Moshemallow

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The man with the ponytail picking weeds in a Jerusalem field brings back memories to oldtimers. During the siege of the city, preceding the War of Independence, hungry residents found salvation from a manna-like godsend: wild- growing khubeiza, a nutritious weed that sprung up following an unexpected rainstorm. Many Jerusalemites survived on it until the siege was broken.

If then it was a food of desperation, now it is haute cuisine. That ponytailed man is Moshe Basson, possibly the only chef on earth using hand-picked Jerusalem weeds.

Moshe tramps through unkempt fields and overgrown gardens, "sometimes in the middle of town, sometimes in the mountains," to find humble delicacies like khubeiza, a mallow akin to spinach. He plucks sage and sumac, saffron and thyme, hissop, and even dandelions. "I have secret places between buildings, even off the walls of the courthouse, where I find the herbs I cook with."

His shopping done, he heads to work in Safra Square.

Moshe, like the Eucalyptus restaurant he owns, is a throwback of sorts, a remnant of ta'am shel pa'am, the way we were. "Cuisine of mythological Eretz Yisrael," he calls it, and that's not just referring to the menu or decor.

Before the fast-food era, back when folks weren't so sophisticated and they talked to each other more, there were neighborhood places where you dropped by just to say hello. Moshe's eatery is a tony joint, but with old- fashioned Middle Eastern hospitality. Pop by on a hot summer day, and there's lemonade without a price-tag attached.

Come by anytime, and Moshe is on hand to shmooze. He...