Reaping the Benefits

Gruyere sandwich

Place: Hakatefet, Beit Shearim

When: Sunday, late morning

Environment: This coffee cart is parked at the edge of a moshav, right up against the fields. I had the luck to visit on a sunny, winter day, so the fields were glowing with a deep, healthy green. The coffee cart itself is accessible by a few wooden steps, and marked by notable signage in one corner. Generally, the coffee cart is heavily branded, from the signage on the cart to the toothpick in the sandwich to the parking area to the employees’ sweatshirts. Tables are spread all around the area, mostly on a concrete floor that served as the base of an old agricultural shed of some sort. Some of the tables are low, some are repurposed spools and old John Deere barrels, and there’s also a long wooden bar with high stools. A few picnic tables sit on the grass close to the refurbished cotton harvester for which the coffee cart got its name. Wooden planters full of flowers edged the area.

When I visited, there were a few moms there with their babies and toddlers, and a family of mom, dad, and two kids sitting on a glider swing facing the fields. A faint smell of agriculture hung in the air. Nice, classic Israeli music played over speakers. A water bowl sat out, inviting dogs. But of course, like all of this area of the Jezreel Valley, there are loud reminders of where you are when the fighter jets take off from the nearby air force base.

My Order: Gruyere sandwich (NIS 42); small cappuccino (NIS 14).

The low-down: The sandwich was made on lightly toasted, buttered bread. It boasted a nice artichoke flavor and thick cheese, with rich, roasted tomatoes creating a balanced mix of sweet and salty. It was a little challenging to hold the sandwich together (hence the toothpick), but the flavor was great. The coffee was more on the creamy side, but then the coffee flavor hit at the end. It was not strong, but not terribly weak.

Who else was there: A group of five older men cyclists rode up. They were decked out in bike leggings and reflective gear, with water bags on their backs. They were amped up from their ride on a sunny morning and the promise of a pleasant break.

These men are retired, but not ready to stop living. They get together once a week and pick a destination. And then use the scenery as a jumping off point to argue about real estate prices in the area they've chosen to ride in. When they stop for a break, some keep the debate going, while others go off to the side to catch up on calls they missed while cycling.