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Big in Japan: Israel crippled by spring roll strike

by Matthew Firestone (RSS feed) on Feb 26th 2008 at 10:00AM

If you turn on the news these days, it seems that just about every other story is about war, violence and suffering in the Middle East.

And of course, at the center of most of these news items is the Holy Land of Israel, the powder keg of religious tensions that the whole world is scrapping to control.

But in the hopes of kicking off your week on a decidedly more optimistic note, I've stumbled across this amusing little news item that I think you'll like.

Israel has dealt with its fair share of problems since independence, but now you can add to the list one more hardship, namely a spring roll strike.

In an event that makes foodies like myself recoil in fear, Israel is currently being crippled by a spring roll strike that could eventually spread to (gasp!) noodles and (brace yourself!) sushi.

The horror! The horror!

While Asian food has long been the rage in cosmopolitan cities such as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, restaurants are taking popular dishes off the menu in protest.

What's the subject of contention you ask?

Well, you'll have to keep reading to learn more about this debilitating news item from the Middle East!

Last Tuesday, nearly 300 restaurants in the Holy Land refused to serve their customers spring rolls in any form, from Chinese-style fried vegetable rolls to Vietnamese-style rice paper rolls.

And, the food strike is on the verge of spiraling out of control, especially since eateries are threatening to cut Asian staples such as noodles and sushi from their menus.

The decision to starve their hungry patrons came in light of the government's plan to limit the number of foreign chefs permitted to enter Israel.

Currently, work permits for Asian chefs are being cut, and next year the government decided that it will not grant any new permits.

Needless to say, with a clearly divided Jewish and gentile population, Israel has a bit of an identity crisis in terms of the religious make-up of the country.

Anyway, the Israeli Ethnic Restaurant Organisation (yes - this is a real organization) is currently waging a war against the government that may soon wind up in the Israeli Supreme Court.

According to Arnon Volosky, the head of the organization, "Customers say they are shocked and can't live without Asian food. People have been asking to set up a petition to hand in to the government."

Unfortunatley, the government is not keen on changing their stance, especially since they are committed to training more Israelis to become specialist chefs.

According to Shoshana Strauss, a government lawyer, "Everyone can make Chinese food, it's not impossible to learn."

However, the Israeli Ethnic Restaurant Organisation is not convinced.

"Some things you have to grow up with" says Volosky. "These restaurants come from a culture that we Israelis don't have the skills or know-how or cultural behaviour to do well. You have to respect this."

Agreed. Mr. Volosky and the Israeli Ethnic Restaurant Organisation - you have certainly captured my heart, mind and stomach.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Asia, Israel, Japan, Big in Japan