Going it Alone

Pistachio raspberry tart

Place: Agalushki, Kibbutz Geva

When: Thursday afternoon

Environment: The approach to this coffee cart (or should I say coffee bus?) is from a dirt parking lot lined by palm trees on one side. The bright blue of the bus-cum-café is eye-catching through the metal fencing. Between the entrance and the bus itself, there is a gauntlet of tables and chairs to pass (it’s not a challenging gauntlet). Shade covers many of the tables, and there are even some fans that spray mist, to keep temps comfortable. I placed my order at the window of the bus; the service was efficient, and almost with a smile. It was very quiet on our visit, with almost no other patrons. Some music played out of speakers, providing the main sound backdrop. There was nothing fancy about Agalushki, but there was a small stage set up, so it could be that in the cooler evenings, the place is hopping.

My Order: Iced coffee (NIS 16); pistachio raspberry mini tart (NIS 26).

The low-down: The coffee was fine. It tasted like the commercial standard, which is to say not great, but drinkable. The tart, however, was pretty darn good. The crust was flaky and light, yet solid. The filling was gooey but not heavy, and also not too sweet. Everything was served on disposable dishes, with a self-service stand of plastic cutlery. The earth cried a little.

Who else was there: During my visit, a large delivery truck pulled up. The driver had some trouble understanding how to bring his vehicle around to the blue bus to unload his boxes of vegan chocolate, so he parked in the lot and approached the proprietor for instructions. He was thin and wore a black polo shirt, cargo pants, sunglasses. A short beard covered his chin.

The driver likes the solitary nature of his job. He prefers to interact as little as possible with people during his days. At home, he has to deal with his sick mother and two little kids who he shares with his ex-girlfriend. There’s always a lot going on, with whining and crying and feeding and dressing and cleaning up after all three. So during the day, he savors the sounds of his tires on the road and tunes out the honking of the other drivers.