On Saturday, I spent the day as a tourist with a new friend from DC by way of Ohio, and a visitor from Seattle whom I met at the film festival last week. We started at Abu Tarek, the self-named Best Koshari Place in Downtown Cairo. Anthony bourdain ate here when he came to Cairo, and it is pretty delicious.
So what is koshari? A carb lover's dream, or Atkins' nightmare. It's an Egyptian staple of pasta, chickpeas, lentils, fried crispy onions, and tomato sauce. There are no options, this is the only way it comes, but you can customize it with hot sauce and vinegar provided at the table. It's delicious, and filling and super cheap.
Loaded up with carbs, we then went to walk off the calories at Khan al Khalili, Cairo's amazing souq. As many times as I've been there, it's impossible for me not to get lost. There are so many shops and alleys, markets within the market, merchants, tourists, and people passing through the narrow alleys, it's all a whirlwind experience. This is where you come to buy souvenirs or handicrafts from: in laid furniture and decor, to brass and cooper work, to gold and silver, fabrics, spices, you name it.
I bought some hair and massage oils that I customized with fragrances of lavender and sandalwood, and lots, I mean lots, of jewelry. We didn't even find everything we were looking for, despite spending about 5 hours wandering through. All the walking required some rest at the touristy cafe, Fishawy, where my friends enjoyed some sahlab, a hot, thick milk drink with raisins, nuts and coconut. We opted to sit outside and were constantly being nagged by vendors, but it added to the experience.
And at the end of it all, we went to Farahat for some wonderful stuffed pigeon. For anyone who is an adventurous eater, this must be tried. It's another Egyptian specialty that is too good to be missed.
On our way home we got stuck in traffic on Talaat Harb St downtown, so my friend and I decided to get out of our taxi and walk instead. We found ourselves in the midst of yet another market. At night, Talaat Harb street becomes an outdoor market of its own, with the street lined with racks of knock off clothing from "Nike," "Adidas," "Ralph Lauren," and even "Burberry." We were both talking about how our cardigans are the warmest things we brought with us to Egypt- and have been freezing at night lately, so we bought ourselves some knock-off sweatshirts to bum around the house in.
I got home late and exhausted, but overall it was one of the best days yet.
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