Neighborhood Tour: Sukkot Edition
Sep. 22nd, 2010 02:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
surrealestatePart one of a little Jewish tour of my neighborhood in Brooklyn: Sukkot edition (just in time). The area wasn't quite this *Israeli* when I was growing up, but these days, it's almost like being in the Holy Land, minus the machine guns and hot weather. Parking meters are suspended on Saturday instead of Sunday. Most people on the street wear some sort of head covering, whether it's a kippah, scarf, wig, or hijab. (These aren't pictures of them, of course, because that would be rude.) In any case, everyone can agree on a lack of pork.
Even the few major chain stores do what they can to fit in.
Here's one of the windows of Walgreen's.
Since Sukkot is about to start, relevant accessories were on sale everywhere, at varying prices.
These guys (The Estrog Place) had the flashiest set-up:
Giant etrog cut-out and sign (sorry about the glare -- it was really sunny.
Their even BIGGER etrog on the other tree.
They also had the highest prices, but perhaps quality costs!
The Esrog Place flyer
But you've got plenty of options! Y'know how in some neighborhoods, empty storefronts are used temporarily for Halloween stores? Here people use them to sell lulav/etrog sets. We passed at least three on our walk. I assume they were stocking many of the street vendors.
(I also observed that the bakery in the background would have spent far less money on their sign if their name was Levy.)
Don't rush into anything! There are many fruit and fronds from which to choose and plenty of people with whom to bargain. These vendors, which covered the entirety of the blocks in front of and behind me there, were calling out prices that ranged anywhere from $15 to $45, and occasionally higher. We had one offer of $10 and heard one $80. One kid asked, "How much do you want to pay, eh?" in that heavy Israeli accent that made me feel like I was in the shuk.
They do smell great, though.
And what about for the kids? Those palm edges can be sharp (seriously, like razors), but they'll still want to participate.
Never fear -- plushies to the rescue!
Finally, in the "they think of everything" department, how do you deal with the pesky bugs that threaten to ruin your perfect Sukkot meal? SukkahPellant, of course!
In the end, not really seeing the need for a full set since I'm unlikely to attempt many Sukkot services (and despite the temptation), I opted for just an etrog from the one vendor who was selling them alone, for a mere $3, with no pretty box of packing material. They were clearly not the picks of the litter, but mine has already improved considerably in color and scent since yesterday, even if it's never going to fatten up. [ETA: Could be this is just not one of the more rounded varieties. And fyi, yes, the pitom is intact!]
Happy Holidays!
[Apologies for the poor quality of many of these shots. Many were taken with my camera and in most cases, I was trying to be unobtrusive.]
Even the few major chain stores do what they can to fit in.
Here's one of the windows of Walgreen's.
Since Sukkot is about to start, relevant accessories were on sale everywhere, at varying prices.
These guys (The Estrog Place) had the flashiest set-up:
Giant etrog cut-out and sign (sorry about the glare -- it was really sunny.
Their even BIGGER etrog on the other tree.
They also had the highest prices, but perhaps quality costs!
The Esrog Place flyer
But you've got plenty of options! Y'know how in some neighborhoods, empty storefronts are used temporarily for Halloween stores? Here people use them to sell lulav/etrog sets. We passed at least three on our walk. I assume they were stocking many of the street vendors.
(I also observed that the bakery in the background would have spent far less money on their sign if their name was Levy.)
Don't rush into anything! There are many fruit and fronds from which to choose and plenty of people with whom to bargain. These vendors, which covered the entirety of the blocks in front of and behind me there, were calling out prices that ranged anywhere from $15 to $45, and occasionally higher. We had one offer of $10 and heard one $80. One kid asked, "How much do you want to pay, eh?" in that heavy Israeli accent that made me feel like I was in the shuk.
They do smell great, though.
And what about for the kids? Those palm edges can be sharp (seriously, like razors), but they'll still want to participate.
Never fear -- plushies to the rescue!
Finally, in the "they think of everything" department, how do you deal with the pesky bugs that threaten to ruin your perfect Sukkot meal? SukkahPellant, of course!
In the end, not really seeing the need for a full set since I'm unlikely to attempt many Sukkot services (and despite the temptation), I opted for just an etrog from the one vendor who was selling them alone, for a mere $3, with no pretty box of packing material. They were clearly not the picks of the litter, but mine has already improved considerably in color and scent since yesterday, even if it's never going to fatten up. [ETA: Could be this is just not one of the more rounded varieties. And fyi, yes, the pitom is intact!]
Happy Holidays!
[Apologies for the poor quality of many of these shots. Many were taken with my camera and in most cases, I was trying to be unobtrusive.]
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 07:52 pm (UTC)That's so desperately cool.
Maybe post to
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:19 pm (UTC)Also, can't you re-use lulavs from one year to the next? are they perishable?
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:30 pm (UTC)Lulavs are made of three green plants. I would imagine they'd be brown by the next year.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 08:36 pm (UTC)so, you just eat it raw. ok. is the zest any good?
no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 03:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-23 01:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-22 11:56 pm (UTC)The other awesome thing about plush lulav/estrog sets is that you can buy one and then, when you don't live in brooklyn or somewhere else that they sell fresh esrogim on street corners, and don't *really* care exactly how ritually correct your esrog is, and feel ambivalent about importing fruit from Israel and/or cheap about paying ridiculous prices for them - you can stash it in the basement and use it every year without remembering to go shopping.
happy sukkot!