Falafel on the Lake

Hugo, with falafel balls

Lakeport is the last town before reaching our destination on Clear Lake. It was past noon, and hunger dictated that we stop at the first sight of food.  "Jimmy's Tacos and Burritos" was next to the highway exit.  On the front porch, a worker was flipping chicken over an open flame, saturating the air with mouth-watering aroma.  To my surprise, the menu above the counter, included such items as falafel, humus, and other Mediterranean favorites.  I ordered the Falafel Plate, and with the first bite, my being shook with epicurean delight.  The falafel balls were crispy, moist on the inside, and perfectly seasoned.. I could go on, but let's just say that it was the best falafel I tasted in a very long time.  The eggplant salad (baba ganoush) was just as delicious.

The next day, I made the ten-mile trip from our campground to town, in the pretense of attending Friday's concert-in-the park, but the real reason, was Jimmy's falafel, and the mystery of its origin.  I caught the cook's attention, and congratulated him on the falafel.
His name was Hugo Rodriquez.
"How does a Mexican make such an excellent falafel?"  I asked.
"Well, the owner prepared it."  Hugo pointed to a guy eating his lunch.
"He is from Jordan."  was the response to my follow-up query.
I walked over.
"This is the best falafel I had outside of Israel"  I enthusiastically declared to Jimmy.
He did not seem too thrilled.  "Well, maybe you are in Israel," he said, "I am from Palestine."
The instance of discomfort passed, and we exchanged data on our arrival in the US, and other pleasantries.

Over the next week of camping, we made an almost-daily pilgrimage to Jimmy's.  BTW, Adi loved the BBQ'd chicken burrito.