Matveh, Benni, Ronen, and Sergei
Those zany artists at the Rachmo.
Those zany artists at the Rachmo, and a letter from Ron.
Today I went to lunch with some zany artists from Superstudio. We went to a place called Rachmo. "Rachmo" wasn't actually written anywhere at the restaurant, since it was all in Hebrew, but that's how the word sounds. When I asked each artist what I should get, none of them had any suggestions because they all hated the place. When I asked them why we had come here, they said it was the best place around. "Most of the people in this industrial area are simple people with simple tastes", Ronen said. "They don't ask for anything else, so they don't get it." All four artists, Ronen, Matveh, Benni, and Sergei live in Tel Aliv, 45 minutes away. They take the bus everyday to work.
Following Matveh, I ordered rice and beans, but I also needed something else to fill me up. As I ordered some type of roasted meat and potatoes, and Ronen said I was brave. All in all, it wasn't half as bad as they made it out to be.
Matveh, Benni, Ronen, and Sergei
Those zany artists at the Rachmo.
We ate beneath a red canopy outside, and amongst other subjects, we talked about Ronen's plans to buy a new car -- a Fiat Brava, which I had never heard of. He planned to get a 4-door model rather than a 2-door, because the rear passengers could still escape in case of a crash. The 4-door model also happens to be cheaper, though no one at the table could explain why.
I recently received a letter from my friend Ron, with several questions. The questions follow below with my responses.
Patrick:
My wife was thrilled to see that you found a use for your sandpaper.
Yes, I also was happy to find a use for the little scrap of sandpaper which so many people have questioned me about. However, my father recommends rubbing compound to remove the mark from the rental car, and my friend Janet recommends 409, which are more practical, though less exciting solutions.
My friend, Jay, asked me if a C++ programmer was a good programmer (is A++ the best?).
C++ is a computer programming language based on the C programming language. "C++" is an inside pun for programmers, because "++" is the command to increment something, so the next logical step from C is C++. It is much easier to say than "C=C+1", or even "C+=1". However, my friend Kari Ann would swear that "++C" executes much faster. Unfortunately for Kari, the world is already set in its ways, and C++ will probably remain C++ for a while, much like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese will probably never be Kraft Cheese and Macaroni.
Are you going to visit the beach?
Yes, I have been informed that it is inexcusable to visit Jerusalem and not go to the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea somehow manages to remain below sea level, without getting caught. In addition, the water is so salty, that one can reportedly read a newspaper while sitting in the water, because the human body becomes more bouyant in salty water. I definitely plan to check this out.
Are you feeling all better?
Yes, although I was completely knocked out on Day 8, Day 9 I went back to work, and now I'm feeling fine, though I could use some exercise.
Also, why are you going to rent an apartment? Are you going to be there longer than 4 weeks? If not, I didn't know you can rent an apartment for such a short time.
It just so happens that a guy at Superstudio named Dov is going on vacation for three weeks, and has offered to let me rent his aparment for that time. This could save the company some money in hotels bills, and I don't really need the fancy hotel treatment.
Also, did you ever find out what those explosions were? Are they normal? Do other people always hear them?
No one else that I've talked to claims to have heard them (after all, it was around 4AM in the morning). A couple people have suggested that maybe it was a sonic boom from a jet, which apparently is a common occurence around here.
-Ron-
Thanks for the letter Ron!