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I remember being thirteen and packing for our trips to visit family in Egypt. We could barely fit our own t-shirts and cotton dresses into the suitcases because they were filled with packages of diapers, swimsuits, snowsuits, and all sorts of other products that Egypt seemed to either be lacking, or have only in poor quality. When packing to come on this trip, I loaded my bags with select moisturizers, all of the clothes I could possibly fit (who knows what I can buy there!) and a few good English books.
The Egypt I came to this year is much different though. It's a place where I can now cruise the isles of mega-store chains that compete with the likes of Costco. I can buy Guess, Mango and Esprit. They have La Senza. Cinnabon. Euro shops like Naf Naf, Vera Moda and Promod. It's a shoppers paradise.
Well, sort of. These new brand names come with a price tag, a price tag that most Egyptians can't afford. The newest mega mall complex in Nasre City, City Stars, is filled with rich young Egyptians and foreigners who can afford a 500 pound skirt from Mango and 600 pound bag from Kipling. When you consider that government employees at many ministries pull in about 200 pounds per month, you can see how the Egyptian economy opening up isn't so helpful to most of the country.
(and that's not even mentioning how Egypt's own cotton can't compete with China and India in their own country- but I'll save politics for another entry, here we shall celebrate the sweet comforts of globalization)
what's screening: The first American film I saw in the Middle East was The Devil Wears Prada, which I saw in Beirut with a pack of beautiful women in Armani. and Prada.
sweetness: I found my Skittles! Gelatin-free. And they were everything I wanted them to be. An excellent selection of Swiss and German chocolate can be found in neighbourhoods with foreigners, and with the exchange, the prices are good. Unfotunately, I have still only tasted one good Egyption chocolate: Passionelle. My advice to shopkeepers: stop stocking Greek chocolate. Just because it's European, doesn't make it good.
cafes: the number of cafes in Cairo is multiplying by the day. They are much nicer than the ones back home because they are places to be seen, so people dress up and make it an evning. In our neighbourhood, there is Cilantro, an Egyptian venture that became a runaway success. It overlooks the Nile, has great carot cake, and friendly waiters who know us by name. They also serve instant noodles. But my most recent cafe discovery is Beano's, which overlooks a beautiful square and the garden of the Islamic Ceramics Museum. Movenpick ice cream and crepes are menu highlights. A lot of brand names at these cafes. Shops that haven't yet shown up in Egypt are particularly in fashion, so GAP and Abercrombie are faves.
books: While there aren't any Indigo blow-out bookshops, Arabic and foreign language books aren't hard to find. The American University has a great shop, and a Zamalak fave is Diwan, which has a great collection of English books for people interested in Middle Eastern history, politics and religion, not to mention just a great fiction section. Thei stationary section makes you wish you still wrote letters, and their cds and dvds make you want to stockup on old classical arabic tunes and Abba in one fell swoop. They even have a small coffee shop that serves up belgian chocolate chip cookies.
breakfast: is the most expensive meal of the day. A box of Special K Red Berry hits the pockets hard at a steep 55 pounds. Compare that to a half dozen pita breads at 1 pound. Do you see what I mean? We have tried Egyptian cereals that ring in at a more sane 8-15 pounds, but friends, I hate to be a princess, but it just ain't the same.
I will, however, hand Egyptian powdered soups the prize. They are undoubtably superior to any other instant soup I have ever endeavoured.
Products. Products. Products. It's difficult not to be seduced by a killer exchange rate, so yes, I have been shopping. But not at the exclusion of heading out to some concerts, parties, films, and walks about town.
In my next entry, I take you to the Cairo Opera House, not once but twice. Plus, what's going on at the local cultural centre. Stay tuned.
The Egypt I came to this year is much different though. It's a place where I can now cruise the isles of mega-store chains that compete with the likes of Costco. I can buy Guess, Mango and Esprit. They have La Senza. Cinnabon. Euro shops like Naf Naf, Vera Moda and Promod. It's a shoppers paradise.
Well, sort of. These new brand names come with a price tag, a price tag that most Egyptians can't afford. The newest mega mall complex in Nasre City, City Stars, is filled with rich young Egyptians and foreigners who can afford a 500 pound skirt from Mango and 600 pound bag from Kipling. When you consider that government employees at many ministries pull in about 200 pounds per month, you can see how the Egyptian economy opening up isn't so helpful to most of the country.
(and that's not even mentioning how Egypt's own cotton can't compete with China and India in their own country- but I'll save politics for another entry, here we shall celebrate the sweet comforts of globalization)
what's screening: The first American film I saw in the Middle East was The Devil Wears Prada, which I saw in Beirut with a pack of beautiful women in Armani. and Prada.
sweetness: I found my Skittles! Gelatin-free. And they were everything I wanted them to be. An excellent selection of Swiss and German chocolate can be found in neighbourhoods with foreigners, and with the exchange, the prices are good. Unfotunately, I have still only tasted one good Egyption chocolate: Passionelle. My advice to shopkeepers: stop stocking Greek chocolate. Just because it's European, doesn't make it good.
cafes: the number of cafes in Cairo is multiplying by the day. They are much nicer than the ones back home because they are places to be seen, so people dress up and make it an evning. In our neighbourhood, there is Cilantro, an Egyptian venture that became a runaway success. It overlooks the Nile, has great carot cake, and friendly waiters who know us by name. They also serve instant noodles. But my most recent cafe discovery is Beano's, which overlooks a beautiful square and the garden of the Islamic Ceramics Museum. Movenpick ice cream and crepes are menu highlights. A lot of brand names at these cafes. Shops that haven't yet shown up in Egypt are particularly in fashion, so GAP and Abercrombie are faves.
books: While there aren't any Indigo blow-out bookshops, Arabic and foreign language books aren't hard to find. The American University has a great shop, and a Zamalak fave is Diwan, which has a great collection of English books for people interested in Middle Eastern history, politics and religion, not to mention just a great fiction section. Thei stationary section makes you wish you still wrote letters, and their cds and dvds make you want to stockup on old classical arabic tunes and Abba in one fell swoop. They even have a small coffee shop that serves up belgian chocolate chip cookies.
breakfast: is the most expensive meal of the day. A box of Special K Red Berry hits the pockets hard at a steep 55 pounds. Compare that to a half dozen pita breads at 1 pound. Do you see what I mean? We have tried Egyptian cereals that ring in at a more sane 8-15 pounds, but friends, I hate to be a princess, but it just ain't the same.
I will, however, hand Egyptian powdered soups the prize. They are undoubtably superior to any other instant soup I have ever endeavoured.
Products. Products. Products. It's difficult not to be seduced by a killer exchange rate, so yes, I have been shopping. But not at the exclusion of heading out to some concerts, parties, films, and walks about town.
In my next entry, I take you to the Cairo Opera House, not once but twice. Plus, what's going on at the local cultural centre. Stay tuned.
posted by Nermeen at 1:55 AM
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