posted
not so much a Egypt thing as a West Bank Luxor thing, lack of variety in food. I am going out for a meal tonight and all the resturnats serve pretty much the same thing. It would be nice to have something different on the West Bank
-------------------- Jane Akshar UK Co-owner of www.flatsinluxor.co.uk Appartments and Tours in Luxor Posts: 2791 | From: www.flatsinluxor.co.uk, Luxor, Egypt | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
what do they serve? i said to my husband the other day i would love to eat out in a restaurant in england without having a kebab, burger or a curry...sob sob
Posts: 1017 | From: uk | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
It is international food you know chickean curry, pasta, chicken and veal panne, duck, beef stew, kofta. How i would love some sushi well at least some decent Egyptain food, or some sauces on the meat, filled jacket potatoes, some salads other than tomatoe and cumcumber e.g. chickean ceaser salad, coleslaw, fatoush, tabulah,
-------------------- Jane Akshar UK Co-owner of www.flatsinluxor.co.uk Appartments and Tours in Luxor Posts: 2791 | From: www.flatsinluxor.co.uk, Luxor, Egypt | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
Are there indian/pakistani restaurants in egypt? I went to one in cairo, it was like a fast food type place, i think it was called Chicken Tikka, or Tikka something.
Posts: 1967 | From: USA | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
there is an Indian restaurant in Luxor although my Pakistani friend and his wife said the food wasn't spicey enough
-------------------- If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them. Posts: 15090 | From: http://www.egyptalk.com/forum/ | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by caterpillar: what are the worst things about living in egypt?
The dirt, the pollution and the constant attention from the guys......
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
My IDIOTIC, SMARTASS, JACK of a Bawab!!!!!!!!!
The time came when he pushed this quiet, always happy and polite little American. When he stuck his foot in my door and refused to let me close it, over and over. (scene lasted about 30 min) I got pissed. Told him off in Arabic. (Didn't know I knew those words) Should have seen the look on his face.
He thought I was bad.........When my guy found out. Let's just say ............. he tore him a new ***hole. LOL He barely noticed me after that. LOL
Yup that was probably the worst. Either that or trying to politely choke down the sour cheese.
-------------------- شكرا و أللام عليكم شيبى Posts: 2133 | From: Redneckland | Registered: Oct 2006
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quote:Originally posted by sheba76: My IDIOTIC, SMARTASS, JACK of a Bawab!!!!!!!!! The time came when he pushed this quiet, always happy and polite little American. When he stuck his foot in my door and refused to let me close it, over and over. (scene lasted about 30 min) I got pissed. Told him off in Arabic. (Didn't know I knew those words) Should have seen the look on his face.
You mean, the Bawab made a move on you? Posts: 327 | From: balad alnour | Registered: Sep 2004
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I am fed up with being stared at Hate to see people drop their rubbish on the ground or out of car windows Spitting And traffic police not bothering to strap up their boots....they just leave them flopping open
I could go on..................
Posts: 290 | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by sheba76: My IDIOTIC, SMARTASS, JACK of a Bawab!!!!!!!!! The time came when he pushed this quiet, always happy and polite little American. When he stuck his foot in my door and refused to let me close it, over and over. (scene lasted about 30 min) I got pissed. Told him off in Arabic. (Didn't know I knew those words) Should have seen the look on his face. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You mean, the Bawab made a move on you?
No. No one spoke English. I understood very little Arabic. Which is why my guy handled all of those things. When it comes to money, it's best to let an Egyptian deal with it.
He did not stay with me. He stayed at home and when he went out or to the pharmacy he would come and get me. So I had to deal with the bawab a lot.
He had this little game. Only at first I didn't realize it was a game. There was always a reason for it, but well.......it was a game. He would come to the door, talk to me in Arabic, knowing full well that I could not understand him, and he could not understand me. This would go on for anywhere from 30 min to 1 hr. Finally he would say ohh call.....(my guy). Sometimes I did. Or another Arabic speaking friend to talk to them. It was always trivial stuff that could have waited until my guy came that day.
After a while I was fed up with this. It cost me a fortune to call on my cell phone. ($3.50/min) I got to where I had his number and name written on paper, just to give to the bawab. No.......he didn't want that. He wanted to play this little game and harass me. Thought he was funny, I guess.
Ok so one day I was not feeling well at all. Did not feel like playing the game. And simply gave him the paper, said call....... and tried to close the door. "BAWAB" stuck his foot in the door and said Laa! OMG then I tried again. He did it again. He never forced his way in. But he did refuse to let me close it. Kept forcing it wide open. Ok.....now I'm all for being polite. But that is simply going too far! I don't care what country I am in. That's just TOO FAR! Seems the guy was really ticked off and could not believe I had the nerve to close the door.
Ok.........I was sick, fed up, been dealing with that for 2 months, and that was the last straw. I let him have it in Arabic. I knew he could understand me then. I didn't know I could argue so well or knew all those words. LOL Neither did he. I beat him at his own game and he didn't like it at ALL! You should have seen his face. He got really pissed off. We had a couple more battles of muscles in closing/opening the door. Finally I gave him the look to KILL!!!!!!! Said loudly KHOLASSSSSSSS!!!!!!! Police! And he jumped back in a huff, gave me a surprised and "how dare you" kind of look, then left.
I was a good girl. I promptly went down and used the Pay phone to call my guy. And well teary-eyed told him the story. He was not happy, showed up soon and took care of the situation.
I think if the BAWAB had made a move on me, he might not be alive now.
Oh, this particular episode was because of them wanting my fan. The one that came WITH the apartment. Well. They upped my rent, the apartment I moved to was nice but the screens on the windows were all busted. I couldn't open them. I was dying. Ok this is Egypt in the Summertime. I am American. How dare them try to take my FAN!!!!!!!!!!!! Posts: 2133 | From: Redneckland | Registered: Oct 2006
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Oh forgot to add one very important piece of information.
Some of you might say, "why didn't you just NOT open the door?" Very good reason.
If I didn't.........he would simply lay on the doorbell like there was no tomorrow. Seriously one time I tried it and he layed on it for 15 min straight. Now any doorbell is irritating after that. But omg that little chirrrrrrrrrrrrrppppppppppppppppppppppppppp UGH! So it was easier to tell him call my guy.
I don't like BAWAB's no more. I think I am a little prejudiced now. Just seeing one or hearing the word BAWAB and my claws show.
-------------------- شكرا و أللام عليكم شيبى Posts: 2133 | From: Redneckland | Registered: Oct 2006
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Sheba76, I would have made such a scene if he would have done something like this to me, I would have screamed the whole appartment building together ...... I would have even went that far to say that he touched me!!! Look, your guy should have made it clear from the beginning (since you don't speak Arabic) to deal only with him anything what has to do with the appartment and not talk at all to you. He should given him his number and some *change*. I don't think this man would have ever bothered you then. Many of hese uneducated people just think they can do something like this with foreigners; they don't give you the respect they normally give to people of their own.
I had also my fair share with an annoying, lazy bowab but the one I had in Mohandseen I'll never forget. Mohammed was very friendly, helpful and FAST (by Egyptian standards!). He got me a plummer when I needed one straight away (which was quite often, dam* old toilets!) and if I wanted to make juice he would get me couple of kilos of oranges in no time. When I moved out of the house I'll gave him all of my household items. I felt kind of sad for him because his wife and five children were back in a village close to Aswan. He had one boy with him living in the little dirty room downstairs of our house and his teenage son was mentally ill.
Funny note on the side: Once I told Mohammed to get me a cab from the main road because my mom and me were scheduled to go to Hurghada and it got late. After 15 min still no Mohammed with a cab infront of our door. So I went myself. The poor guy was standing there in his galabiya still trying to wave at cabs so they would stop ...... but they wouldn't. When I came and I had a cab in a second.
Sheba, next time you to deal with a bowab, make your points clear from the beginning. Don't be too nice in the beginning; they could take it the wrong way. When they do a good job for you you can still show your thankfulness.
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
He did tell him to leave me alone and to call to him. We gave him his number on a paper several times.
It was just a game he played that HE thought he could get away with. He was picky with his moments. Always had an excuse. Rent was due, things like that. The guy was young. Under 20. And it was obvious HE thought he was a cool hunky dude.
We were clear. The problem was(I think) that he had enough nerve and was young enough to think he could use language as an excuse. (another case of young boys acting dumb)
OMG you are so right about being nice. I always smiled and was polite. But I am like that with everyone. I noticed the Egyptian women were not nice to him. They never smiled. They just barked orders and closed the door. Maybe they saw how he was and their way is what he was used to. So maybe he took my general politeness and language barrier wrong. Him being young and not having the chance to be around many american women, might have thrown him. I know it did a lot of people. But they were not out of line. Who knows. But I do know that it took a very very firm and thorough ***chewing from my guy, with threats, to make him straighten up.
I had already decided that next time I go, I will wear hijab and galabeyya. (In the village and that small town I was in.) Limit my eye contact. Not be so natural and generous with my smiles. (not rude either though) Just refuse to talk to the bawab, or other men. Never put up with anything from day one.
Now in Cairo or other places that are used to foreigners, I don't think these things would have been much of an issue. But for where I was, I think it can be. The village had never seen a foreigner. The little city well.......very very few. I'd rather just play it safe, so I could enjoy my time there.
"Many of hese uneducated people just think they can do something like this with foreigners; they don't give you the respect they normally give to people of their own."
You are so right about this.
Thanks Tigerlily
-------------------- شكرا و أللام عليكم شيبى Posts: 2133 | From: Redneckland | Registered: Oct 2006
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well at least some decent Egyptain food, or some sauces on the meat, filled jacket potatoes, some salads other than tomatoe and cumcumber e.g. chickean ceaser salad, coleslaw, fatoush, tabulah,![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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OMG then I tried again. He did it again. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
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