Israel: Prosperous Entertaining
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Prosperous Entertaining
Entertainment is an Israeli “National Pastime” and major Israeli cities, especially Tel-Aviv, come alive at night and remain vibrantly busy until early morning hours. Secular Israelis savor Thursday and Friday nights as primary entertainment times, typically resting during late afternoons and leaving home after 10 PM to dine, club, visit friends and see shows or movies. Restaurants, traditional European Cafes, clubs and bars are colorful, multi-faceted, vibrant and at times overcrowded destinations for entertainment-thirsty Israelis.
The Israeli dining industry is especially developed and heterogeneous. Food is available in quick service, neighborhood, ethnic and fine dining venues. Cuisine covers the full range from American hamburgers and steaks, through Greek Mediterranean, to Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indian and more exotic kitchens. The most common food available is of the Mediterranean-Middle Eastern (Kebab, Hummus, Shishlik, Shawarma…) variety served at thousands of restaurants of various sizes throughout Israel. Seafood is served mainly Turkish-Mediterranean style (grilled or fried whole fish). Many eating establishments serve bountiful breakfasts featuring salads, many types of cheese, pastries, cereals and fruit. There are numerous fine dining establishments in every city serving French, Italian, American, Chinese and other menus. Upper scale restaurants are expensive.
Israelis frequently invite foreign guests to lunch and dinner. Lunches, typically had between Noon time and 2 PM, are more common for pre-determined business discussions. Lunch in Israel can be light quick service or a heavier meal. Dinners, usually late evening events, are more social venues for Israeli hosts and are usually had in upper scale establishments.
Most restaurants in Israel are Kosher – meat and dairy products are not served concurrently and there are no Pork items on the menu. Wine, bear and liquor are offered in almost every midsized restaurant. Beer is a common, accepted and readily available alcoholic beverage in Israel as are a large variety of local and imported wines. Moderate alcohol consumption is common and accepted. There are no special restaurant entertainment seating or etiquette codes in Israel. Courtesy and manners are Euro-American in form and fashion. Lunch and dinner atmospheres are usually easy-going and non-formal. Israeli hosts will tend to fret about their guest’s enjoyment and satiety – visitors should reciprocate by communicating their preferences and satisfaction in a friendly, non-formal fashion.
If foreign visitors host lunches or dinners in Israel or abroad, they should carefully research their Israeli guest’s preferences, especially in terms of Kosher food preferences. Foreigners entertaining Israelis at their homes should, as a rule of thumb, refrain from serving meat and dairy dishes at the same venue since even some lay Israelis keep Kosher. Also, pork products, and any foodstuffs not labeled “Kosher” should not be served.
Another Israeli pastime is the “Day Trip” – usually taken on weekends to different parts of the country. Israelis are enthusiastic day trip hosts and frequently invite foreign guests to such affairs. For Israelis a day trip with an overseas business guest is a wonderful opportunity to increase acquaintance, solidify relationships, talk business and boast about Israel’s marvelous scenery and history. Guests should really not miss out on such invitations since Israelis are frequently knowledgeable guides and gracious hosts along the trip. More importantly, since the farthest attractions are no more than a couple hours driving distance between each other – weekend trip invitations are exceptional opportunities to see Israel in a casual, hands-on and relaxed atmosphere.
