This past March, I took my first trip overseas when I journeyed to Israel for ten days as part of a group of modern day pilgrims from my church. It was a fascinating trip and, while I could write an entire newsletter about it, this Grapevine article focuses on the food.

After 15 hours in the air, we took a minibus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. What a change of landscape, from lush green to desert! The countryside west of Jerusalem (ironically, Hebrew for "City of Peace") was littered with abandoned military vehicles, reminders of how common war is in this land.

We were on a meal plan of breakfast buffet and dinner at our hotel. In Israel, one has no choice but to eat Kosher. This makes life somewhat easier for vegetarians. The Kosher (Hebrew for "proper") Jewish dietary laws are not vegetarian per se, but a vegetarian diet is Kosher.

By Kosher law, dairy products are not eaten or prepared with meats, and fish is not considered meat. Meals are either dairy- or meat- centered. The (dairy) breakfasts are simply wonderful - fresh fruit, vegetables, pastries, breads, cheeses, olives, yogurt, milk, and cereal, as well as a variety of smoked fish which I obviously skipped.

At the hotels, dinner was meat and vegetables, salad (with non-dairy dressing), soup (often with meat broth), and dessert. I always received a soy patty that resembled "breaded chicken". In contrast to the bland main courses, desserts were impressive. Kosher chefs in Israel have, over time, become masters of rich and creamy desserts without dairy. The only disappointment was when gelatin showed up one night. Kosher gelatin is not vegetarian; it comes from animals slaughtered according to Kosher law.

Many of our lunch stops were at Palestinian spots catering, much to my dismay, to the Western traveller, with hamburgers, french fries, meat soups, and salad bars. Lunch was much better during our day trip to the Dead Sea. (As we drove from Jerusalem to the lowest place on earth and I took my water bottle out for a sip, I found it squashed due to the difference in air pressure!) We spent our morning at the desert ruins on Masada. There I delighted in a fruit stand with luscious oranges and grapefruits. At a "beach" on the Dead Sea, we went to a cafeteria where I was thrilled to find dates (fresher than any in the U.S.!), hummus, and pita bread.

After five days in and around Jerusalem, we travelled around Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee for two nights. Here we got to see the communal "kibbutzim" farmlands, where many varieties of tropical produce are grown, such as bananas, avocados, citrus, and lots of dates. The fruit in this region of Israel was the best of the whole visit!

As we left Tiberias, en route to Tel Aviv, I had a delightful day on my own visiting a fellow vegetarian email pen pal of mine in Haifa. She took me to a Druize village near the Lebanese border, where we ate traditional Arabic cuisine, including authentic falafels, pita breads, baba ganoush, and other things whose names I cannot remember.

After a day to look around Tel Aviv, our group left early the following morning for the airport, where security was so tight that it took us about 4 hours just to get to the security guards. Like the flight to Israel 10 days earlier, we had frequent and plentiful meals on the official Israeli airline, El Al. Each supper was topped off with the official Israeli liquer, Sabra, an intense chocolate orange cordial.

My dining experiences were different, but I found the meal plan uninspiring. Overall, however, I found Israel to be a vegetarian-friendly place. If I return someday, I will make better plans to satisfy my taste for travelling via the plate.

Note from the Editor: Congratulations to Lauren for her engagement to Kevin Bond! They are planning a Valentine's Day wedding in 1997.