Egyptian Juice

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Now that I have settled in a bit, I am beginning to find/be shown some of the smaller, less obvious places to visit in Cairo. Sure, I have seen the big sights as well. Last week, my friend Conner was having trouble sleeping past 5 am so one day he decided to go to the Citadel to watch the sunrise. He sent me a text inviting me to accompany him but as I am a heavy sleeper, I did not get it until he called at 7. He convinced me to hop in a taxi and join him at a local tea shop in Islamic Cairo (where the Citadel is, about a 30 min. cab ride). After a short protest due to the fact that I was still in my pajamas, I decided to go. It was one of the best days I have had here. We sat and drank tea at a place that everyone else that sat down already had their order ready for them since they frequented it so often. There was a man right next to the shop who would come over and take peoples shoes. He would give them a cardboard slab to put their feet on so he could shine them while they drank their tea. You could tell this man had been in this profession his whole life. When he walked to get their shoes, he could not stand up straight. While he shone shoes he continually smoked cigarettes. He sat in the shade of the tree and waited for men with leather shoes to sit at the tea shop. He was someone I wish I could talk to.

After we drank our tea, we walked around the outside of the Citadel and took pictures of the buildings and people of the area before actually going in. We joined a tour group that was walking around that happened to have another AUC student in it.

(Inside the main mosque of the Citadel. There is one lamp for each day of the year.)

After that we went to Khan el Kalili to meet up with one of Conner’s friends who is half Egyptian. He looks pretty American but can speak fluent Arabic. It was interesting to see the shop keeper’s reactions to his haggling in perfect colloquial Arabic. It was obviously not what they expected. Along those same lines, we had a conversation with a cabbie who basically told us that the more Arabic you speak, the less your cab fare will be. If you do not speak Arabic they assume you are an American tourist that has money and doesn’t really know how much a cab should cost. Whereas if you talk to them, they know that you have been here longer and know the right price. I visited the Museum of Modern Art here which was fantastic. I never felt such an urge to be back in an art class with Tim Cleary. Last week we had dinner on a Nile cruise ship. Then, two days ago, of course I had to take a trip out to the pyramids and the sphinx. I know that is the thing most people are most excited about and they were interesting to see. It is pretty amazing that they have withstood the elements all these years.

But as majestic as these structures are, some of my favorite things are much smaller. For example, there is a fantastic little juice shop near AUC’s old campus. One of the students who studied abroad here for a semester a couple of years ago (and is back) showed us where it is. Mohammad Ali’s juice shop offers just about any kind of juice you can think of and juice here is different. It is fresh, not bottled. They mix it up right there for you and you get a glass, drink it on the sidewalk and put it back on the counter. They rinse it out and refill it for another customer. This little juice stand has been full every time I have gone. At night they also have ice cream and milk shakes. Right now, the Muslims here are in the month of Ramadan which means they fast from sun-up to sun-down with no food or drink. This also means that most shops are closed because during the day no one is doing anything and at night when they break the fast they have a party for the iftar meal. At around 7 or 8 at night some of the shops open and Mohammad Ali’s gets pretty busy. The sidewalks fill with families getting their children treats and socializing after a long day of fasting. It is a bit sad because we probably will not have falafels or koshery this month and instead will have to eat in more westernized places but I suppose it is a small price to pay to learn about the customs of a religion. Besides, my stomach seems to finally be rejecting local food for a bit so thanks Ramadan...

Mohammad Ali's Juice Menu