From the Tunisienne Faculte Facebook page

“A burka?! You’re going to take that off for me right now!”

“Uh, by the way, you do know that you’re talking to an umbrella…”

The above bande dessinee was found shared on the Facebook page “Tunisienne Faculte,” which is actually a treasure trove of political cartoons and inspirational images if you check out their “wall photos” album. Although I am not sure whether the illustrator was French or Tunisian (or perhaps both), it pretty accurately sums up one viewpoint of the French towards Islam and, more specificially, the burka.

The man in the cartoon is shocked (and somewhat terrified, a mon avis) of the burka and want’s it removed immediately, which reflects France’s action against la voile integrale (the niqab, which covers all but the eyes, is also banned from public). The woman’s snide reaction–”Oh, the person under there is not a human being, it’s a beach umbrella”– is in effect dehumanizing women who wear full coverings. It shows how little the French care that women do choose to put these on-at least, in some places/cases-and that the veil is, for them, a symbol of their religion and faith, not something as silly as a parasol.

Whether or not your a fan of la voile integrale, France is wrong to ban it. The women aren’t walking around nude, for God’s sake-and I suspect that France would have less of a problem if there was a herd of women strolling around in their undies than their burkas. Although I am certainly not a fan of it, and understand that in some cases it can even pose a safety threat (how do you know who’s really under there?) the outrageousness of passing a “fashion law” seems a bit…..well, similar to the actions the Taliban took against Western fashion.

Europe’s queasiness concerning their expanding Muslim population was highlighted by Hishaam Aidi in an Al-Jazeera article (see below), which discusses the alienation of Muslims in their new homelands, particularly in France where they are often relegated to the banlieus. The U.S. government, apparently, is queasy about Europe’s cold shoulder towards their ‘new’ immigrants and has been trying to improve Muslim integration and participation in France and the U.K. The title of the article caught my eye for it hearkened back to the image of the U.S. as supreme “Big Stick” policeman: “Are Europe’s Muslims America’s Problem?” To answer: No, I don’t believe that they are America’s problem, but I do feel that they will be a very grande problem in Europe if these countries don’t open their hearts.

Put it this way: France, the U.K., Holland, Sweden and other European states have already opened their doors to Muslim immigrants. Now, they don’t like the results; but it’s too late to shut the door. It’s time for these governments to ‘open their hearts’ and find compassion and understanding for their new countrymen. If the United States can survive as a nation of immigrants, why can’t Europe be a mixed-bag, culture-wise, as well? The most recent edition of National Geographic describes France’s melting-pot port of Marseille as a place not only teeming with traditional Muslims, but also Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians who go to the plage just like everyone else, strip down to their bathing suits and enjoy the sun. Clearly, not all of France’s Muslims are against integrating and enjoying traditional French pleasures, so why paint them all with the same brush?

Quite frankly, the “backlash” that Europe had to America’s “soft-power programs”-a.k.a. outreach programs run mostly by the American embassy and aimed at youth-is embarassing. The U.S. was just trying to help a bad situation which they recognized from experience: after going through the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s, it’s pretty easy for an American to see that what’s happening in the banlieus and slums of Britain is quite similar to the treatment of African Americans in the past.

To quote the author: ”Sarkozy a few years ago threatened to clean up a cité with a Kärcher, a high-pressure hose.” Not only is this reminiscent of the fire hoses used on African Americans back in the 60s, it’s also a disgusting and cruel thing to say, as though the citizens of the projects were not citizens but garbage: used and broken invisible umbrellas. What did he think that would do? Did he think he could wash all the non-white French people away? Did he think he could cleanse them of their foreign attitudes, wash away the “dirt” of their religions and traditions?

The article mentions the fear of a “loss of cultural identity” as these newcomers hold fast to their traditions. But no one is telling the French to become Muslim, attend Friday prayer, slaughter a sheep: let everyone do what they want, I say. What makes us countrymen is not if we both share the same love of baguettes or pita, wine or the a la menthe, lamb or ham: what makes people countrymen is their shared values, the love of inalienable rights such as the ability to choose to do whatever you want, even if that means donning your own personal parasol to go to the beach.

S-L-M

Links:

1.   Are Europe’s Muslims America’s problem? By Hisaam Aidi, 26 Jan 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/201212110539569620.htmlvalentines

One way to know when the marriage is real: you have a ceremony, and tout le monde is invited!

“Faux-marriages” are a common practice for those in Egypt who want to be able to legally “be intimate” with someone who is not a spouse. Known as “orfi marriages” these allow couples to live together without being harassed by their landlords (as I found out, non-married couples cannot rent a flat or even a hotel room in Egypt; proof of marriage is required). While the logic behind the orfi marriages seems sound (from a liberal Westerner’s point of view) the underlying problem is that most of the time the woman (more often than not a foreigner) is not told that the marriage actually has no legal standing with the Egyptian government or any foreign government. Basically put, the orfi marriage is designed so that a man can have sex with the female of his choice and leave her when he’s finished, no strings attached.

A recent article on a French-language Tunisian website (see below for link) shed more light onto fake marriages in the Middle East, albeit in a completely different manner. In Tunisia, the practice of orfi marriages exists the same as in Egypt, but with several twists. Firstly, both parties know that the marriage is not binding nor long-lasting; secondly, both parties are usually Muslim (and sometimes of the more penitent type); and thirdly, it has not only become socially acceptable, but fundamentalist Salafis actually support le mariage coutumier.

The article on lustful Tunisians shocked me, mostly for it’s hypocrisy. Although I once again understand the logic behind two young people who want to have sexual relations but can’t because they are not married nor can be married, the fact that both the man and the woman are usually Muslim was kind of hard to grasp, since unlike in the case of the Egyptian marriages both parties knew that was they were doing was “wrong” and in some cases the girls were the religious type who were veiled! Religion is complicated, but I don’t really see how one could consider herself so “close to God” that she must hide her body from men, but yet she willingly submits to a non-blessed marriage (the article called these marriages ‘halal’ but I think not) just because she wants to have sex? Oh, the hypocrisy?

The hypocrisy of course extended to the fact that the extreme fundamentalist Salafi group actually encourages couples to engage in orfi marriages. This statement was not expounded upon, which I greatly would have appreciated, as it seemed to jar with everything that Salafis stand for along with the other commentary that the article provided, such as the fact that orfi marriage is still illegal under law. The article did point to the fact that many of the orfi participants are young, poor and relish the ability to enjoy an aspect of marriage “sans pour autant en supporter la charge financière, généralement très lourde.”

The “charge financiere,” or financial burden, points to a very interesting comparaison between the evolution of a Christianity and Islam. The Christian bible also states that sexual relatons should only be between a husband and wife, yet there are plenty of people nowadays who call themselves Christian but who engage in premarital sex, among other previously “forbidden” practices. Orfi marriage in the Muslim world suggests that some Muslims are challenging the rules that are suggested in the Qu’ran like their Christian counterparts before them. Orfi marriages suggest that even Islam, often seen as a stalwart and stubborn bulkhead to modernity, adaptation and change, is not completely immune to our rapidly changing world. Marriages cost money, and not everyone has money in these harsh economic times. Thus, even those who believe strongly in God have thought realistically and come to the conclusion that they don’t want to end up as the 40-year old virgin.

Will custom be overtaken by personal desire, lust and opinion in Tunisia? The citizens of this tiny country have already proved themselves as trendsetters of the Middle East (hello, Sidi Bouzi and the Arab Spring!) so let’s see if they can start a more cultural, liberal revolution.

S-L-M

Links:

1. “Tunisie – Le sexe hors mariage, désormais « halal » grâce au mariage « coutumier »” by Synda Tajine. 27 January 2012.  http://www.businessnews.com.tn/Tunisie—Le-sexe-hors-mariage,-d%C3%A9sormais-%C2%AB-halal-%C2%BB-gr%C3%A2ce-au-mariage-%C2%AB-coutumier-%C2%BB,520,28998,3

2. Photo copyright:  weddings.divanee.com

From Tunisienne Faculte Facebook page

“A burka?! You’re going to take that off for me right now!”

“Uh, by the way, you do know that you’re talking to an umbrella…”

The above bande dessinee was found shared on the Facebook page “Tunisienne Faculte,” which is actually a treasure trove of political cartoons and inspirational images if you check out their “wall photos” album. Although I am not sure whether the illustrator was French or Tunisian (or perhaps both), it pretty accurately sums up one viewpoint of the French towards Islam and, more specificially, the burka.

The man in the cartoon is shocked (and somewhat terrified, a mon avis) of the burka and want’s it removed immediately, which reflects France’s action against la voile integrale (the niqab, which covers all but the eyes, is also banned from public). The woman’s snide reaction–”Oh, the person under there is not a human being, it’s a beach umbrella”– is in effect dehumanizing women who wear full coverings. It shows how little the French care that women do choose to put these on-at least, in some places/cases-and that the veil is, for them, a symbol of their religion and faith, not something as silly as a parasol.

Whether or not your a fan of la voile integrale, France is wrong to ban it. The women aren’t walking around nude, for God’s sake-and I suspect that France would have less of a problem if there was a herd of women strolling around in their undies than their burkas. Although I am certainly not a fan of it, and understand that in some cases it can even pose a safety threat (how do you know who’s really under there?) the outrageousness of passing a “fashion law” seems a bit…..well, similar to the actions the Taliban took against Western fashion.

Europe’s queasiness concerning their expanding Muslim population was highlighted by Hishaam Aidi in an Al-Jazeera article (see below), which discusses the alienation of Muslims in their new homelands, particularly in France where they are often relegated to the banlieus. The U.S. government, apparently, is queasy about Europe’s cold shoulder towards their ‘new’ immigrants and has been trying to improve Muslim integration and participation in France and the U.K. The title of the article caught my eye for it hearkened back to the image of the U.S. as supreme “Big Stick” policeman: “Are Europe’s Muslims America’s Problem?” To answer: No, I don’t believe that they are America’s problem, but I do feel that they will be a very grande problem in Europe if these countries don’t open their hearts.

Put it this way: France, the U.K., Holland, Sweden and other European states have already opened their doors to Muslim immigrants. Now, they don’t like the results; but it’s too late to shut the door. It’s time for these governments to ‘open their hearts’ and find compassion and understanding for their new countrymen. If the United States can survive as a nation of immigrants, why can’t Europe be a mixed-bag, culture-wise, as well? The most recent edition of National Geographic describes France’s melting-pot port of Marseille as a place not only teeming with traditional Muslims, but also Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians who go to the plage just like everyone else, strip down to their bathing suits and enjoy the sun. Clearly, not all of France’s Muslims are against integrating and enjoying traditional French pleasures, so why paint them all with the same brush?

Quite frankly, the “backlash” that Europe had to America’s “soft-power programs”-a.k.a. outreach programs run mostly by the American embassy and aimed at youth-is embarassing. The U.S. was just trying to help a bad situation which they recognized from experience: after going through the Civil Rights Movement in the 50s and 60s, it’s pretty easy for an American to see that what’s happening in the banlieus and slums of Britain is quite similar to the treatment of African Americans in the past.

To quote the author: “Sarkozy a few years ago threatened to clean up a cité with a Kärcher, a high-pressure hose.” Not only is this reminiscent of the fire hoses used on African Americans back in the 60s, it’s also a disgusting and cruel thing to say, as though the citizens of the projects were not citizens but garbage: used and broken invisible umbrellas. What did he think that would do? Did he think he could wash all the non-white French people away? Did he think he could cleanse them of their foreign attitudes, wash away the “dirt” of their religions and traditions?

The article mentions the fear of a “loss of cultural identity” as these newcomers hold fast to their traditions. But no one is telling the French to become Muslim, attend Friday prayer, slaughter a sheep: let everyone do what they want, I say. What makes us countrymen is not if we both share the same love of baguettes or pita, wine or the a la menthe, lamb or ham: what makes people countrymen is their shared values, the love of inalienable rights such as the ability to choose to do whatever you want, even if that means donning your own personal parasol to go to the beach.

S-L-M

Links:

1.   Are Europe’s Muslims America’s problem? By Hisaam Aidi, 26 Jan 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/201212110539569620.htmlvalentines

Because I am now pressed for time, I would like to share with you a bulletin about what has been going on in the streets of Egypt, along with links to interesting articles concerning the matter.

One of the Lions that Gaurd the Oct. 6 bridge. Can Egypt rise up again like the lion, and resume it's pride and dignity?

• Top officials barred from Traveling Port Said, a large city on the Mediterranean, was the scene of more than 70 deaths as violence broke out at a football match. Fans stormed the field, attacking the players and then each other. While watching the coverage on TV a million questions ran through my head: what possessed them to attack the players? What possessed other spectators to join in the melee? And furthermore, why didn’t the police try to control the scene? Footage shows them just idly standing, not even trying to stop the rioting. The scene was, to quote my husband, “like crazed animals being released from a cage:” men were just running across the field, not for any purpose such as to run for safety or even to join in the fight; they just ran as though they were at a track meet, or, as an American friend who was over at the time for dinner said, “As though it was their dream to run across the soccer pitch.” Since then, massive protests have erupted throughout Egypt, leading to only more deaths, and top officials in Port Said have been banned from traveling out of the country as they face inquiries as to how this tragedy could have happened. There is talk of conspiracy on the terms of the government/police/military, but from what I can see, it was just a bunch of people rioting for no good reason.
• Fire in Cairo Stadium On February 1st, a fire broke out in Cairo Stadium during a football match (Zamalek vs. Ahly) after officials learned of the fighting in Port Said. Although this article states that the fire was due to a “circuit failure,” videos (youtube) showed hooligans setting off fireworks and running around along the track that surrounds the field. Cairo Stadium is just minutes away from my flat in Nasr City, and I watched the news coverage on TV with utter horror because, yet again, the police on hand seemed to do nothing to control the scene and, furthermore, the acts of the fans were just unbelievable. Fireworks are dangerous and should only be used in a controlled setting. Using them in a public place such as a stadium is poor judgement, and once again, people were both killed or injured in the incident. Personally, for everyone’s safety, I feel that fireworks should not be bought by the public! (This is one NY state rule that I agree with!)
• Gunmen rob HSCB in New Cairo This article includes the link to the video that was shot of the masked gunmen robbing the bank; what I’m curious about is, who filmed the robbery? Some bloke was just looking out the window with his camera and spotted the incident, or was he in on it? What’s disturbing about this incident is that it was one of several robberies throughout Egypt in the past week; similar robberies were also held in the resort town of Sharm al-Shiekh, where two European tourists were killed by Bedouin gunmen.
• Americans Kidnapped by Bedouins 2 Female American tourists were kidnapped for ransom by a Bedouin tribe, according to this article not for money but for the release of political prisoners. I do believe that they have since been released, but seriously: if Egyptians ever want a single tourist (tourism is a vital part of the Egyptian economy) to come back to Egypt, they need to rethink all of this protest and violence. Kidnapping is a surefire way for your country to be on the “Travel advisory” that the TSA puts out; even I, as a ardent traveler with a love for adventure, would not attempt to go to a country on this list!

As this will most likely be my last post on Egyptian soil, I would like to give a bit of parting advice to the Egyptian people, specifically those who feel the need to roam the streets, protest and cause mayhem:

Be cool. Calm down. Ask yourself what you really want, and how it may be achieved. Go to a masjid and pray for hope, pray for an answer. The Koran itself  does not condone violence just for the sake of violence. Roaming the streets, throwing smoke bombs and attacking each other will not solve your problems nor your conscience. Your country was a magnificent center of civilization; let’s restore it to it’s former glory, so that all Egyptians can be proud to call themselves Egyptians. Inchallah, I will be back to Egypt many times over the course of my life, and I hope to find it in good hands.

S-L-M

Downtown Cairo, along with Zamalek, a leafy island in the middle of the Nile, were the areas of choice for the French, and then British, colonizers. Their legacy is witnessed still in the architecture of the buildings; the Starbucks I visited last night was housed in an attractive white building with balconies and the typical brown-slatted shutters. Although rich people still live in Zamalek, the area has taken on a faded glamour: after the British (and most of the international scene) up-and-left Cairo more than half a century ago, poor people moved into downtown and took over the once-classy establishments of Zamalek.

An example of a more old-fashioned building in Zamalek. Those curtains, most likely once a vibrant red, are so faded that they look as though they have been hanging there for more than half a century! Buildings like this often have fixed rent, where the families only pay 10 pounds rent a month! Unfortunately, moving in is impossible since no family wants to give up such a cheap flat in downtown.

This little shop, sitting next to a “Vienna Cafe” (that’s the little cafe tucked into the corner right there), would probably be described as a “junk shop” but i think that “antique shop” would be more appropriate! On a closer inspection of the photo, you can see a figurine of a ukulele, a “Choo Choo train” set, an old keyboard and fake-mustache costumes. What an odd hodgepodge of old-fashioned items!

The above sign advertised a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. At first, it appears to be a scene from days past, when Cairo’s men still wore turbans, but on closer inspection, the man in the bottom-right corner appears to be putting a pizza into an open-air oven!

Shops like the one at right in the above photo are common throughout Cairo, not just in downtown. Those brightly-coloured bins in the front are piled high with different types of nuts (pistachio are popular here), and there’s always a ice box selling Pepsi (more popular here than Coca Cola, although the both do coexist).

Despite it’s faded glory, I would still trade living in the Soviet-style tasteless block apartments of Nasr City to the squalid and in dire need of refurbishment colonial buildings of downtown. Nasr City may be safer, but (and I know it’s probably politically incorrect of me to say) I am forever fascinated by the colonial eras in Africa and South America, and especially the architecture. The downtrodden downtown of Old Cairo, while a regrettable indication of Colonial Europe’s prejudice and pompous pride, is nevertheless a part of Cairo which I would urge any tourist to visit, as the streets of Cairo, in my opinion, are just as important to see as the pyramids.

S-L-M

]]> http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/downtown-and-down-trodden/feed/ 0 asingleletter curtains downtown junk shop old fashioned sign cairo downtown pistachio store cairo http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/tahrir-square-january-25-2012-a-year-after/ http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/tahrir-square-january-25-2012-a-year-after/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:06:38 +0000 thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/ http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/?p=248 ]]> “To celebrate or to protest” seemed to be the question on people’s minds as they gather today, January 25th, in Tahrir Square to mark the 1-year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution and overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.  While some people find cause for celebration, others find reasons to be angry, as they accuse the military of not giving in to all their demands. As of now, 1 PM Cairo time, the protest has been peaceful, but I, like I’m sure many non-activist Egyptians, am holding my breath in wariness.

I drove through Tahrir Square on Sunday, 22 January after my husband’s visa interview at the American embassy (they approved him! To which I can only say, thank you God). It should be noted that the line of Egyptians waiting for an appointment for general visas snaked all the way down the avenue, which only proves that Egyptians are wary of their country’s future. Many of them, my husband said, were Copts, although I’m not sure how he could discern that just by looking at them.

Unlike the last time I saw Tahrir Square, back in July 2011, there was activity this time, and by activity I mean protesters. On one of the center circles of the square (surrounded by traffic) protesters had erected red tents and had gathered. It wasn’t crowded, but I was kind of happy to be in the car and not walking on the street. Apparently an activist was stabbed to death right outside  the justice building that day (see link below), which explained why there were several journalists gearing up in front of their cameras as people gathered to watch.

A man preparing food; after all, even Tahrir Square protesters need to eat.

Another man appearing to prepare food, which kills the stereotype that Arab men can’t cook for themselves (his “Boys Don’t Cry” shirt is amusing, I think).

Not sure what this tent was for., but there appears to be someone’s leg and boot coming out of the door. Perhaps it’s a bathroom? If only I could read the sign.

I love this photo. It was taken, of course, as we drove along in the car, and it appears as though the man on the moped is about to drive straight at us! Here you can see a series of Egyptian flags that were staked in the ground, as well as the Cairo Tower ever so faintly in the background. Red, black and white (Egyptian flag colors) were everywhere, as were people selling Jan 25 tchotchke memorabilia and little food stalls.

There is a lot to be said about the 25 January Revolution. In the year since it happened, frustrations have run high, more people have been killed, honor and respect have been replaced with animalistic barbarism and, overall, not much in the way of change has occurred. For me, personally, the Revolution meant having my husband’s visa case delayed, which is not something that I take lightly. The Revolution meant not being able to go outside in Egypt because my husband feels that it is “unsafe.” Had the Revolution not happened, I possibly might be in Egypt to stay, but it is impossible for me to live in a country that at any moment could spark into intense unrest.

Although I disagreed with the methods of both sides of the Revolution, it is here to stay. Whether the demands of the protesters are fully met within a week, month, year or many years, the people will have to deal with what they created. After all, this was the greatest example of a people’s choice, a people’s work, and a people’s unity. Egyptians need to stand unified, forget their differences, let go of the past while still honoring those who died for the Revolution, and charge ahead for democracy.

S-L-M

Links:

1. Bikaya Masr: “Egyptian Activist Stabbed to Death in Cairo”  by Mohammad Abdel Salam, Jan 22., 2012 http://bikyamasr.com/54604/egyptian-activist-stabbed-to-death-in-cairo/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=WordSocial

2. A very interesting wordpress.com site regarding the author’s personal take on the Revolution: http://legalrizk.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/january-25-revolution-a-year-in-review/#comment-3

]]> http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/tahrir-square-january-25-2012-a-year-after/feed/ 0 asingleletter cairo 2012 visai nterview 845 cairo 2012 visai nterview 846 cairo 2012 visai nterview 847 cairo 2012 visai nterview 849 http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/rubbish-its-all-rubbish/ http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/rubbish-its-all-rubbish/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:43:27 +0000 thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/ http://thespectatorssport.wordpress.com/?p=262 ]]> A few days ago, I was in our flat (big surprise; I never get out much in Egypt) when I saw billowing white smoke wafting through the air through the balcony doors. I went onto the balcony (I just love having one,; you get to spy on people without them knowing it) and saw that, along one of the low walls of the “courtyard” someone had lit a pile of rubbish on fire.

Really, I just sighed when I saw this. If I wanted to be cruel, I could easily call Egypt one big “rubbish dump,” to use the British term for ‘garbage’ which they also use here. Cairo is littered with litter: even on the poshest street corners say, in Zamalek near the American Embassy, one will find garbage strewn across the ground. For someone who loves nature as well as beauty and cleanliness (my mother might laugh at that one, but dirtiness does give me the heebee-jeebees!) the site of all this rubbish just makes me scream.

The Egyptians, it appears, don’t care. If they did, they wouldn’t litter in the first place. Litter is just an accessory to Cairo’s, er, great sandy boulevards and weathered, eroding sidewalks and dusty evergreen plants. Whilst sitting on my balcony, I’ve seen rubbish fly by me; usually scraps of paper or cigarette ash, but there also happens to be a black belt and a dirty sock hanging in the tree which stands eye-level with my balcony. On the ground, I can spot a lone hanger, Chipsy’s bright-coloured bags, styrofoam delivery cartons and of course cigarette boxes.

Whenever I lecture my husband and his friends on this, they just laugh. My husband has no qualms about tossing rubbish out the car window onto the street, and neither does anyone else I’ve met. On occasion, I’ve taken the empty Pepsi cans and put them in my purse to throw away in our garbage at home. I don’t see why anyone would want to live in rubbish; after all, they do have garbage collectors here, it’s not like they don’t! I suppose the many alley cats enjoy the rubbish heaps as do the pigeons, but overall, the lack of care over  the environment is pretty sad and non-existant here in Egypt.

Speaking of a lack of environmental concern, fireworks are also legal in Egypt. And although it was kind of nice one day last summer when people set them off in the courtyard, they pose a severe threat in a city that is parched and, well, a desert! They are also not cool when you can’t see them, as was the case the other night. I heard a series of huge booms, and when I stepped onto the balcony I noticed the sound of everyone clinging shut their doors. Perturbed, I went back inside, only to realize that a smell of rotting eggs-sulfur-had filled the apartment. I seriously thought that a bomb had gone off, or at the very least some type of nerve gas, which was only compounded with my fear that one, I don’t have a cellphone to call my husband, who was out and two, I started to have difficulty breathing. Later, I found out that they were only fireworks, but seriously, in Egypt you never know if it’s going to be fireworks, fire or just a burning pile of rubbish!

Note: Although the environment and safety issues in Egypt disturb me at times, I still find the country a beautiful, intriguing place and I am not trying to insult anyone with this post!

S-L-M

One of the tastiest treats in Egypt has got to be Todo. Todo is like the Hostess brand of Egypt: they make all sorts of sweet little snacks just waiting for my sweet tooth to devour. I encountered Todo during my first trip to Egypt, but when we went to the supermarket last week it was the first time I saw the Todo cream-filled cupcakes. Of course, I had to get them!

Below is an example of the more traditional Todo, a little chocolate-covered chocolate cake with a layer of chocolate icing. Perhaps French bakeries would sniff at my Todo obsession–Hostess certainly isn’t gourmet–but Todo is a very good dessert, in my opinion.

Continuing on the sweet-tooth craze, my husband picked these treats up from the market one day after work. The Tempo was like a less-sweet version of the Oreo; the HoHo’s were, well, like Hostess Hoho’s (or maybe they look more like Yodels?) Either way, both were tasty, and an interesting fact is that the packaging on both was in French. Not a word of Arabic in sight!

Froot Loops aren’t an Egyptian brand (although I did try the Egyptian version, Temmy’s, which features a crocodile on the box, and they sorely lacked sugar of any nature) but they are one of the few American cereal brands I’ve encountered in the Egyptian supermarket. It’s also funny to see the box, which I’ve been familiar with since childhood, appear in Arabic.

No trip to the supermarket (in Egypt, I’ve gone to both the giant department-store Spinney’s at the CityStars Mall as well as Metro Market, which has a huge candy section and CinnaBon pop-up shop, as well as most recently Omar’s Supermarket) is complete without President cheese. But what I want to know is: is it Egyptian, or French? My aunt brought over President cheese for Christmas Dinner, which makes me want to assume that it is French. But apparently it’s very popular in Egypt too.

And what do I make with President cheddar cheese slices? Grilled cheese, of course! My husband had never had a grilled cheese until I made it for him (oh, the horror!) That’s perhaps because sliced bread is unpopular in Egypt and, also, rather expensive (they prefer their pita bread, baked in open-air bakeries). Rich Bake is the common go-to source for sliced bread (and other bread goods) and I find that I like it more than regular American white bread (of course, it has nothing on French baguettes, but c’est la vie).

When people ask me, “Can you find something normal to eat?” in Egypt, the answer is not only “yes, in the cafes” but also “yes, at the supermarket.” Metro Market would look identical to something like King Kullen, if only King Kullen had lime-and-pepper-flavored potato chips. Oh yes. More on that later.

S-L-M

I have decided to keep a sort of diary about my life in Cairo, where I will be spending the next month. For the sake of letting my subscribers know that I have posted something new, I will add these diary postings to my normal post list, but you can also find them in the page entitled “The Cairo Diary.” It’s kind of nice to do a more informal musing on Arab culture. 

Holidays are meant to be fun. They are meant to be times of joy, when people get together to eat, drink, remember and celebrate with their family and friends. For me, holidays do not have a high success rate; the expectations and hype, I feel, are too high, and I have spent many a holiday for this or that reason in tears. So the idea of spending holidays abroad–and thus away from the people who celebrate the holiday–appeals to me.

To date, I have celebrated most major holidays abroad. I spent Halloween in France (I did nothing) as well as Thanksgiving in France (I probably feasted on my glorious ham-and-cheese baguette, which in my opinion is a far better Thanksgiving feast than turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce). I spent Christmas Eve in the Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci airport  and then in a hotel room at the Satellite Hotel outside Rome, eating a disgusting pasta dinner (the mineral water, the only thing to drink besides wine which I didn’t want, was awful) thanks to severe rain, and then Christmas Day trying not to fall asleep in Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport, with nothing but Pringles and a Pepsi and an endless game of Solitaire. I spent Memorial Day (don’t remember) and the Fourth of July in Cairo, the latter sitting in an American school in sweltering hot heat, where no one seemed to realize that it was July 4th despite being an “American” school.

This was all in 2011. Most recently, I spent New Years Eve/Day in Barcelona, Spain, with my twin sister and university friends as I recently reported. And now I can report that I have spent my birthday abroad here in Cairo, the first birthday I celebrated without my twin (!) or my cousin, who also shares the same day.

Although it was strange to celebrate my birthday without them, it was the first time I really celebrated it as “my day,” which I will never view it as. I spent the day fuming in our flat because there was no internet (again!), then went over with my husband to his parent’s flat where his family, including his older sister and her adorable children, had prepared a small celebration. They lit the chocolate and creme cake twice (as I requested; it’s a tradition in my family) and sang “Happy Birthday” to me, first in English and then in Arabic. We also had a plain cake which his mother had made, which was delicious. I played with the children and declared that I was turning 5 years old, not 23.

Afterward, my husband and I walked around Cairo’s huge CityStars Mall (5+ levels and more awing than any Long Island mall) with his friend before returning home. We were supposed to go to the Cairo Tower yesterday for dinner, but as of yet this hasn’t materialized. Despite the lack of  an “excitement” factor, I had a very lovely birthday with his family and hope that this year continues on it’s upward trend. Our visa interview is coming up in two days, and if I don’t get on here before then, please wish us luck!

S-L-M

The judges of Arab Idol, from wikeez.com

Arab Idol even visually resembles it’s American counterpart. The contestants sing on a round stage awash in blue lights, with an audience watching them as well as the panel of judges. There are three judges, older singer Ahlam (with the requisite collagen lip implants), a dashing older man (Ragheb Alama, a music producer) with wavy hair and Hassan El Shafei, younger man who appeared to be sporting a bit of a faux-mohawk. Unlike original American Idol Hosts Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, the judges keep their commentary short and sweet—and sweet, it appears, indeed: they don’t appear to put-down the contestants with callous and crude words, which is a relief. (Note: this writer only ever saw a brief glimpse of American Idol; for some reason, I never got into it, but I know enough about the dramatic antics of the judges to know that they probably only said what they said for shock value).

After every commercial break, the affable host with the light brown hair, definite salon-tan and nice blue eyes reminded viewers to log onto facebook.com/arabidol to either cast their votes or for more information. Along the bottom of the screen was the rolling list of numbers to text for your favorite contestant: Asiacell (for Iraq); Orange (a network also used in France), Zain (popular in Bahrain, I believe), Etisalat (covers Egypt), Oman mobile and many others.

The contestants were varied, but entirely male! The show, which is relatively new, includes male and female competitors; I think they preform on different episodes.  They gave short performances, but to my ear, they sounded no different than the Arabic artists I listen to on my ipod; in other words, these were actual, genuine singers, not like the contestants on American Idol who were most likely selected for their personal lives and shock value than actual talent. (OK, so Carrie Underwood is an admittedly decent singer, and she has had great success; Kelly Clarkson, although I wouldn’t say has the most amazing voice, certainly had more feminist, thought-provoking songs; but don’t get me started on the other winners of the show). The Arab Idol contestants didn’t stand there on stage bawling, or crying because the opportunity “was just so amazing;” they accepted their critique with a smile, graciously, and it was on to the next one.

There was 30’s-age man named Mahmoud who wore an interestingly-patterned turban and robe who sung a traditional song; a young man named Youssef who also sang a very traditional song (although apparently with some background vocals, as when he stopped the song kept going) who was an apparent crowd favorite; a young Saudi or Gulf man (he wore a red-and-white checkered headscarf) who smiled lot but whose performance was a little dull (which the judges did appear to remark on); a cute boy named Hassan who was either from Tunisia or who sung a traditional Tunisian song (the audience was in love with him, and he lapped up the attention, blowing kisses) as well as  several others who attempted to rock the stage.

Arab Idol was interesting primarily because I’d never watched an Idol, but there was something sorely lacking: the drama of elimination! At the end of the show, all the contestants came on stage and their names were read, but I’m not sure if they eliminated anyone! What’s up with that? Do they only eliminate people on certain shows, or did they announce the name but didn’t make a big deal of it, so as to lessen the blow to the loser? Either way, it makes me feel as though us Americans are bloodthirsty for winners and losers!

S-L-M