Aloha Bread Lovers

Aloha Bread Lovers – tomorrow we will be serving up our tangy Shakshuka. For those who may not know, this is a dish that originated in North Africa and consists of tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil and plenty of spices. The whole thing slow-cooks overnight. When you order it we ladle a generous portion into an iron skillet, crack one egg ($15) or two eggs ($16) into it and pop it in the oven until the eggs are cooked. It is served with a pita to mop it up, a mildly hot pepper and some tahini sauce. We make a big pot that usually lasts until around noon (sometimes sooner – no promises). As for music – our fearless Uke Jammer leader Gordon comes to Motek on Sunday’s from Hilo. Sadly, his car broke down which is why there was no music last week. This week – he’s still waiting for a part to arrive (after all, we do live on the Big Island…) and won’t make it, however the other Uke Jammer’s decided that they can handle this and are going to play and hold down the fort until the part arrives and Gordon returns! The show must go on!!

There are times that I wish that I had a camera to record some of the fascinating interactions and discussions that happen across the counter at Motek. We are in a position where we get to meet and know a large number of people from the community which gives us a unique perspective about the folks in this part of the island. For example, today Sophie came in, shared condolences for the passing of my mother last month (very, very heart-warming) which lead us into a discussion about philosophy and the interconnected nature of the universe. We touched on the 18^th century philosopher George Berkely who claimed that “to be is to be perceived” which is to say that an object exists only to the extent that it is perceived and that physical objects cannot exist independently of the mind and someone to perceive them. Shapes, colors, and objects are only sensory perceptions in our minds. An object can exist only if there is a subject to perceive it…AND that everything - all of nature - exists because it is an idea in the all perceiving mind of God. Trippy stuff to discuss while putting a piece of dark chocolate rye cake in a box. Later, Dave-the-gardner showed up with his very chill sidekick Roadie (a somewhat overweight dog that sticks close by Dave’s side). I always count on Dave to give me an informed and intelligent perspective on daily life (i.e. politics) all in clipped shorthand and signed with a barbed statement as he heads out the door. Today the barbed statement was “there’s a sucker born every minute” (I won’t tell you the politics that we were discussing). I could go on and on – one day maybe I will. In the meantime, these discussions come home with me and bang around in my head leaving me feeling incredibly grateful to be surrounded by so much beauty and so many beautiful people.

Mahalo,

David and Yael

P.S. A Joke: WARNING – CLICK ON THIS LINK AT YOUR OWN PERIL: https://www.oldjewstellingjokes.com/2018/10/31/larry-zicklin-hotel-room-260/