“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.”
– George Bernard Shaw
Jaffa’s richness and diversity had immediately drawn me to extensive wandering within its streets and neighborhoods. While researching Jaffa and its cultures I was amazed by the amplitude and complexity of the realities and narratives intertwined in Jaffa. I interviewed local women: Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Christians, young and old, realizing that Jaffa is the multicultural contrasting human fabric woven by each one of these women’s stories. I was deeply frustrated that most visitors encounter historic tales about ancient Jaffa, scarcely having a chance to meet these women and hear their stories and voices. Noticing how influential my encounters with the local multicultural women of Jaffa were for me, I created the Jaffa Comfort Food experience.
This Cross-Cultural Jaffa Comfort Food Tour takes you into the midst of current local cultures seen and told by local women, including myself. This Cross-Cultural Tour touches upon Jaffa’s diverse people and narratives beginning 5000 years ago. Steering out of the historical Jaffa port, you will stroll between the captivating and heterogeneous neighbourhoods of Jaffa. The Cross-Cultural Tour ends at a house of a local Arab woman where you taste local comfort food, the real flavours of Jaffa, soaked in love and history. While dining, you will hear, meet and encounter reality through the personal eyes of your host. Come to explore, taste local flavours and hear the voices of the local women of Jaffa. Jaffa Comfort Food is the ultimate experience for both touring Jaffa and experiencing it with all your senses and heart.
Meeting Point: Retsif ha-Aliya ha-Shniya, Tel Aviv
Timetable: 2 Hours Tour, 2 Hours Hosting
Languages: English, Hebrew, French
What People Are Saying
“We got to hear stories about Jaffa from the locals who both were born there, grew up there and live there until today. It was very special and left me wondering about what is required to really meet one another when we come from different cultures.”
– Tova B.
“I learned a lot not only on the architectural point of view but also on the historical one. I usually come to rest and to enjoy the beach. This time I’ve decided to take a shoot with Encounters and I was delighted! It was great to feel the city from inside!”
– Olivia C.