Sam and I have been eating out almost everyday. He gets home and we go out. (We are still in the temp. apt). My friend, Avis who is also here without kids, took me to the CSA --Community Services Center here in Maadi. What a wonderful place this is! On Sundays and Thursdays, they have a "Cooks Day Off". It is an opportunity to buy wonderful ethnic foods prepared by women that live in Maadi. They set up thier food in a room off the garden. You want to get there early so you can have the best selection! We got there as it opened and the toughest thing I had to do was decide what type of food we were going to have for dinner! Indian, Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Thai foods and Egyptian sweets were the choices for this day. I went with Vegetable Samosas, and Chicken Curry from India; Spring Rolls from the Chinese place, and Wonderful M&M cookies from the Egyptian cook. Sam and I really enjoyed a meal at home! These meals are reasonable and they freeze well. Sheyenne, if Shiney hasn't made you Samosas, yet....request them!
The CSA houses many things to help expats get settled into the culture and living here. They have a lending library, a DVD library, a gift shop with things provided by local artisans (Egyptians), a resale shop, an activities co-ordinator with tours, language classes, and events planned for every day of the week but Friday (holy day). There is a help desk where the ladies can answer any question you have, and there is a staffed gym with great work-out equipment. AND the wonderful El Greco coffee and pastry shop. It is a nice place to stop by and enjoy coffee and free wifi, meet friends and so on. Avis and I signed up for a tour next Thursday---The Walls of Cairo. It is a tour of the old city wall. I am looking forward to it!
On Sunday they have a newcomers coffee and I plan to go. Every Monday is "Manicure Monday", Wednesday nights are Pasta Nights and usually have a program like a fashion show or art exhibit. Several times a year they have a bazaar and this month they are having a large garage sale. So much to do!
Avis then took me to the Carre Four, the very large, Walmart type shopping experience. I went mainly to see what they have that the little grocers near us don't carry, and to stock up on toilet paper and cleaning supplies. You know how Sam's has people who give out samples? Carre Four had representatives there to direct us to the Twinkies and Ho-Hos which are new items for them to carry! I am again surprised that I can find many things here. Avis bought some tortillas...saying she had not seen them before. She also found fajita seasonings and Taco Bell salsa. You have to pay a bit for things like that but so nice to have when you are craving them! ha.
Next stop was Gourmet Egypt. We met Carrie, an Austrailian lady who gives cooking lessons. She showed us around the store, explaining what can be made from the fruit purees, and different ways to prepare some of the cuts of Austrailian Beef. It was informative and by the time we finished looking around, we were hungry ...and committed to a cooking class in the near future! The guy behind the cheese counter was so excited to meet me because I was new that he offered us a cheese tasting...so we did sample some great European Brie Cheeses...we decided the french Brie was the best....being lactose intolerant, cheese tasting was not a wise choice--but I didn't feel like I could decline.
Avis took me to Miriam Market, a small grocer near our permanent apartment. This store has LOTS of American imports (always a stiff price). I saw Cheese-Its, Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper in cases, Skippy, Jello, Doritos...and the list goes on. They have a nice fresh produce area and the meat is good here. Avis introduced me to the butcher and some others there. As we were leaving, a young man came running from the back of the store with a kiwi and an apple in a bag for each of us. " A gift" he said, "Please come again!" The people are very kind here.
Lucille's is a very American Cafe and the place we stopped for lunch. It has been here for years and caters to the Americans looking for a taste of home. The onion rings were reminiscent
of now-gone Johnny's onion rings. Very tasty! It was another good day of exploring and learning my way around.
2 comments:
I love the descriptions of the places you are visiting and the people you are meeting. It makes me want to go explore these places and take it all in. I can visualize the sounds, sights and smells just from your updates. Glad that you are getting to experience this new and exciting place even though we miss you here. Also thanks for the comments and insights you have shared on my blog! Enjoy some new and exotic food for us.
Twinkies and ho-ho's but no dingdongs yet? At least they have Dr. Pepper for dad! Do they have diet coke for you?!
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