Tuesday, September 29, 2009

3 Egyptian obsessions

tea. typically with lots of sugar. served anytime, day or night, and with incredible hospitality. last time i was in Egypt, i remember our taxi driver serving me and Alex a cup of tea brewed in the parking lot outside the Mohammed Ali mosque. he seemed in no rush to get anywhere, and shared the moment with us. and told me that my sweet tooth meant i drank tea like a true Egyptian.

shisha. flavored tobacco smoked with religious frequency from water pipes in street side cafes throughout the country. you've got your apple, your watermelon, your peach, your honey, you name it. once the purview of men (at least in public), you find more and more women smoking shisha in cafes. we even recently saw a shisha girl (the person who prepares and brings you your pipe) at a cafe near Al Azhar Mosque in Islamic Cairo.

backgammon. also a staple of cafe life. Shams taught me his version, and never once managed to beat me.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You will have to show me how to play backgammon when you return. It looks like one of those crazy strategy games. Yay, strategery.

Jimnchar said...

What was his version of backgammon? Double 1's, regular, or something else?

Mom said...

I love the sound of backgammon. The slapping of pieces on the board. :)