Egypt 8: Dinner and a Walk in Cairo

Dare I say it, is this what a date in Cairo would have been like?

My last evening in Cairo was quite a lark. Neveen, Kamal and I boarded a taxicab to Islamic Cairo again, and it all began when I tried to make a list of the food I had tried in Egypt.

- Fuul – double check, had it twice; (spicy fava beans mashed up and stuffed in flatbread pockets)
- Salmak – check; (fish)
- Fas and alfans mangoes – check many times;
- Guava – check (little plum-sized guavas with flesh so soft and juices so sweet….);
- Hamaam – check (roast pigeon stuffed with mixed rice and nuts, as the pigeons have no meat);
- Kebab – check (grilled meat);
- Kofta – check (grilled minced meat);
- Tumayyim – check (yoghurt and garlic mix to dip bread in, smooth, light and luscious);
- Kirkider – check (blood red tea made from dried hibiscus petals);
- Aish – check many many many many times (flat bread);
- Oma-ali – check twice (as that’s the most I can take of this rich but wonderful dessert of layered phyllo pastry in milk and sugar, topped with coconut, pistachios and raisins, baked to a golden brown top crust);
- Ahwa mazbuta – check many many times (“coffee perfect” – the best possible mix of Turkish coffee grounds and sugar)
- Shei – check (red tea, strongly sweetened, is popular here)
- Molokhaya – not this trip, as it is a delicious but slimy green soup that had to be home-made.

So it appeared I still had to try an infamous dish called kosheri. The best kosheri place that Kamal knew was back in Islamic Cairo, so off we went – and the taxi driver was the start of a strangely entertaining evening.


The octogenarian cab driver kept talking to various passing cars as he hunched over the steering wheel. At some point he was talking to Kamal about an incident in a well-to-do area in Cairo where three women were bent down pushing a broken-down BMW, and on that day he was happy that God gave him good eyesight. When he heard Neveen translating this to me in English, he started yelling in English, “Soldier, move that donkey! Move it, sergeant! Stop! Speak English!” while Neveen, Kamal and I were struggling between laughter and trepidation as he was doing this while weaving his way through rush-hour traffic.

The kosheri place was a clean and budget-conscious dining location. The staff was friendly, and within seconds steaming bowls of kosheri were placed in front of us.

Kosheri is meant to be a laborer’s meal – it is a mix of macaroni, rice, vermicelli noodles, lentils, chick peas, all already cooked in boiling water and drained. On top of that you add stewed tomatoes, garlic salt, fried onions, garlic broth and a liberal amount of chili sauce. Mix it all up, and it’s a delicacy waiting to overload your carbohydrate level. But after a day of walking all over town and sweating buckets, it was quite satisfying and all for the measly amount of US$3 for three people. This place churns kosheri bowls out by the 100’s, and I can definitely recommend that you become number 101.

Neveen watched Kamal and I in awe as we scarfed the stuff down like it was our last meal – and then we had a nice time talking to the kosheri people, who were quite pleased that I was taking so much interest in their dish that they let me step into the sacred territory behind the kosheri counter. Cool.


After this, we went to Naguib Mahfouz’s café in Khan el Khalili, where I hear every now and then Mr. Mahfouz may show up. Although he is a talented Nobel-prize winning author, we weren’t there for such lofty ideals as meeting Mr. Mahfouz, I’m afraid. We were there for the prurient reason of smoking some shisha. And eating some wonderful oma-ali. Which we did, to the detriment of our waistlines.


So we walked it off around downtown Cairo afterwards. We went by the Cairo Opera House (after palming the security guard) and by night, it is a spectacular rendition of modern Muslim architecture.

Echoes of the main integral structure of a large courtyard, it kept the clean lines and simple geometric shapes that the old mosques also maintain. It was a spectacular evening, balmy with a slight breeze. In Cairo, you sort of forget about the noise of traffic and smell of smog after a while.


This was a popular place to bring a date – we noted a fair number of snuggling couples. To top off the evening, we went for a walk along the corniche on the Zamalak side of the Nile. Being a Thursday night, the promenade was packed with families enjoying a nice evening out in the open. Babies were running after footballs, mothers and aunts were chatting while sisters and cousins were singing. The view from the promenade was enchanting, although marred by the occasional contraband fishing boat.

We also walked across the bridge over the Nile, where the young people would hang out teasing each other, flirting, showing off, mere inches from honking Cairo traffic. Just normal folk in Cairo. For a few moments, I sort of felt like I was part of them.

Next: Goodbye Egypt... http://atygerontheloose.blogspot.com/2004/07/egypt-9-ensha-allah-i-will-be-in-masr.html