Lunch Friday

I know I am a few days behind but life is absorbing! Here's some pictures to hold you over from lunch. They served old fashioned Egyptian food.

This door is like one they use on houses and buildings in the villages--it's old, came from somewhere else.

I loved the wall decoration, which was made up of antique tin roof type panels and new things covered with bright papers.

These are harunkush, which I thought might be tomatillos given how they were described to me. They do have a papery outer covering. They are very tart, and look like a tomato both inside and out. Maybe an unripe one! I looked it up later and it turns out they are something else. In South Africa, they are called Cape Gooseberries.

We ate kusherie which is rice, lentils and pasta mixed and eaten with fried onion and shutta, a spicy hot sauce. This was my second time only eating it--my father had always refused to eat it because it was peasant food. It was very delicious.

My uncle and cousin. We sat outside. This restaurant is on a very busy street called the 26th of July (has some historical meaning significance I can't remember). This street is not alone in a funny name--there's a very heavily used bridge called the 6 of October bridge. The significance of this one is that it is the day that Egypt successfully invaded Israel under Sadat. My uncle was actually part of that war.

The tree outside the restaurant wore a sweater. Cairenes think the weather is cold, but I am not sure but that the trees are just grateful for the respite from the heat and lack of water!

Monday 18

Want to develop nerves of steel? I recommend a course in traffic in Egypt. That includes walking anywhere, being a passenger in a car, and, for the graduate course, a driver. Walking includes hazards such as broken up sidewalks, and sidewalks that change heights without warning, as well as many obstructions from trash to sleeping people. Then, crossing the streets is exciting. There are no crosswalks. People cross at any given time and in any given place, weaving between the cars which rarely stop for you. Everyone is doing this. Being in a car is also super fun. They drive anywhere and everywhere, as fast as possible, weaving in and out of lanes (which are not marked). Street lights are usually considered suggestions. There's this street, it's called the Kornishe en-Nil. It runs along the Nile from Tahrir Square on south. The bridge to my aunt's house is from there. It used to be one way, about 5 lanes. Now parts of it are two ways, without any street markings. The first time I was on it, it was a pretty freaky experience to see cars driving right at you at what seems like extremely high speed. Doing nothing at all is something I used to love to do and have kind of given up. I've had some time to do nothing at all recently and discovered that I lost something important. The floating, unengaged time is refreshing. When I say do nothing, I mean literally just sitting or lying and doing nothing at all, not even thinking. Just let thoughts float through the mind. Maybe this is a form of meditation. It is much easier to do when there is nowhere to be and no one wanting something from you. Maybe that's why I haven't done it for awhile. Galleries: Well, there are several very sweet little galleries in Zamalek. Most of them are quite tiny, but the work they show is varied in style and subject matter. Most of what I saw is very contemporary/modern/post-modern and abstract. I didn't see any landscapes...or paintings of monuments, which I found interesting. I think most of them were more about identity. Another thing I found interesting was that there were lots of female figures. I don't know why, but I took no pictures of the galleries, so I guess I'll try to remedy that in the next few days. One in particular was in an old building, with pointed arch openings, all dark wood and the mashrabiya style carving (those were the carved shutters that kept women from sight). Tonight we talked late into the night exchanging family stories. Laila and I are going to try to develop a family tree. The family is scattered, but large.

Sunday 17

Let's see...Sunday. Wow, that was a long time ago! I walked down the steps in Laila's building today. She's on the 21st floor. I walked and walked and walked. The steps are very steep, and not the cleanest, and at times lack lights. Some floors were pitch black, others had doors without handles or with locks on them. The steps ended in an office, clearly occupied, but one without a doorhandle to get out of it. So up I went again, 6 floors. My cousin was horrified--I don't think it ever occurred to her to walk down the steps. I told her I was testing out her fire escape :-) (and attempting to get something that pretended to be exercise along the way). Anyways, if there was a fire, it would be preferable to jump or just inhale smoke because you'd likely fall down the stairs anyway in the haste to get down. Two days later, my thighs--just above the knees--are still a little sore. Which makes me think it might be time to go down 10 floors or so. This evening we went to visit a friend of hers who was down because her son just moved to the States to work. The friend is Christian. While there, the TV was on with an interview with the Coptic Pope. Essentially he's the same thing as the Roman Catholic pope, but for Egypt only. And much simpler life, and trappings. It was interesting seeing this pope after all the hoopla about the Vatican. Laila's friend insists that he is not a political figure, but I also find that very hard to believe. He was apparently talking about how church and politics should be separate. This pope wears all black, with a cross on a very long cord, and an odd looking hat. So I wondered before I came how Egypt might feel. Would it feel uneasy, or menacing, or nervous, or what? It feels fine. People are going about their daily business, and trying very hard to make ends meet, since the economy is in trouble. Lack of tourism is really hurting things here. There's a lot of political conversation, and it is just that: conversation. People seem to be able to be amicable about it for the most part. There are demonstrations, but this seems to be more of an inconvenience than anything--because it blocks major streets. The violence is unprecedented for Egypt, and the people I come into contact with are disgusted and would really like things to just go back to normal so they can move on. And maybe a new government. Lots of interest in that! The people I have talked to or overheard (conversations on the streets) want to see real change in a hurry. They don't seem to necessarily process that democracies aren't precisely fast, and that most of the people still running the government have no incentive to change, nor any knowledge of how to do that. Money is always interesting in Egypt. A US dollar brings about 7 pounds, which used to be a lot of money here. It still is; a can of coke is 250 LE, but other things have gone up. I haven't done much shopping yet so more on that later. I did however notice that the usual issue of never being able to get fikra (change) is still in evidence. One pound pieces are are always hard to come by.

Saturday 16

Laila and I got up late. I was still feeling lazy. Actually I woke up early and wasted my battery then did some yoga. Once we got moving we went off to visit family I had never met before.

Laila is my first cousin once removed. For those of you who aren't clear what that means it is that she is my father's cousin--that's where the once removed comes from. The people I met were her first cousins and my second cousins (her first cousins kids) on my grandmothers side of the family. They also happened to be from her ex-husbands family (the first cousins were his brother and sister). It was interesting to meet new distant family. My father never saw them or would answer questions about them. Apparently, though, there is a rather large extended family and my uncle Ahmed (religious uncle) seems to be planning to try to effect some sort of get together this summer. I learned this by accident.

So that ate up most of the afternoon and evening. I enjoyed it although it was hard for me to keep up with what was going on all the time and nearly impossible to join in. But it improved some. It was also interesting to see different parts of Cairo. The second apartment was where her ex had grown up (now occupied by his brother). It was tiny!! And whoever the architect was...not well planned out. And 10 people lived there. The kitchen is bisected by a wall so you enter between the stove and fridge, then run into the counter which has cupboards beneath it after 3 steps and have to make a 360 degree turn to get to the sink which is behind the stove, awkwardly. And the whole thing is probably 8 ft by 5 ft wide.

We came home, ordered in dinner (pizza...), and watched 2 movies, which put us in bed by 3 am. (!) Laila lives in Zamalek which is one of the wealthier areas of Cairo. It also houses a lot of expats and embassies so it also has a wider variety of food, more trendy shops and some bars. Friday night we went to an "English" pub...neat place, way crowded and very loud and smoky. It was about half and half expat and Egyptian. It's also where most of the art galleries are and I intend to see them all!

Fish place photos

Here are a couple of photos from el Borg, the fish place, including on the the enormous birds waddling around I the courtyard.

I almost forgot!!

We went by a (peaceful) demonstration on Friday near where Sadat is buried. My uncle says this is where the "liberals" gather.Not sure what that means in Egypt other than not Muslim Brotherhood, who seem very unpopular here, as does the president. At least with those who I have talked to. There seems to be a general opinion that the US government had some say in the elections and that it was fixed to ensure a pro-Israeli government is in place.

Friday 15

Lazy day. In Egypt, the weekend is Friday and Saturday. Still very hot (like 100). I made breakfast for my uncle and I--pasterma and eggs! Pasterma is an Egyptian dried and cured beef. It is delicious in eggs. I have never eaten it any other way but it would probably be good in other dishes as well.

We went to city stars, which is monster shopping center in one of Cairo's newer areas. Lots of British stores. Everything was outrageously expensive and quite dull. The place was jammed but it looked like very few people were buying. I am guessing they were there for the air conditioning!

We then went to a famous fish restaurant called el Borg. Apparently it started in Port Said. It was a 4 story building and I think the entire thing was one restaurant although there were these confusing signs to various restaurants. Anyway, you go in and there is a fish market counter where you select the seafood you want and tell them how to prepare it. It was highly chaotic and extremely noisy without atmosphere, but my uncle had warned me that it had no atmosphere. It was also quite busy with large family groups enjoying lunch together. I let my uncle choose since all I recognized was prawns and squid. He selected 2 kinds of fish and then we found a table. From there we were offered soup, salad and drinks. Soup was yummy--a thin broth with huge chunks of fish and shrimp in it. Salads were the Arabic version--dips--hummus, baba ganoujh and something I had not had before with a sour cheese flavor and a mayo like thing with garlic. And bread. The fish was delicious! The first out was what my uncle called barbonne, deep fried whole. The bones were soft enough to eat except the spine. Then there was a larger grilled fish, also excellent. Maess was what it was called... We could not finish it all. Best seafood I have had in quite some time. I took some pictures but I think you will have to go to fb to see them.

We went to visit my aunt Zizi. Her husband has a recurring fever that is not going away. Otherwise she is doing well. They fixed up the apartment. I was happy that I could mostly follow what was being said even if I could not participate much. Her son Ahmed is coming to Egypt to see his womenfolk (wife and daughter) at the end of the month. He lives in Texas but apparently it is easier to see him in Egypt.

My uncle is going to Qatar tomorrow so I am at my cousin Laila's house. Actually, if you want to be technical, she is my first cousin once removed. I really enjoy her company and we have a lot in common. I had never been to her house before although she had invited me to stay previously. She has her fathers apartment which has been renovated with a cleaner European feel. Hers is the only apartment I have been in here with art and antiques and a significant number of books. She collects antique metal cooking equipment, and has this konifa maker...covet!!! She collects current Egyptian art...and has some really nice pieces. She has African art and travel souvenirs. Plus lots and lots of books in English, Arabic and German! The apartment feels open and airy and she used lots of strong colors. I will put some pictures of it up as well.