My readers, I think that I can now reveal to you the true purpose of my trip to Israel. Attending my kids’ graduations is significant, as well as having some time to travel and explore, these serve as cover for my true mission. I am a mule.
I have been tasked to return with 5 kilos of white, the highest quality of white that I can locate. Those who I work for are jonesing for the good stuff, making do with the lesser quality local product.
Garinim levanim, white seeds, or pumpkin seeds, as distinguished from garinim sh’chorim, black seeds, or sunflower seeds, are both my wife and my father-in-law’s favorite. Garinim levanim or garinim of any variety for that matter can be purchased in any corner store, grocery store, or market in Israel.
They prefer Garinei Afula, literally the Seeds of Afula, based in the city of Afula. Garinei Afula is now a massive corporation, with multiple locations throughout the country, as well as owning other food companies. You can pick up Garinei Afula almost anywhere.
They didn’t want Garinei Afula from just any outlet. They wanted Garinei Afula from Afula. Afula is not exactly a tourist mecca. It isn’t very far from places of interest like Mount Gilboa, Mout Tavor, Ein Harod, Jezreel, or Megiddo, but there really isn’t much to see in Afula itself.
Fortunately, I had chosen to go to Jezreel, and the easiest way to get from Jezreel back to Nahariya is through Afula. On my way into Afula, I checked my app, and there was a Garinei Afula location very close to the central bus station. It turned out it was only a two or three minute walk. It also turned out that was no longer Garinei Afula, but was now Dganim or Beit Kliyah Dganim, House of Roasted Grains. The bags were marked as both Garinei Afula and Beit Kliyah Dganim, so I bought 2 kilo and just to be safe, looked for the other Garinei Afula location. It was only a 10-12 minute walk, so I headed in that direction, bought 3 kilo of seeds, and was able to catch my bus out of town directly across the street.
Mission successful.
My Journey to Israel: Connections and Disruptions 