An American in Cairo

When I decided to travel to Egypt on January 27, 2011, I had many things to look forward to. Catching up with friends and family, recording great footage, leading a culinary tour, writing magazine articles and blogging about my experiences.  This is a story line for one of the magazine articles I planned to write:

1. Working Title: Edible Egypt/ Egyptian cuisine combines Bedouin, Nubian, Jewish, Roman, Greek, Muslim, Arab, Turkish, French and Italian influences with local produce.
Story Description:


You’ll embark on a culinary odyssey through Egypt where delicious and healthful breakfast, lunch, and dinner options can be found on every street corner. Locals say that the way to an Egyptian’s heart is through their stomach! Cairo, known as the “Mother of the World” offers travelers a host of dining options, ranging from cheap street stalls to high end restaurants. We’ll begin our journey with breakfast at the century - old Cafe Riche. Virtually unchanged for the past century with walls lined with photos of artists and writers, you’ll be transported back to Cairo’s Golden Era. Here we’ll savor Egyptian tea along with a hearty, traditional omelets and olives, and colorful vegetable salads that provide enough stamina needed to enjoy the bustling Cairo street culture.


For lunch, we’ll visit one of the city’s most bustling eateries to sample favorites such as iconic Koushari – a lentil, rice, pasta, and chickpea plate topped with spicy tomato sauce and caramelized onions. For dinner, we’ll travel up the Nile to Luxor, where we’ll sample the inimitable kabobs from Kabagy, the historic landmark restaurant overlooking the Theban Hills. Tasty and easy to reproduce, readers will enjoy making healthful versions of these recipes at home.


Delivery Date: Feb 1, 2011


When we were almost to Cairo, however, the pilot told us that the airport was closed for security reasons and we were sent to Beirut for the night. The next day we made it back to Cairo. From what we saw at the airport, everything looked the same. But of course, it wasn't. Cell phone access was extremely limited. A fellow passenger and Cairo native let me use hers to call my contacts. After several attempts I finally got ahold of my best friend Amira who came to pick me up.

The weather was sunny and the streets were remarkably uncongested. After we got back to her place in a residential neighborhood in Cairo, I learned that we were under a curfew and couldn't go out past 5pm (this is extremely restricting for Egyptians who normally don't even eat LUNCH until 6pm and often stay out or up until 2am). The next day looters were released from prison and reeking havoc across the city.  The local mosques organized neighborhood watches and all the men would go downstairs and keep watch of the neighborhood in shifts. They made makeshift check points and blocked off streets. In some areas, the citizens caught criminals and turned them in.  Others brought food and drinks so that the "guards" would have sustenance.

Fortunately, I am in a quiet neighborhood far away from what is taking place in Midan al Tahrir. The shock and awe that most people feel reminds me of America in the days immediately following 9-11. Everyone stays glued to the TV hoping for a promise of a better tomorrow.  Needless to say, my article won't get published.  The 2 Cairo cafe's I wanted to visit, photograph, and review are now surrounded by military and protesters.  A few weeks ago I was reminiscing about how that area - Midan al Tahrir - is no longer the hub of Cairene culture...that it has been forgotten as locals now flock to malls and suburbs to socialize. I couldn't have imagined that just a short time later "Tahrir Square" would be a household name around the world.

My hope is that it is remembered for yesterday's peaceful protests- and not the atrocities of today.  Despite bans in recent years, Egyptians are not strangers to protests. The first recorded protest in history took place in Thebes (modern day Luxor) in antiquity. May safety, security, and justice be restored soon.