The Crucial Question: So, what are you eating?

It seems to be universal that amongst the battery of questions launched from home there is always a question of whether one’s child is eating enough and is eating properly (Actually, that's not fair. My parents don't batter me with questions, just the occassional few). These questions have of course become sparse as I am fairly settled, but I thought I would post something anyway. As far as food and nutrition goes I am finding my way through the market and discovering different shops with new and old foods to try. Potatoes, rice and pasta make up the basic starches, and I found a bakery that sells fresh rolls. Ketchup, Heinz no less, helps the potatoes go down, and tomato paste mixed with some spices, water, oil, garlic and onion make the paste taste better with pasta. I have since found Heinz pasta sauce that is less interesting, but faster to enjoy. I have not been able to find multigrain or whole wheat bread, but I am always on the lookout. I was pleased during a field visit a few weeks ago to be presented with a loaf of fresh bread from a bakery we visited – see picture below. The bread combined with peanut butter was delicious! (I had two different people bring peanut butter from Cairo during my first month or two, and during my last trip into the capital city I loaded up on this comforting staple, as well as some broccoli and cheese instant soup mix to use with potatoes and vegetables and some brown sugar to use for baking – exciting eh? Not really, but makes me feel closer to home.)

I purchase my fruit and vegetables from small stalls in the market place, and can have as much fun bartering as I do deciding what to try. Gradually, I have been adding new elements to my diet. Just to give you an idea, 1 kg of potatoes costs 2 Egyptian pounds, or approximately 40 cents Canadian. ½ kg of oranges are 1 ½ Egyptian pounds, as are bananas (or there abouts depending on the day and vendor). ½ kilo of carrots are about 2 or 3 pounds. There are mangoes as well, and apples though they are imported and can be expensive – 5 pounds (about $1) per apple.

I have not endeavoured to purchase or cook my own meat yet. I usually try to eat at least one meal with meat at a restaurant in town each week. Calcium comes from almonds, cheese and yogourt, and if I’m really feeling as though I haven’t eaten enough dairy lately the occasional ice cream helps cool off in the evening. Any suggestions for iron rich foods would be much appreciated. Dates are a good snack. They are plentiful in dried form, especially during Ramadan it seems. I was happy to receive a bunch of fresh dates from my neighbour’s date tree near our building.

Dried spices are also abundant, and most shop owners selling spices have the display and explanation of each down to an art. Dried hibiscus flowers are my product of choice. Mixed with water and a little bit of sugar makes a great cup of karkedeh, a popular local drink served hot or cold.

A small, but colourful spice stand.


Two nights ago I made M&M cookies (couldn’t find chocolate chips, so I used M&Ms instead) for the staff at the office. They refuse to let me buy lunch for everyone, although they often do this, so I wanted to do something nice (I still plan to buy lunch I just need to come up with a new strategy. These people are sneaky! haha). It was funny as they struggled to make themselves try the cookies. I think they were a little apprehensive about the different colours and shapes. Everyone seems to have survived the night, and is back at work this morning, so it seems as though they weren’t disastrous. I can’t find measuring cups or spoons anywhere, so everything was done in a sort of ratio/a pinch of this, a dash of that, a lot of M&Ms - way. Chocolate always helps make things better, so I figured the M&Ms were a fairly safe bet. Cinnamon rolls are my next adventure.