Breathing In, Eating Out

Some recent meals I’ve had in Tel Aviv, all in the shadow of 10/7.

Another week has begun in Tel Aviv, and oh, what a weekend it was.

Welcome home, Arbel, Gadi, Pongsak, Sathiat, Watcharra, Bannawat, Surasak, Keith, Ofer, and Yarden. I can’t imagine what any of you have been through; may you heal, may you flourish, and—in the case of Yarden—may a miracle bring Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir home to you whole.

Life lately has felt like a series of sharp inhalations and the near-permanent holding of breath, with hardly any opportunities to exhale. Oxygen, both literal and figurative, feels like a luxury, especially knowing how so many have had access to so little this year.

That’s why going out to eat—something I typically do often and relish—has felt emotionally impossible. But after a year of mostly eating at home, I’ve finally been getting out more. There are so many restaurants that are opening in Tel Aviv (and beyond) as the country begins to peek its head out of the ground during this ongoing conflict.