We were packed and ready to go on a 3-month adventure in Israel. My checked luggage included three Global kitchen knives and two slim-profile, Epicurean cutting boards. I imagined the apartment we’d rented in Tel Aviv, one block from the Mediterranean, as a gathering place for new friends to mingle and share ideas. After daily shopping at the large, outdoor market, Shuk HaCarmel, where fresh fruit, fish and spices abound, I’d cook and write every day.