“There’s fish, pasta and pizza, but the fish is the best!” –
It’s a tall and slim, light haired girl who I take to be the waitress. She has
too much make-up in comparison to others of her kind around, but the apron
around her waist and the pen and pad in hand poised to scribble down some
dictation assure me that she isn’t just a local trying to make herself useful. The
fish she speaks of is called ‘St. Peter’s
fish’ - I am at the Eingev kibbutz on the eastern banks of the Sea of
Galilee (also known as Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret or Lake Tiberias) in Northern Israel and it’s a moment of reckoning – a time to separate
tourists from travelers.
The kibbutz (Hebrew for “communal settlement”) is a rural
community built on the principlesof joint-ownership, equality and co-operation.
It is regarded as a socio-economic achievement in Israel which in some has ways
has formed the backbone of Israeli agriculture. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/kibbutz.html)
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| The sea of Galilee with the Golan heights in the background |
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| Tourists board a boat for a short cruise around the sea |
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| The restaurant at Ein Gev |
I have never understood the purpose of the tourist – the
creature who spends a fortune travelling to an alien land, only to seek out the
familiar. He desires his native cuisine or the like, the comforts of his home
and his most cherished souvenir is a picture of him grinning in front of some
famous landmark – proof that he was actually there! To each his own you might
say, and you are right. Everyone would have their own reason for travel. Here
on this tour, I can safely say that most people are on pilgrimage – to walk and
pray where their God once did. They aren’t here to immerse themselves in the
local culture. So it isn’t surprising that they often break into song in the
bus – traditional Indian song - or ask for some dal and chaval now and then. So in this context, I guess my
confusion was confined to why a coastal dwelling lot (Mumbai & Goa) would
refrain from digging into some fish. Perhaps, it didn’t have the right masalas or it wasn’t cut right or even
fished out right. Perhaps it wasn’t Pomfret brought from the stench at Gorai, stuffed with bottle masala and served on a bed of rice that was bought from
Vijay’s banya stores!
St. Peter’s
fish- the coin collector
Ref Matthew
17:24-27 (St. James bible)
When Jesus and his disciples came to Capernaum, the
collectors of the temple-tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay
the temple-tax?”
“Of Course”, Peter answered.
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| St. Peter's fish / Tilapia |
When Peter went into the house, Jesus spoke up first, “Simon,
what is your opinion? Who pays duties or taxes to kings of this world? The
citizens of the country or the foreigners?”
“The foreigners”, answered Peter.
“Well then,” replied Jesus, “that means that the citizens
do not have to pay. But we don’t want to offend these people. So go to the lake
and drop in a line. Pull up the first fish you hook, and in its mouth you will
find a coin worth enough for my temple-tax and yours. Take it and pay them our
taxes.”
Some books put the
temple-tax at 2 drachmas and the coin fished out at 4 drachmas. The fish
identified was Tilapia and it soon came to be known as ‘St. Peter’s fish’. Read more at http://dqhall59.com/fish_and_coin.htm
It is even more surprising when you realize that a bunch of
pilgrims turned down sea food that is christened after St. Peter – first bishop
of Rome, rock of the Church, keeper of the keys to the gates of heaven. The
only connection perhaps being that St. Peter the fisherman would have caught a
good number of these in his lifetime (and the story mentioned above). Nonetheless,
the lunch gives me time to admire the kibbutz I’m in. Ein Gev which means
‘waterhole spring’ is a wonderful lakeside settlement at the foot of the Golan Heights. While the restaurant is
the main attraction, it also houses a hotel in the kibbutz for people looking
for a more Israeli experience. I make a mental note of that – it will certainly
be on my agenda the next time I travel to Israel. Looks like the dolled up
waitress is back with my fish and fries – you will have to excuse me.
For more details on Ein Gev visit www.eingev.com
Excursions from Ein Gev
Jesus did most of his work around the sea of Galilee and there are plenty of churches/chapels erected at the sites of his miracles/preaching etc. Even if you aren't a believer, there are certainly worth a visit.
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| The little dock at Ein Gev |
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