Waking up early in Israel was never a problem for me. There was always a bountiful breakfast spread waiting, and it's the best feast of the day. Fresh vegetable salads, salty white cheese, hummus, baba ghanoush, pickled fish, olives (in various colors and shades of green to black), shakshouka (served in its cast-iron pan), cottage cheese (definitely not the diet kind), straight-from-the-oven bourekas, breads, butter, and preserves.