When two of my great-loves combine
I must admit – one of my “guilty pleasures” is watching cooking reality shows.
Currently, in Israel, there are two shows that I follow addictively: Master Chef and Chef’s games (“Mis-ha-key Ha-Chef”).
But why am I writing this post? Because this week, when I was watching Mis-ha-key Ha-Chef, they had an episode that combined two of my greatest loves: food (and food TV) and, of course, the Hebrew language.
A bit about the show
In Chef’s Games, there are three teams of chef-competitors, each led by a famous Israeli chef. Sometimes they compete as a team, and sometimes individually. Each mission they undertake has a concept to inspire their cooking. And in this week’s episode, they brought on one of Israel’s most famous lovers of Hebrew – Avshalom Kor – a linguist and expert on Modern Hebrew grammar and semantics.
Each contestant had to choose a Hebrew word and create a dish that reflects or refers to this word. The words were beautiful—רוח (wind/spirit), חלון (window), מראה (mirror/view)—all of which can lead to many interpretations.
Learn Hebrew with the chefs
If you’ve kept reading and reached this point in the article, you might wonder—okay, I’m a Hebrew learner, and you’re a teacher, so what’s the educational point here?
Well, you’re right. I have a point that will help your Hebrew too. First of all, I think watching cooking shows might be easier than watching other types of shows because contestants usually speak while cooking and explain their actions. For example, you can see them mixing something and hear them say: “We are mixing.” So, if you love cooking, watching cooking shows can definitely help you improve your vocabulary.
The beautiful side of Israeli culture
It is also a great way to get to know the most well-known chefs in Israel and to get a glimpse of the culture and food preferences.
In food culture, and especially in reality shows, you can see some of the most beautiful parts of Israeli culture. Because even though it’s a competition, they always help each other, compliment one another, and try to learn from each other. There are no fights, and the differences between people are minimized because they all share a great love for food.
To conclude
If you love Hebrew and food, like me, I recommend watching these two reality shows. You can find them online:
And as a bonus, here are 5 culinary words in Hebrew that you can learn right away:
