Page 59 - WDT Magazine Egypt
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Lunches, also part of the tour package, were typi-
            cal local cuisine, in selected family-owned restau-
            rants. Our favorite was in Saqqara, in what looked
            like a spacious outdoor backyard dining hall shaded
            by a rustic thatched roof supported by hand-hewn
            timbers. We were greeted by a trio of musicians who
            played the same off-key tune as customers entered
            the dining room, hoping each would toss a few coins
            in the tip jar. Then they would sit down, smoke a
            cigarette and wait for the next arrival. Same tune, dif-
            ferent customer.
             Near the entrance, women in traditional dress
            tended an old clay oven where they cooked the
            Egyptian flatbread called Aishe that we would enjoy
            with our meal. Glancing at the filled tables, we could
            see the place was filled with other tourists and their
            guides – which doesn’t really mean that much other
            than the guides get a free lunch. The diners seemed
            to be enjoying themselves, the food on their tables
            looked and smelled delightful, and most everyone
            had a large beer in front of them. And after traips-
            ing around dusty Saqqara in 100-degree heat for a
            couple of hours, those beers looked might fine.
             The beer proved spectacular, as was the traditional
            Egyptian food that kept appearing at our table. We
            started with hot and cold meze including hummus,
            stuffed vine leaves with tahini sauce and koshary, a
            mix of rice, macaroni and black lentils, tomato sauce,
            fried onion, and chickpeas. The slightly charred
            Aishe flatbread was hot and tasty and a great way to
            scoop up tidbits on the plate.
              Things got really interesting when the waiter set
            what looked like a fancy hibachi grill and a platter of
            raw meats and sausages on the table. No strangers
            to tabletop cooking, we plunged into grilling the
            lamb, beef, and chicken. Tasty!  The kitten who joined
            us at the table agreed, chowing down on the bits of
            charred meat we shared.
             Satisfied, we meandered back toward our van. The
            trio spotted us immediately and began to pick up
            their instruments.  Ron signaled to them to sit back
            down and tipped them handsomely for not playing
            as we exited.



           Ron and Mary enjoy an authentic
           Egyptian meal after a busy morning
           touring Cairo.


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