Where Happiness is Found

by Allison Heidrich (Germany)

Making a local connection Australia

Where Happiness is Found Escaping Melbourne’s suburban loneliness in an Israeli street-food cafe By Allison Heidrich The sun was burning down on Hardware Lane on Sunday afternoon. A woman entered the Israeli street food restaurant, her skin glowing from the heat. She went up to the counter and ordered take away food, without even glancing at the menu. She turned around, approached the table I was sitting at and with a small sigh, sat down across from me. A smile crossed her face. I could now see the map of wrinkles on her face, traces of an adventurous life, as I later found out. She must have been in her late fifties. Her tangled, long hair was wild as the jungle. Streaks of grey curls fell into her face, slightly covering her eye lines which told of smiles and laughter. I asked whether she had tried the food here before. Her eyes lit up: ‘You know, I live two hours outside of the city. But this place is my little escape! I come here when I want to treat myself.’ I understood why she thought of this place as an escape from everyday life in Melbourne: The smell of turmeric and cumin lingered in the air, swirling around the countless cauliflowers that were hanging from the ceiling. The kitchen was open and mellow sounds of oriental music spilled across the counter. A waiter came over to our table: ‘Zsófia, so nice to see you here again!’ He crooked his head in my direction and added ‘and nice to see you too, you must be Allison, for the job interview, right?’ He was right and I briefly introduced myself. ‘The boss still needs a few minutes, let me get you two some Salep while you’re waiting.’ Zsófia’s face brightened even more: ‘Thank you, dear.’ As we were sipping on our Salep, a custard-like, rich drink that smelled of roses and cinnamon, Zsófia told me about her life. It was a lonely life in the suburbs of Melbourne. After leaving Hungary as a child, she never felt like she belonged. She looked down at her hands, her voice quiet, ’This country will never feel like home.’ Concern clouded her features when she looked back up and I asked her: ‘What is holding you here Zsófia?’ Within seconds her face transformed, a soft smile accompanied the explanation: ‘You know, at a certain point in life, you no longer see yourself as the center of the world. I have a son who must be around your age, who loves this country. My mom, who can barely walk, who never learned any English beyond a friendly good morning, has a house right next to mine. And,‘ she adds with a girlish giggle, ‘my three cats need me of course.’ ‘I’ve lived a happy life, Allison. And now I’m at the point where the happiness of the people around me is more important than anything else in this world. When I need a little escape, I come here.’ The waiter came over with her food. She gave me a hug and thanked me for listening. ‘One day, when you have lived every adventure you can dream of, when your heart is overflowing with joy and wonderful memories, you will want to pass it on. Trust me, and then you will understand why you might stay in a place that doesn’t feel like home.’ Zsófia smiled as she left, and one door shut behind her while new doors opened in my mind.