04.04.2020 Two months and three days ago I landed in Egypt. It was a spontaneous decision to go to Cairo. Free from the heart. Meet a friend and spend a few days with her. And then see where to go next.
Get to know the country and the people by eating together. There is almost nothing better that connects more than sharing time in good company with good food. Savoring the nation’s dishes opens up new worlds. And in a collective round the world opens up to the people. A treat for body and soul.
02/27/2020 An Egyptian friend invites to dinner. I am the exotic foreigner in this circle. My favorite food is Egyptian. Day in, day out. I despair if the restaurant only has pasta and pizza on the menu. So its obvious for the Egyptian woman that she serves the national dishes. I look forward to authentic food. Whether already known or new. No matter. The main thing is a regional dish.
I see the dining table and I can hardly believe my eyes. Is this the Egyptian land of milk and honey? Fragrance notes enchant my sense of smell. The sea of colors of the dishes flatters me. And the quantity is in no relation to the number of people.
A plate, like a bottomless pit. So now I have a duty as a good guest to try all of the dishes. The importance of this duty becomes clear to me too late. It is not only: a little bit here and a little bit there. No. My plate is loaded at will. One mountain after the other moves onto this plate. I’m relieved at first. So the decision is made for me to start with. But then I become aware of my duty. There is so much to try. And a mountain of it every time? Phew. This is a challenge even for me as a passionate eater. Quality and quantity tops every standard of a dinner. It’s just too good to stop eating. But too much to continue to eat so much. In the meantime I have declared the plate to be my territory. After seeing that everyone is perform their right to rule on their plates. A running gag is created. And if you don’t pay attention for a moment, the hostess will serve you something else. And if you hand over your plate to someone else to get the chosen food on it, you have a mountain of food in front of you.
Lentil soup. Different dips. Salads. Oven baked vegetables. Stuffed vegetables. Filled wine leaves. Rice. Fried zucchini. Okra vegetables. Eggplant casserole. Crackers with avocado cream. Everything selfmade. Days of preparation. With a lot of love and a sense of exquisite cooking.
Feeling five kilos older and two hours heavier, I’m still in the chair at the dining table. A smile is on my lips. The round is lifely and cheerful. Although the conversations are now in Egyptian, I have to laugh too. The others’ laughter is just too contagious. In between, the conversation is translated into English. It’s about funny mishaps, stupidities, or a joke. It is a pleasure to be part of this round. Without a stamp on the forehead that I’m from another country. Without being constantly peppered with questions about what I’m doing. Without annoying small talk. A happy get-together at a banquet. A meal that elicits a lot of “mmmmmmhhh ‘s” from all of us. A compliment after another sounds to the excellent hostess. Happy faces. Flavor explosions of a completely new kind – definitely for me. A real treat. And also the maximum consumption of my trip.
I take the last bite. After I confirm that I am completely full, my plate is cleared. I don’t need to eat anything for the next three weeks. Flat breathing is now the order of the day. All the space in the body takes up the food. Blissfully, the gourmet group wanders on the sofas. Tea is being prepared. Oh yeah. Good idea. The stomach can certainly use a little liquid at the end. But, by the way: ending. The crowning is still to come. The physalis on the icing, so to speak: homemade orange tartlets and a tiramisu cake. Sure, of course. A dessert is part of a feast. How could I forget that? Fortunately, I have an extra stomach for sweets that insists on its right to exist. All right then. These two delicacies are also tried. With a tea. And I am ready to bless the temporal. My deadly sin is definitely gluttony. And if I believed in it, I would go to hell with joy. With all the heavenly delights that I had in my life in terms of taste, this evening is the perfect highlight.
It’s time to leave. Not from this earth. But home. I happily roll to the apartment door. My Egyptian friend packed something for me and points to a bag. My shock and my incredulous face caused laughter from the others. In the sense of: What did the German expect if she got something from the Egyptian?
It is a mystery to me whether I simply have no strength to carry this bag after the banquet. Or whether the bag actually weighs 15 kilos.
When I get home I unpack the gifts. I can hardly believe my eyes. But my tired arm from carrying confirms the motive: this is the Egyptian land of milk and honey.
04/04/2020 Egypt. Summer is coming with big steps. During the day it is so hot that lingering in the sun is limited to a few minutes. And my travel options are also limited. The measures against the spread of the virus are also taken here in Egypt. Closed country borders worldwide. The question is no longer where the journey will go. The question arises as to when the journey will continue.
