Photo Friday (Vol. V)

Before we dive into Photo Friday I'd like to take a moment to make a few disconnected observations:

1.  I really need to start quoting different movies.  A fellow blogger informed me this morning that she was doing a google search for "how many swear words are in Pulp Fiction?" (I'm not even going to speculate as to why she was looking for this information), and Google helpfully pointed her to treppenwitz.   What can I say... you just don't hear many people quoting Jane Austen dialogue at parties anymore.

2.  While the idiotic/offensive statement last Friday by the OU's fatcat-in-charge didn't mean much to many of my readers, you must have noticed that it really got under my skin.  Well, he issued a formal apology in yesterday's Jerusalem Post in a paid advertisement.  Yes, he was contrite.  Yes, he  specifically stated that the Orthodox Union's policies are quite the opposite of what he said.  But what he didn't say (even after taking almost a week to craft his carefully worded apology) was what he meant to say, and how his words could possibly have been considered less hurtful when taken as part of the larger interview.  Points for the apology, but I'm still convinced he is the last person who should be leading the OU.

3.  Thank you to the many people who offered words of encouragement and advice regarding 'Parent teacher night'.  This was a difficult topic for me to toss into the public arena, and I can say without hesitation that I do not regret doing so.

Enough of that... on to Photo Friday.

Bundle up, because today's installment is brought to you by Lisa of Mitten Musings (and yes, it took me several months of reading her to realize that 'mitten' was her cute way of pronouncing 'Michigan').

Lisa's requests:

1. The magical French Press in action

2. Something that is quintessentially "Israeli," for those of us who are um, y'know, landlocked in the Midwestern US, but still are trying to work on their world view.

3. The infamous BogMobile- and don't you DARE clean it!

 

Allrightythen...

Here is one of our many press pots in action.  Notice the orange foam at the top... this is important for a couple of reasons.  First, it proves that your coffee is fresh.  Beans that have been sitting around too long (or which have been ground too far in advance of use) don't foam up like this.  Second, the first 5 or 10 seconds after pouring on the hot water is crucial because the grounds give off some bitter/stinky gases that will ruin the taste of your coffee if you don't allow them to escape.  So, to review: Put the grounds in the press pot... pour in the hot water... stir for a moment to get all the coffee wet... and then WAIT for a few seconds before putting on the top of the press.  mmmmmmmmmmmm

Request # 2 was a bit harder.  There are so many things that could be considered 'quintessentially Israeli' that I've been changing my mind almost daily as to what picture to include.   Maybe I'll do a mid-week post some time with a photo-montage of things that I consider 'quintessentially Israeli'.... but until then, I give you... Loof.  If you are new to treppenwitz, or if you missed my post on the subject, feel free to go back and get some background on this the 'Israeli Spam (as proof that Israel has no 'truth in advertising' laws, please note that the cartoon soldier on the can is smiling... or is that a grimace?):

Last, but not least is my faithful car (note:  NOT a minivan!).  It has served as troop transport for a sizable cross-section of the IDF... it has been stoned... and it has had near misses, and actual contact with a sizable cross-section of the animal kingdom  (and yes, the second picture is from last winter):

That's all we have time for this week.  I hope this installment of Photo Friday has lived up (or down) to your expectations.  As always, new requests are welcome... as are comments and observations.

Shabbat Shalom!