There's more to hummus than you think

What is hummus? The average person, well at least the average non-Israeli, would say chickpeas. If they were a bit smarter than the average person they would say "a few things, but chickpeas are the key ingredient." Well, sorry to say, both answers are wrong. 

Hummus does have a few ingredients, but the main ingredients are chickpeas and (drum roll please), TAHINI (pronounced ta-hee-nee). What is it? An oily paste made from sesame seeds. The key takeaway here is that the obvious ingredient is not always the key ingredient. In this case, the true key to good hummus is tahini. 

Let's break it down even more...chickpeas are by far proportionally the largest ingredient and even on a one vs. one comparison chickpeas are many many times bigger than a sesame seed (see below with sesame seeds on chickpeas).

As you may tell, I see a lot of things in metaphors - and Israel is exceptional for that. So, I see that the relationship between hummus and its two main ingredients (reminder: chick peas AND tahini) as a metaphor for what makes a good team. I personally empathize with this as my job entails considerable people management responsibilities. You cannot just have the obvious - people who are smart, driven, experienced, etc...Similar to hummus, a good team needs a tahini to bring it together. In my opinion the most senior manager(s) should be the tahini. So, don't always focus on what is most obvious or the biggest component of a recipe. Its about how you, the senior leader, bring different things and people together, not about being the biggest and best chick pea. 

Synchronization on the mini-bus

Most of us have heard about the book Start Up Nation, which attests to many of Israeli’s great achievements, largely in technology, but the Sherut (pronounced: shay-root) are in my opinion one of Israel’s best inventions. They are a combination between a bus and taxi. I am told they are mainly the result of an inadequate bus system, so they mini-buses try to fill that gap. They follow the same routes as the buses, but with the convenience of a taxi – one cannot get on and off at any time.

The sociological brilliance of them is that they serve as a great insight into the people of Israel. Everyone takes them – young and old, poor and rich, beach goers and business people, tattoo artists and soldiers, and even dogs.

I was also touched by a small gesture, which for some reason I could never imagine people in other cities or countries doing.  A person got on the Sherut and sat down towards the back without paying. They then passed their money up to the driver with each person in the Sherut passing it on-and-on, aisle-by-aisle and then the reverse reversed when the driver returned some change. Two aspects of this observation struck me. Firstly, in other cities I have lived people seemingly try to avoid touching one another and handing off items, particularly money, which is perceived to be one of the dirtier items one can come into contact with. Secondly, I was pleasantly surprised by how little effort it took for the people to understand what was going on and what had to be done. Sure, it wasn’t a complex task, but the people went from devout solitude in the morning rituals, whether that be closing their eyes, listening to music, or reading, to forming a synchronized transportation line. This aforementioned point is perhaps, yet again, an interesting insight into Israel – the different people on the Sherut come together from their distant nature in a moments notice.

Israelis and Matkot - Opponent and Partner

Israelis are difficult to understand. In some ways they are very simple - they are either very religious or secular, traditionalists or modern, eager to fight and defend or searching for peace. In other ways they are very complicated. They are shaped by a long history, a mixed cultural upbringing, and a present day circumstance that beyond the comprehension of anyone, including themselves. I am continually striving to find a way to describe the delicate relationship that people seem to have within themselves, but also amongst themselves. I believe the best way is to look at matkot. 

Matkot is a seemingly simple beach game. It is normally played amongst two players who stand 10 or so meters apart just along the shoreline where the water line just touches their feet. They play with wooden paddles and a rubber ball approximately the size of a squash ball, i.e. approximately 2.5 cm in diameter. On a busy beach day, which is seemingly every day, men and women of all ages can be seen, but also loudly heard volleying back and forth. 

Where it becomes interesting and what I believe to be a metaphor for the Israeli spirit is in the strategy of the game. The ball is hit back and forth with as much force as possible. However, unlike traditional racquet-like sports where the main objective is getting get it past your opponent with sheer velocity or making it un-returnable through outright trickery or difficulty, in matkot you are working with your opponent. You want to keep the rally going. 

It is this stark relationship between how the person across from you is in some ways your opponent, but is really your partner, that I see a unique relationship between people that does not exist any where else. Two matkot players are pushing each other to the edge with brute force. What could be a leisurely game on the beach becomes a show of power. Anecdotally, I saw a father and son playing. The father was smashing it so hard that the same scene at a US community center tennis court would have raised eyebrows and brought to mind the stereotype of a father putting too much pressure on his son to compete in sports. In this case, the son took the tough shots with composure and was clearly a better player for it. The rallies went on, and on, and on. 

Whether it is just two friends on a beach or Israeli's of all different backgrounds, the nature of the relationship is similar. They are highly intense, not always in a positive way, but never short of raw, unhindered emotion. While they seem like opponents at times, they are deciphering, knowingly or not, a way to work together, because without the other, the game will stop.