Swirling Thoughts #140 - you learn something new every day

Insect of the day? week? month?
They come like seasonal mascots – a species of insect that seems to explode on the scene for a period of time. They disappear just as fast – but not before the replacement species shows up. Last month we had the Shabbat-shirt-seeking-flying-black-bugs. When they left we had parparim (butterflies). Then there were Herculean mosquitoes. Followed by microscopic mosquitoes (the bites are equally itchy).

This week we have the suffering bug. So named by Asher who will then get on the floor and do an impression of this little black beetle. It doesn’t start out suffering – it finds its way into your home (bathrooms and steps seem to be a favorite destination) and then – perhaps it gets overexcited – it ends up on its back, with all its little legs wiggling in the air. This is the suffering part. It stays like that for a few minutes and then it dies. Victory. Overexcitement. Suffering. Death. The life-cycle of the suffering bug.

Life goes on...

For all my shuk shopping (a considerable amount, if I may say so) I never noticed the awnings above the stalls and so I have no idea of shop names. I just have my guys. I get my meat from my meat guy. He’s next to the fish guy. I get my lettuce from the lettuce guy (lettuce guy anecdote to follow) who is up from the cheese guy and across from the halva guy. And so when my friend asked me to pick up salmon from the shuk I said no problem.

I’ll get it from my fish guy.

Who do you use?

The fish guy next to the meat guy.

Which meat guy?

The Mahadrin meat guy on the end.

No no. Get it from my fish guy.

Who is your fish guy?

David Dagim.

Where’s that?

Up 3 lanes and across.

Okay.

And so began the search. Somehow I started out at my fish guy. Because who knows – maybe my fish guy is David Dagim. Turns out he’s Dawid Dagim. Close. But not it. We wove up, down and across and found Avner Dagim. Then Aharon Dagim. My favorite (because of the rhyme) – Nissim Dagim. Bob called out from ahead of me:

Is it Danny Dagim?

David Dagim! I answered.

As we passed Shlomo Dagim it occurred to me they don’t have ‘name this store’ contests in Israel. As we got back almost to where we started suddenly we were standing in a long line of ladies before the fish counter of David Dagim. At that moment my friend called me.

Did you find it?

I found all of them, I tell her.
Dawid Dagim, Avner Dagim, Aharon Dagim, Nissim Dagim, Danny Dagim, Shlomo Dagim, David Dagim
The man behind the counter laughed.

Yes! This (he points to the awning) - this David Fish.

Lettuce guy anecdote:
I insulted my lettuce guy when I asked if he had basil.
I was unpacking basil at two o’clock this morning. Don’t tell me “if you have basil.” Tell me “Give me basil!”