LATMA's tribal update featuring the Egyptian Minister of Conspiracy Theories celebrating Israel with felafel and the police's new crime
Here's this week's tribal update from LATMA (a day early due to Independence Day), featuring the Egyptian Minister of Conspiracy Theories celebrating Israel with felafel and the police's new crime.
Boy do we live in weird times. McDonald's is introducing the McFalafel.
“The McFalafel is another one of our products which has been adjusted to the Israeli taste, joining the Iraqi pita bread series which also include McKebab” said McDonald’s Israel CEO Omri Padan. The McFalafel is your basic falafel, fried in canola oil and topped with tahini and chopped salad. At just under 500 calories, it “meets the standards of wise nutrition which have been promoted by McDonald’s since 2003″, according to Padan.
“Israelis’ tastes lean toward healthier foods. In Israel, the preferred toppings on hamburgers are vegetables, whereas in other countries people choose cheese and bacon. The fat content in the meat sold in McDonald’s’ North American restaurants is 20-24%; here it will be 9%,” said Padan in an interview with the Jerusalem Post last May.
To give you an example of the difference between McDonald’s in Israel versus the United States, in Israel, a Big Mac has just 380 calories, about 30 percent less than in the States.
While not all McDonald’s in Israel are completely kosher, most adhere to “kosher style”. That said, while the meat is 100 percent kosher, it may be possible to finagle your way into obtaining a not-so-secret hidden menu item, the cheeseburger.
In terms of cost, three pieces of falafel with tahini will be NIS 10 (around $2.80) , and NIS 16.90 (around $4.80) for five pieces with tahini.
No, I don't plan to go there to try it. Aside from the fact that I am not aware of a McDonald's with a Kosher certification I would trust (in Jerusalem, they've been fighting with the rabbinate forever), NIS 10 for three falafel balls is outrageous.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
