring a Fender guitar into Saudi Arabia. Why? Because the parent company of Fender Guitars at that time was CBS, a Jewish-owned company. Religious beliefs seem to be a major cause of stupidity (in my hubble opinion). Yes, that's my 'Hubble' opinion - as in seen from outer space...
ReplyDeleteEmbargoes show their own silliness. Like ours against Cuba.
ReplyDeleteI believe the owners of Kitzel's are liberal. And they seem to have their paté together.
ReplyDeleteI have a post that's not yet been written, that touches on this subject. I'm often surprised at how easily people take sides with either Israel or the Palestinians. It's really not an issue based on the 'right' or the 'left' per se. I'm also quite surprised at how many Americans who are so opposed to colonialism are so ready to back Israel - strip away the rhetoric and that is exactly what it is : colonialism.
ReplyDeleteI'm also uncertain of where the idea that Israel is a tolerant society who enjoy freedom of speech came from. They are anything but. I guess this is based on regional comparison rather than our own values. I don't have an awful lot nice to say about Israel.
I don't have an awful lot nice to say about Arabic leadership either. I'm not a fan of terrorism in any guise, whether they wear rags and fire ineffective rockets or suits directing tank formations.
But there's no turning the clock back. The only choices are to either move forwards or sideways. Most movement is sideways, and I suspect that'll continue to be the way.
The solution? I have none. I give up. So I'd probably give the Co-op and Jewish Deli a miss. Perhaps I'd have sought out a French restaurant. They also give up.
There are many reasons I support Israel, but colonialism is hardly one of them. We will need to meet in Mexico and share a dinner as we discuss this topic -- along with many others.
ReplyDeleteChalk up total agreement with Steve and Felipe!
ReplyDeleteI think it's wise to separate politics from culinary treats. These ethic restaurants in the west are mostly owned by people escaping the stupid politics of their respective homelands. So you're not helping fund Scud missiles when we buy local Iraqi food. You're just helping an Iraqi expat pay his bills.
ReplyDeleteYours us a good point. In this case, though, the creation was out of politics. Of course, it is easy to enjoy the food at Kitzel's sans politics.
ReplyDeleteA red letter day!
ReplyDelete