The First Food Quest
Posted September 4, 2006Once I had arrived at Zamalek and settled in, I needed a shower, and badly. Shampoo was one of many items I did not pack, since Eric and I had been staying in hotels, so I walked down my hall and knocked on doors to see if anyone would loan me their shampoo for a wash. I must have arrived earlier than most, because I found only one other guy (even the RA hadn’t moved in). That’s how I met Chris.
Chris and I turned out to have several things in common. We both finished our undergrad, we both turned out to be ALI students, and we both claim relatively liberal mindsets. Also, neither of us brought shampoo, but both of us were hungry. I took as much of a quick shower as I could and we set out to find food. It was 1:45 in the morning.
Chris also speaks a bit of Arabic, so we were able to get a cab to take us to a restaurant Rafit had recommended to us. Even at such an early hour, the streets were full of people. Entire families with children whose ages you could count on one hand walked around, laughing and doing business. Bars and clubs of various sorts were open, as were most street-side shops. But what was most impressive about that first venture was the transportation.
Driving in
Chris and I found our restaurant and ate. The meal was some sort of omelet, made with meat and eggs and maybe some batter or something. It was tasty, at any rate, since neither he nor I had eaten much during the day. Afterwards, we decided to walk around a bit, but we didn’t get too far before getting tired and grabbing a cab back to Zamalek.
Finally, after a long day of traveling and moving, I went to sleep.
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