New U.S. ambassador to Israel must battle bad PR, rivalry with American consulate.
By Barak Ravid
Dan Shapiro, the new American ambassador to Israel, has two culinary loves. The first is Spam, the preserved lunch meat that comes in a can; its Israeli equivalent is Luf, a dish that should be familiar to anyone who has served in a combat unit here.
One urban legend that has made the rounds in the White House tells of a dinner at the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. According to legend, Shapiro, who then headed the Middle East division at the U.S. National Security Council, turned to Netanyahu and inquired about his reported fondness for the Spam-type lunch meat served in the IDF. Legend has it that Netanyahu jumped out of his chair in excitement, raced from the room and returned proudly with a can of the IDF-issued Luf in his hand. "It's my favorite food," Netanyahu supposedly pronounced.
Shapiro's second culinary love is Diet Mountain Dew, the fizzy lemon soda produced by Pepsi. At Shapiro's swearing-in ceremony at the State Department in Washington a few weeks ago, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joked that a supply of the new ambassador's favorite soft drink would be sent to Tel Aviv each month by diplomatic pouch.
Shapiro, 42, landed in Tel Aviv last Thursday; next Thursday, he will submit his credentials to President Shimon Peres. Finding Diet Mountain Dew in Israel, no doubt, will be one of the easiest challenges he will face.
in full:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/new-american-ambassador-to-try-to-improve-israelis-view-of-u-s-1.376134