Every so often, an Israeli Prime Minister is forced to make sweeping changes for the long-term benefit of his government, or even of the country. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s staff did just that recently, and his ministers are none too happy about it.

The sacrifices being made? No more junk food at cabinet meetings.

 

Some cabinet minister are “distraught” over switches the cabinet secretary put into the breakfast menu served at weekly cabinet meetings, reports Yediot Aharonot. Gone are burekas–phyllo dough stuffed with all manner of things, from mashed potatoes to cheese to mushrooms to sweet gook–that are as ubiquitous at meetings in Israel as bagels or doughnuts are in the U.S. Gone also are their frequent accompaniment, rugelach — overly sweet, often half-baked pastries filled with chocolate, cinnamon or poppyseed.

“We completely removed the burekas, rugelach and cakes,” said Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser. “We put in yogurts with granola, fruits, vegetables, whole wheat bread, low-fat cheeses and other healthy foods.” 

Hauser’s switch is the latest in a series of attempts to health-up the cabinet vittles, but it looks like he has a battle ahead of him. Yediot reports–apparently seriously–that: 

Three ministers formed a coalition and threatened a cabinet crisis should the burekas pastries not be reinstated. Another minister noted that with all due respect to the initiative, “to sit through five hours of sessions without something sweet to energize oneself and keep us awake is impossible.” 

The funny thing is that Israelis frequently eat–no joke–salad for breakfast. SFI knows one Israeli living in the U.S. whose favorite gesture of love from his wife is if she gets up early to make him salat Israeli – Israeli salad — for breakfast: diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and parsley, dressed with lemon juice and salt.