A few months ago, I was scrolling through Instagram looking for a new breakfast spot to try out in Cairo. I came across Lyfe, an eatery and juice bar that advertises itself as healthy option for vegetarians and pescatarians while offering meat and chicken based dishes. One morning, a friend and I decided to embark on this journey together after running a marathon as a treat for our accomplishment. It is a little spot in Maadi with a beautiful “picnic-looking’ outdoor seating area, as well as an indoor seating area. Their menu is so diverse with so many appealing options. Since I was craving avocado, I decided to pick avocado on toast and added two extra sunny side eggs to come with. I was pleasantly surprised! An indicator for freshness is crispy bread. The bread was crunchy, but not dry. The avocado was a good portion. The combination of the two was great and I was glad that the bread was not soggy despite the moisture of the avocado and egg yolk. I then decided to try their dark chocolate oat pancakes. I was slightly worried about it because the…
Falafel or Taameya? Celebrating the Popular Dish’s Many Disguises on International Falafel Day
Founded in 2012, and inspired by the popular reception of ‘International Hummus Day’ held annually on 13 May, the Falafel has earnt its own day of recognition on 12 June: International Falafel Day. Popular both amongst the vegetarian and carnivore community, the chickpea or fava bean treat has meanwhile become a popular street food across the globe and continues to be reinvented, while remaining a staple in its Middle Eastern homelands, where many countries have claimed it a crucial component of their national cuisine. Nowadays the Falafel has been increasingly commercialized, with even McDonalds serving the McFalafel as part of their breakfast menu. Where from? What name? The falafel has a contentious history; there continues to be much speculation if not outspoken disagreement over its real geographic and cultural origins. It is often claimed an Israeli dish, when its origins clearly precede the founding of the Israeli state. Many historians however posit Egypt as the most likely birthplace of the popular dish. Within this strand of thinking, a possible theory is that the dish was first created in Egypt by Coptic Christians about 1,000 years ago, who ate it as…
These Five Egyptian Dessert and Pastry Shops Are More than 50 Years Old
Desserts are big part of both Middle Eastern and Egyptian cultures. From kunafa to basboosa and kahk, we took a look at dessert and pastry shops located in the capital Cairo that have been there for at least 50 years. Groppi Everyone’s favorite cafe in Cairo, Maison Groppi, was established more than a century ago in 1891 in Downtown Cairo by Giacomo Groppi on the corner of Talaat Harb and Qasr Al-Nil Streets. It was recently renovated and is now welcoming new generations of tea lovers. It is everyone’s go-to spot for pastries and chocolate to the extent that their chocolate gifts are one of the most celebrated gifts.. Simonds Founded in 1898, Simonds offers a cross cultural bakery experience by combining both oriental and western desserts. For the last 100 years, Simonds has been serving dessert lovers sweet products, pastries, cakes, adorable oriental sweets, and Danish from the heart of Cairo in Downtown, Zamalek and Dokki. Tseppas One of Egypt’s favorite patisserie shop that was launched in the early 20th century in 1912. With over 10 branches across Cairo, Tseppas is one of the city’s most loved pastry shops…
Egyptian Contemporary Art Exhibition “Roadmap to the Renaissance” Kicks Off at Darb 1718
On the scorching hot evening of 11 June, Egyptian non-profit organization Darb 1718 invited Cairo’s art aficionados to the opening reception of its international contemporary art exhibition entitled “Roadmap to the Renaissance.” Curated by Henry Woo, and showcasing the work of 18 artists across two floors of the main building and in one of the cultural hub‘s nearby ateliers, the exhibition is set to run for eight weeks. With the initial bloom of creative activities and exhibition spaces having wilted a bit in recent years, the pressing question of ‘where do we go from here?’ is currently creating suspense in the local art community. The younger generation is in search of new directions, and the diverse art works of this exhibition have been grouped together to form a dialogue of tolerance and peace. The title “Roadmap to the Renaissance” is meant to refer to this idea of finding a way back to the vitality of the arts. The 18 artists were all challenged to tell us through their own artistic media, how they feel about their presence, their visions, and Egypt’s place under the Sun, curator Henry Woo informed Egyptian…
Gayer Anderson Museum to Implement Braille Label Cards
According to local news outlet Sada El Balad, Egypt’s beloved Gayer Anderson Museum has announced the completion of museum cards and labels in Braille for its halls. The labels and cards will be exhibited on June 18, in an event which will be attended by organizations and delegations for the visually impaired and under the supervision of the Department of Education for people with special needs. News of the braille cards implementation was confirmed to Egyptian Streets through an official working in the museum. It is however unclear which format the cards will be taking: simple written labels or more detailed exhibition panel which could also take on the form of various objects which the visually impaired visitor can experience through touch. The Gayer Anderson museum is not the first institution to focus its efforts on the involvement of visually impaired individuals in Egypt’s arts, culture and scientific fields. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina operates the Taha Hussein Library for the Blind as well; the latter is a specialized library for blind and visually impaired citizens and residents. Source: ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive The library, which was named after famous blind Egyptian writer…
Forbes Middle East Names Three Egyptians as ‘Young Arab Athletes Making History”
Alongside superstar striker Mohamed ‘Mo’ Salah, Forbes Middle East recognized two other Egyptian athletes Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy as “Young Arab Athletes [who] Are Also Making History.” The Egyptian football player is a source of happiness and pride to Egyptians and Football lovers. For the second time in two years, football sensation Mohamed Salah won the Golden Boot trophy last May sharing it with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s very own Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Liverpool sensation Mohamed Salah claimed the 2018 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year award in January. A popular figure among footballers and fans alike, he is well-known for his athletic prowess, football skills and charitable contributions to his home village. Salah has been crowned best left-foot in premier league history. With an already extraordinary season at Liverpool, Mohamed Salah jumped to the top of an elite list of goal-scorers. Also, Salah has been voted BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2017. This was the first time for Salah to be nominated for BBC African Footballer of the Year. In 2008, the legendary Mohamed Aboutrika won the title, according to BBC. Along with Rami Malek, the player has been listed…
Egyptian MP Proposes Abolishing Plastic Bags in Favour of Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Egyptian Parliament member Anissa Hassouna has submitted a proposal to abolish the use of plastic bags in Egypt to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Environment. The news, which was reported online by various local news outlets, highlighted Hassouna’s interest in replacing the envinromentally-harmful use of plastic bags for bags which are more eco-friendly. Egypt uses 12 billion plastic bags annually which not only constitutes an economic strain as raw material for plastic bag production are imported, but an environmental crisis as well. Plastic causes severe problems to the Nile river and the seas. Hence, it negatively affects environmental tourism and diving. The MP stressed the non-recyclability of plastic bags and their incapacity for quick decomposition which eventually results in their presence in seas and rivers, polluting and altering aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, the Parliamentarian highlighted the adverse effects of these plastic bags being burned along with other garbage, as is a common waste practice in Egypt, on human health. Instead, she suggests paper bags or bags made from eco-friendly materials as already some chains and supermarkets have started doing which is offering cloth ‘multiple use’ bags or recyclable grocery…
Egypt and Turkey: the Calm Before the Storm
Egypt and Turkey have had tense, nearly eruptive relations for the past six years. They were especially tense after the ouster in July 2013 of former Egyptian president and Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Mohamed Morsi. Given recent developments in the Mediterranean and Libya, these tensions may have been the calm before the storm. Egypt, Turkey, and the Muslim Brotherhood Turkey’s Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) are well known for their ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and their support for the ousted president. In an interview with Ahval, Lorenzo Vidino, the head of the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security’s Program on Extremism confirmed that the Islamists ruling Turkey in the Justice and Development Party (AKP) are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, also known as the Ikhwan in Arabic. In the wake of Mohammed Morsi’s overthrow in July 2013, members of the Muslim Brotherhood sought refuge in Turkey, which indeed was provided by Erdogan at the time. This influx of MB members into Turkey also came as a result of the blockade enforced by some Gulf countries and Egypt on Qatar, granted Doha’s support for the Muslim…
Lilac: an Egyptian Community-based Mental Health Awareness Platform Encouraging Empathy
Born out of a shared vision of a creating a community-based mental health awareness platform that emphasizes empathy and exchange over judgmental commentary, Lilac is an Egyptian, student-led online platform where users can anonymously share fears, thoughts, emotions and struggles and receive comments, feedback and support. The growing community intends to be positive and to cultivate a ‘safe space’ for speaking one’s mind about issues that may still be stigmatized in public. “People want to relate. That’s our main aim – it’s supposed to be a community thing, not a business,” Marta, one of the founding members of Lilac tells Egyptian Streets, succinctly summing up the core aim of the initiative. The page shares weekly psychological content including videos and articles that aim to raise awareness about various mental health disorders and suggest different ways of seeking treatment as well as how these issues might be dealt with by the public. Furthermore, Lilac encourages creative expression and regularly posts artworks by its own team of artists on topics of everyday concern such as self-care, career and work stress as well as understanding and managing emotions. From the Beginning In response…