Here are a few epicurian facts I've learned from my experience so far dining in Egypt, on Egyptian food with Egyptian people.
1. If you don't know what it is, try it first- you might like it. If you do like it, I still probably wouldn't ask what's 'in it'.
2. There is no '15 second rule' in Egypt.
3. Potato chips are a viable sidedish for roast lamb.
4. Many Egyptian foods have names that are fun to say: 'gibna' (cheese), 'chipsi' (potato chips), 'hawowshi' (ground beef sandwich), 'kofta' (lamb meatball) and 'bassbossa' (semolina cake) which makes me think of a vilanous Disney pirate each time I say it.
5. Egypt is not the place for dieters.
6. The best tasting watermelon in the world is grown in Egypt.
7. You haven't had fresh honey until it's served to you straight from a sleeve of comb, right out of the hive.
8. Everything tastes better roasted on a stick.
9. There is no such thing as too many carbs in Egypt.
10. "What is this thing called a 'napkin' of which you speak?"
11. If it came out of the Nile, DON'T EAT IT.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ironic
I find it more than ironic that in a country that is 94% Muslim, they're worried about 'swine' flu.
The other day I walked onto set and my nostrils were assaulted by a terribly strong medicinal smell. Turns out production had a few people walking around spraying 'Detol'- Lysol's counterpart out here. Huh. 'I guess they're cleaning the set', I thought. Then I saw about 1/3 of the crew walking around with surgical masks on. 'That's weird', I thought. Then again, not so strange when I remembered the times when I went around set sporting a spike out of the top of my head, a fake moustache, deely-boppers, a fake pregnant belly and glitter platform shoes just for fun (not all at the same time mind you- I do have some sense of decorum). Well, it turns out that the media sources in Cairo are stating that the 13 (as of today 20) cases of Swine Flu come from Americans! There are 6 Americans on set (including Chris and myself), and we all found ourselves being avoided like, well, the plague. Never one to miss an opportunity, I proceded to blow my nose a whole bunch and try to stiffle a raspy cough here and there. Chris took it one step further.
I was sitting on set waiting for the next scene when Chris tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I had seen the doctor. When I looked up from my book to answer him, I was in shock! He looked terrible- pale, red nostrils, snot caked under his nose, sweaty- my God, how could he get so sick so fast... wait a tic. Nice make-up job, funnyman. Of course, there more than a few crew who weren't so convinced that it was make-up and gave him a wide berth when he walked by. If anything, I'd say the day was highly entertaining.
The other day I walked onto set and my nostrils were assaulted by a terribly strong medicinal smell. Turns out production had a few people walking around spraying 'Detol'- Lysol's counterpart out here. Huh. 'I guess they're cleaning the set', I thought. Then I saw about 1/3 of the crew walking around with surgical masks on. 'That's weird', I thought. Then again, not so strange when I remembered the times when I went around set sporting a spike out of the top of my head, a fake moustache, deely-boppers, a fake pregnant belly and glitter platform shoes just for fun (not all at the same time mind you- I do have some sense of decorum). Well, it turns out that the media sources in Cairo are stating that the 13 (as of today 20) cases of Swine Flu come from Americans! There are 6 Americans on set (including Chris and myself), and we all found ourselves being avoided like, well, the plague. Never one to miss an opportunity, I proceded to blow my nose a whole bunch and try to stiffle a raspy cough here and there. Chris took it one step further.
I was sitting on set waiting for the next scene when Chris tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I had seen the doctor. When I looked up from my book to answer him, I was in shock! He looked terrible- pale, red nostrils, snot caked under his nose, sweaty- my God, how could he get so sick so fast... wait a tic. Nice make-up job, funnyman. Of course, there more than a few crew who weren't so convinced that it was make-up and gave him a wide berth when he walked by. If anything, I'd say the day was highly entertaining.
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