The Things I Miss Because I Live in Israel

When I first moved to Israel, I had a list of things I'd ask people to bring; things I thought I NEEDED to live...they were, I realized over the years, silly things.

I needed onion powder because the onion powder in Israel seems to clump with moisture in a very short period of time.

I still ask people to bring it when they can, use more fresh onions, and occasionally use the Israeli brands. I don't NEED it from America...but it's always nice to have.

I needed tuna...the Israeli brand seemed awful - now they sell the same American brand I used in the States and it's priced pretty reasonably.

I needed American peanut butter...now they sell Skippy here, but I prefer the Israeli brand for cooking (it's healthier and blends better with other ingredients).

I needed...I'm not really sure what else. I loved Entenmann's cakes in America...I still do...but the last time I had it here, I felt this chemical taste and realized that Israeli foods use so much less chemicals.

Time to market is faster here - the market is so much closer and smaller, and so it seems shelf life is shorter.

Whatever the manufacturing reasons, I've learned to bake what I need or buy what I need here.

When we first came, Heinz ketchup was rare and a fortune - we used Osem. After a time, my husband brought me a bottle of Heinz and my kids thought it was too spicy.

I was a fanatic ketchup user in my youth...but truthfully, I don't NEED Heinz...though I still like it.

After 20 years here, I'm left with two things they just don't have here. I can live without both of them...but how I miss them...what I figure is that if the only thing I lack from America comes to these two things, I'm not doing to badly.

I love so much about this country, I can live with the fact that there are two things I had in America that I really can't get (or get enough of) here.

The first is Sunday. Oh, I want a day where I can sleep late and then get up and go traveling. I miss Sundays; I really do.

Sometimes, I steal a day for myself...I go where I want; do what I want.

Considering I've spent the better part of the last three months since my operation not working...I really shouldn't complain, but there's something so wonderful about the concept of a Sunday. Maybe it's the guilt-free part.

And the second thing that has been missing from my life for so long is snow. I love snow. I love rain...but I love snow.

And today...after so many years in Israel, I was like the silliest kid on the train.

I took picture after picture after picture...and the funny part was hearing that same Android click from all over the train.

There are few more beautiful places in the world - than Jerusalem in the snow.