A couple of weeks ago we took the subway downtown in search of real Egyptian food. We went to a little place called Felfela. It was a pretty cute place and the food was decent. I got meatballs and Koshari. Koshari is an Egyptian dish of rice, lentils, garbanzo beans, and pasta. They pour a tomato and garlic sauce on it and top it with fried onions. It is common food in Egypt and you can find it just about anywhere. It is nothing spectacular, but it is good stick to your ribs food.
My food was alright, and the girls seemed happy with their choices. My youngest loves the local preparation of lentil soup and my older daughter is always happy when she can have spaghetti with meat sauce. I wish that my husband could have said the same about his meal. He had something more daring in mind.
Ever since we watched the Anthony Bourdain Egypt episode, he has been wanting to try stuffed pigeon, a local specialty. When his plate came to the table, he licked his lips in anticipation of what he expected to be a life changing meal. His experience was nothing like the show, however. He dined on a tough, gamey bird stuffed with lord only knows what while the bird's friends and relatives watched from a nearby cage.
When my older daughter realized that my husband was dining on a "rat with wings" she was at first appalled and then she got the giggles. She kept glancing at the cage nearby and laughing. We were all cracking up by the end of the meal. Even my husband laughed as he choked down bites of squab that seemed more of a burnt offering than a culinary one.
On our way out we stopped to watch the cook make falafel. Then the girls posed with this incredibly creepy statue of a man smoking shisha.
With bellies full of rock dove and regret, we headed back to Ma'adi on the Metro. We picked up the subway right next to a side of Tahir Square you don't see in the media... The side where they sell t-shirts emblazoned with images of Sponge Bob, Che Guevara, and the martyrs of the Egyptian Revolution without even a hint of irony.
Cheers,
Jenn
Here are the Anthony Bourdain Egypt videos in case anyone is interested. There is a segment about the pigeon near the end of the first video.. and he talks about Kusharie at the end of the first video and beginning of the second. Enjoy!
I haven't been keeping up with this blog lately. Things have been hectic and busy and I haven't know exactly where to start I've done so many things that have been worthy of writing about, but I haven't taken the time to actually do it. I have pictures to share, recipes to write, and tales to tell. Most of these will have to wait for another day, however, because on Wednesday I did something that I've dreamed about since the love of cooking entered my life. Perhaps it was that first whiff of saffron that inspired me, or maybe it was when I cooked my first curry, I'm not really certain. It might have even been this scene in the Indian Jones...
No I didn't face down a sword wielding assassin with my trusty side arm... I went shopping in the biggest baddest bazaar of all time. The measuring stick against which all other markets are judged. I visited the Khan el-Khalili.
The first place our guide (Shaimaa) took us, was to a shop just outside the Khan. When I told Shaimaa that I wanted to see the spice market she asked me if I wanted to look or if I wanted to buy. I said both... so she took me to a little shop on the main road outside of the Khan first. It was a crowded little store with cases full of leaves and powders. Many of them I recognized, but many of them I did not. It wasn't a beautiful place. It was dusty and busy... but it was full of things that I wanted for my kitchen. Shaimaa explained that while the spice market in the Khan was beautiful it was for tourists. Most Egyptians prefer to buy their spices in a place where the prices are fixed and fair.
I purchased some saffron and cardamom for a VERY fair price before we moved along to the market. I could have stood there all day with my mouth open, staring at the spices, but it was time to move on. We started out by exploring the Souq al-Khiamiyya or the tent makers bazaar.
Walking along the street leading into the covered area there were tons of stands selling goods for Egyptians rather than tourists: Camel and donkey tack, cooking utensils, utilitarian baskets, plastic junk and dangerous looking street food.
As you reach the covered bazaar, however, the stands get more colorful and salesmen more boisterous. Motorcycles and bikes move past at great speeds even in the tight alley running between the shops One motorcycle slid on some sand and skidded to a stop inches from me. A man on a bicycle whizzed past with a load of bread balanced on his head. I bought a miniature replica of a Bedouin tent and a small stuffed camel for my daughters.
We stopped for lunch at an Egyptian fast food place. I say fast food, but this certainly wasn't McDonalds. I had a lamb shawarma and a fava bean dish called foul (pronounced something like fool). I also sampled a mixed vegetable pickle and some baba ganoush. It was a filling and tasty lunch after a long day of sight seeing.
Finally after lunch we made it to the spice market.
After all I've read about it and all the pictures I've seen, I must say that I was a tad bit disappointed. There were only a few shops and while they had some spices it was nothing compared to the shop our guide showed us at the beginning of our journey. One thing I can say about it, however, is that it is extremely photogenic. Perhaps that is why you always see it pictured in the guide books. The baskets of spices and bags of mysterious powders certainly look intriguing.
My trip to the market was the perfect ending to a day exploring Cairo with a friend. The Khan el-khalili was only a small part of the adventure. We hired a driver and tour guide and explored the Egyptian museum, Tahir square, the Citadel, several mosques, and a papyrus museum....
The lovely hike at the Wadi on Friday was hard to top, but we might have done it on Saturday.
We spent Saturday morning hanging around at the apartment. Paul let me sleep in while the kids played and he did a little writing. After a relaxing morning we went down to road 9 at around 11am to run some errands, do some shopping, and then grab some lunch.
My older daughter bought this lovely scarf. You can't really tell from the photo, but it has skulls on it. So not only is it pretty, it is tough too. Just her style. My younger daughter bought herself a little camel figure made of sandalwood, and my husband bought me a wall hanging (I will post a photo of once I have it hanging on the wall). Everyone got a chance to practice their haggling skills. I'm not sure if we got the best deals possible, but we all liked what we got and enjoyed the shopping.
After poking around in a few shops we had lunch at a wonderful place called the Dragon House. It was a perfect choice for the Chinese New Year. They serve Chinese, Thai, and Indian food. We went there our second day in town and enjoyed it so much that we thought it was worth another visit. We had a good meal and then we went home to grab a few things before catching a cab to the main event.
A felucca ride on the Nile...
What a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. We enjoyed the company of new friends while sipping beers, enjoying the scenery, and having a snack. A couple of people brought guitars so we played a little music and watched the world go by. I loved it! The boats are roomy and there is plenty of space to share the ride with a group... but the price is reasonable enough to consider just making it a romantic sunset ride for two. I can't wait to do it again.
If you look to either side of the boat you can even see the great pyramids in the distance... What a lovely view!
After the crazy trip to the pyramids last weekend we decided to take it easy this weekend. On Friday we went to a place just outside of Cairo called the Wadi Digla. It was the perfect place to escape the hectic sounds and sights of the city. We did a little geocaching and hiked through the martian like landscape while listening to the many calls to prayer echoing out of loud speakers in nearby Cairo. We followed it up with a trip for a bite to eat in town. It was a wonderful day.
This past weekend was my daughter's birthday. We had only been in Cairo for a week and we wanted to do something special. As I sat clinging to my children in the back of a taxi I wondered if this was really a good idea. I made sure I told them that I loved them. If this was going to be it I wanted to make sure that they knew that their mother cared. I kissed them and held them I even whispered a prayer. It might have been the lack of seat belts in the back of the cab, or possibly the breakneck speeds that we were reaching but I felt untethered from the earth.
I watched the world passing by me out the window; colorful laundry adorning sand colored buildings, carts pulled by donkeys, sheep, people going about their daily business in this strange city, and cars, cars everywhere. There were buildings as far as I could see into the dust. Most of them in some state of construction or destruction... it was hard to tell. This city is filthy, this city is gritty, it is something that you can't describe. You can't even capture it on film. It looks too cleaned up that way. Without the sounds and the smells you just can't see it all.
Then I saw them in the distance. They were faint at first, barely visible through the smog and pollution, but still there larger than life.... looming. I started to cry. I was so excited that I couldn't contain the emotions. This was something special.
The kids were pointing and shrieking "There they are! Look mom! It's the pyramids!!!" They had seen them too. We were almost there.
Our driver sped through the crowd of "tour guides" as they stepped in front of our taxi risking life and limb for a dime. He dropped us off at the door and then over charged us with some excuse that the meter was broken. But I didn't care. I was at the great pyramids. What could possibly go wrong? Yes dear reader this is foreshadowing. The Great Pyramids are a sham. But I am skipping ahead in my tale, because at this point I was still giddy with excitement.
We paid our entry fee, stepped inside, and it all went to hell.
People come at you from all sides wanting to give you a tour, sell you their wares, and take you for a ride (and not just on their camel)... And they don't take no for an answer. They touch you, grab you, and put things in your hand only to demand that you pay for them. They don't let up for a moment.
The only time I felt at peace was when I was inside the pyramid of Khufu. It was thrilling walking up the wooden ramps into the heart of the pyramid. Once I stepped outside, however, the crush of desperation started all over again, the overwhelming smell of camel piss assaulted my nostrils, and I felt powerless once again.
Yeah we walked around, we took some pictures, and we saw the sights. You can even see us smiling in some of the photos... We were just as much part of the show as everything else.
Our taxi ride home was better. Our second driver was great. He spoke excellent English and gave us a wealth of wonderful information about the sights of Egypt. He even stopped the cab so that he could take our picture in front of the Nile. We got out of the car at Road 9 and paid the driver (a quarter the amount of the first ride). We were walking towards the restaurant for a birthday lunch and trying to put a positive spin on a trying day when Paul realizes that we had been robbed. The thieves at the pyramid hadn't just stolen our experience... they had our money as well. Without enough money for lunch we turned for home. I think next time I'll just watch the discovery channel.
For Thanksgiving this year we had a lovely time. We had family and friends over for a potluck Thanksgiving. We had tons of food and a lot of fun together.
After Thanksgiving we were invited on a camp out with some good friends. We had a great time walking through the woods, making s'mores, and spending time together at Buescher State Park.
After long weeks of going back and forth about the big move we are really getting things moving. We were worried last week when unrest began in Cairo... but now that the elections are moving along as planned we have begun moving forward again. I will probably not be posting much during this busy time... but I'm sure once we are settled in I will have tons of photos and news to share.
After all the stress it looks like things worked out... We will be moving to Cairo Egypt in less than two months. I have been working my behind off trying to prepare for the move and the holiday season at the same time. I have a turkey to bake on Thursday, presents to finish by Christmas, and a whole household full of stuff to sort through and pack for storage. I will post updates as often as I can... but until then...
Forgive me... it has been almost a month since my last post.
But you see, things have been a little hectic around here. I've been riding a crazy wave and it ain't finished with me yet.
Not long ago my husband applied for a job at his old high school. They called him for an interview, contacted his current employer, checked his references, and finally... after a long pause... sent him a job offer. It sounds pretty routine right? Did I mention that this high school is in Cairo, Egypt?
So for the past few weeks I have been running around trying to get everything ready to go. I've been clearing out the cobwebs, boxing up what's left, collecting documents, renewing passports, basically I've been doing everything I can to get ready for an international move that is scheduled to happen in a little over 6 weeks.
Then yesterday... after I had finally told myself it was possible, I had allowed myself to want it, I had even convinced those I was leaving behind that it was a dream that needed to be followed... we smacked into a roadblock that threatens to derail the whole thing.
But I don't want it to be over! I want my Egypt damn it! I want to see the pyramids, shop in the markets, buy cans of food with Arabic writing on them and try to guess the contents before opening them... I want to take a boat on the Nile, make paper out of papyrus, and eat hummus and pita until I'm sick to death of them. I want to breath in the smells good and bad, ride a camel in the desert, and share something with my family that might change us forever...I want it all... the good and the bad.
But right now it feels like my dream is a tiny scarab beetle caught in the paws of a giant Bureaucratic cat... I can't decide if I want to sit by and watch the beetles limbs get ripped off one by one with the hope that it will escape to live another day... or if it would just be better to let the damn cat crush it and get it over with.
s
