16. Fear of Frying
I stole the title of this post from a chapter of a wonderful book by Ze’ev Chafets, Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men: Inside the New Israel, published in 1986. I highly recommend it for anyone considering a move to Israel — it’s informative, insightful, and superbly entertaining.
While the expression “Fear of Frying” is a vamp on the title of a 1970s best seller by Erica Jong, Fear of Flying, the chapter deals with a primal fear that affects many Israelis — that is, being exposed as a “fryer”, or in plain English, a “sucker”. Some examples of fryer-dom include:
· My good-for-nothing colleague got a pay raise and I didn’t.
· My neighbor and I bought the same washing machine and I paid 30% more than he did.
· My brother-in-law cheated on his taxes, and I got audited.
Ever wonder why Mr. so-and-so isn’t sleeping well at night? Maybe he’s been pegged as a fryer.
Fryer Buys a Subaru
In 1991, I started a new, better-paying job, and was feeling confident enough to make my first significant purchase — a new car! I followed the herd, and bought the same model that everyone else had — a boxy, white Subaru.
[At the time, Subaru was the only Asian auto manufacturer that didn’t comply with the Arab-led boycott of Israel. Attention BDS fans and Hamas devotees! This wheel has already been invented.]
The next day at work, wearing a self-satisfied smile, I told my colleagues the big news. Exasperated by my exuberance, the company CFO butted in. “You bought a car at the end of the model year? You really screwed up. The resale value dropped 20% before you even started the engine!” Ding.
Fryer.
But I slept just fine that night. Really.
