The Shuk

Today I went down to this massive market area in West Jerusalem called "The Shuk". Don't ask me what "Shuk" means; I don't have the foggiest idea. When people say they're "going to the Shuk", it is universally understood that they're going shopping, usually for food. This marketplace takes up several streets, with every inch of real estate (except for narrow paths in between) taken up by booths selling whatever food or goods you desire. We took the light rail and stepped off into another world. Masses of people inched past other shoppers to get what they needed quickly and cheaply. We were constantly squashed against one side of the street or the other as aggressive shoppers bull rushed from one place to another. Store owners shouted their products and prices, but since most of them were speaking Hebrew and I've only had two weeks of instruction in that language, I naturally didn't understand a word they were saying. I was able to observe the niceties of saying "Shalom" in greeting and then waved my money and my purchase in various tellers' faces until they understood what I wanted. I bought several loves of bread and munched on them as we jumped from one booth to another. Everything was incredibly cheap, and I can see why friends of mine go there to get their groceries. There was one massive booth devoted just to cheese. It was a beautiful sight. Everywhere you looked, there were monster slabs of cheese, of every type, shape, and texture. I will definitely be going back there to buy a block of cheese to cut up and eat with some crackers. Everything in the Shuk was fresh; fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh fish, fresh meat, and fresh bread dominated the area. In twenty minutes, I was able to buy apples, potatoes, bread, and some kitchen utensils for a fraction of the cost of shopping at the supermarket or at the mall. I tried the famous Turkish Delight there as well, the stuff the White Witch used to get Edmund to betray his family in the Lion, the With, and the Wardrobe. I didn't feel any particular urge to betray anyone after eating it. Anyway, that was my shuk experience. It's a cool area, and I'll definitely be back.