The Egyptian Way :: 3 Places to Order Groceries Online in Cairo

3 Places to Order Groceries Online in Cairo

I've been living and working in Cairo, Egypt for five (5) years and like in the U.S., it's my preference to physically go shopping. I like to see and touch the veggies and it's just nice to get out and about.

Cairo is a busy city! And frankly speaking, sometimes I just don't feel like going out. In the U.S. when I had that feeling, I would just go without or get off my ass and go to the grocery store.

In Cairo, good groceries are just a 'click' away and even with the 'click' the groceries may arrive within the hour. I say that because I know that you can order just about anything now on Amazon and it will arrive in a day or so. So that is a very nice option.

I don't order that often so I don't have a preference for a particular company listed below. I usually buy from the one that has the most items that I want in stock.

It should be noted that it is possible that you can find many of the items listed on any of these websites at cheaper prices if you visit a local market. There's a price for convenience - I'm all about convenience.

Gourmet Egypt

• Maybe one of the most popular online grocery stories. The name says a lot. However, because of it's popularity, they are often out of some items.

• Good experience ordering from them. They have a physical store in my neighborhood and the delivery is speedy.

• They have several physical stores around Cairo.

• The website is easy to navigate
• In English
• Various categories like 'gourmet delights' which is great for planning parties. 
• They have a search field.

• There is often a sale of some sort.

• They now offer gift cards in increments of 150, 250 and 500LE.

• The delivery fee (typically 9LE), times and locations is posted in the 'delivery/returns' section.

• They email you the receipt, but it does not include information about delivery times.

• One problem, if an item is not in stock they will email you. However, I think that they should call you so that if you want to cancel the order because certain items are no longer available, you will have that option. 

• Payment on delivery: cash or credit.

My June 5th order from Gourmet Egypt.

Offah

• Great experience with this company because they emailed the receipt and the approximate delivery time. They arrived on time with a bounty of food and I was able to pay with my debit card.

• Good prices and a good quantity.

• The website is easy to navigate.
• In English.
• Various categories.
• They have a search field.

• Information about delivery fee (9LE) and times is listed under 'customer service.'

• Payment is cash on delivery.

Nature's Gifts Stores

• I've ordered from this company before. Good experience.

• The website is easy to navigate.
•  In English, which is interesting because they have a video tutorial in Arabic. 
• A variety of categories to select from including non-food items.

• They offer some hard to find items like buckwheat, quinoa and gluten free products.

• They also email you your receipt and details of the delivery time and the final cost.

Happy grocery shopping.

The Egyptian Way :: Egyptian Presidential Elections - Who Will AUCians Vote For?

The Egyptian Way :: Egyptian Presidential Elections (2012) - Who Will AUCians Vote For?

Students in my Audio Production class at The American University in Cairo (AUC) produced voxpox on the topic: "Who will AUCians vote for in the upcoming Egyptian elections?

Man on the Street "I am Voting, Are You?!" by Gehadfathy
Man on the Street by NadaBadawi
Man on the Street by Tamer El Din
Man On The Street by nadinekotry
Man on the street - AUC votes by Nadine Khaled
Man on the street by Asmaa90
Who are you going to vote for? Why? by mariam 91

The Egyptian Way :: Neighbors

The Egyptian Way :: Neighbors

This is my audio entry to the Third Coast International Audio Festival's Short Docs Competition. There were some rules and requirements, but it was lots of fun.

Used Audacity for the audio editing. Also, some of the sound was provided by my neighbor Roshy Zangeneh.
 

The Egyptian Way :: VIDEO - The Ride Home

The Egyptian Way :: VIDEO - The Ride Home

I've been living in Cairo for a full five semesters and I'm in my sixth semester teaching here. Seems like yesterday when I first landed in the Middle East.

Enough reminiscing. The point is the commute from where I live and to the campus should take about 45 minutes. However, in crazy Cairo the traffic is outrageous and so the commute usually takes at least an hour if not longer. Try the hashtag: #CairoTraffic and you'll see what I mean.

The other day when I woke up from a brief nap on the ride home, I decided to pull out my iPhone and snag a few pics and then I kept taking pics until I had over 50 images in the span of about 7 minutes.

This vid is not meant to be artistic or anything else. Just a view from a window on a bus in Cairo.

You can see the Cairo Life :: The Ride Home pics online too.

VIDEO - The Ride Home

The Egyptian Way :: #Jan25 Protests Photo Essay

The Egyptian Way :: #Jan25 Protests Photo Essay

I've been living and working in Cairo for two years and I'd just returned to Cairo and specifically from a Nile Cruise when the #Jan25 protests broke out earlier this year.

Although I was in Cairo on Tuesday, January 25th, I didn't go to Tahrir Square until Friday, January 28th - the truth of the matter is I was having my apartment painted and the job had been rescheduled numerous times over a three month period; I had planned my entire holiday break around getting my apartment painted. So I sat at home and while the painters painted, I monitored the protest activity on my laptop, mostly via Twitter. But then ... from Friday, January 28th until Friday, February 11th, me and my friends went to Tahrir nearly every day and all day.

Despite being a former journalist and a professor teaching journalism, I haven't written much about my experience going to Tahrir. I have lots of mixed emotions, but I've finally pulled something together.

I'm thinking that this is just one version of this photo essay.  I have hundreds of images to sift through and I also have some sound and a few interviews.

But this is where I begin ...

You can also view a larger version of the #Jan25 Photo Essay.

The Egyptian Way :: The Lift

The Egyptian Way :: The Lift

I live on the seventh floor. My building has two elevators or as it's call in Egypt (and many other parts of the world) - the lift. Actually, there are four elevators in the building, but two are directly accessible for me.

Unfortunately since early January, there has only been one working elevator. Unfortunately, the one working elevator only works 'sometimes'. This was quite the bane of my existence (and my protest partners) during the Egyptian revolution in late January and early February. After being out at Tahrir Square all day, we'd take the hour long walk home only to find that elevator didn't work ... we'd mumble and grumble and curse up the entire seven/nine flights of stairs.

Well, after the revolution ended, the only working elevator continued to work sporadically. One day I got fed up and sent an extensive email to everyone who had something to do w/the elevators. The short story of their response was that both elevators will be functional in August, 2011. I already have a short list of who's not happy about that, but in August, 2011, there'd better be two working elevators.

I say all that to say this: Today was a teaching day for me - I leave home at 7:30 a.m. and I get home usually around 7:30 or 8 p.m. I'm usually exhausted. Today was no different. When I arrived at the only working 'lift' the doors were open and there was a man visibly working on it. I stood there - exasperated. I began to think of ways to get to the seventh floor: I could take the stairs, no, I can walk to the other side of the building and take the girls elevator to the sixth floor (that's as high as it goes) ... no, just take the stairs, they're right there ... I'm thinking real fast because I'm also hungry.

Here's 'the lift' on the seventh floor. That box on the left is the other lift that's being repaired. (Mar., 2011).

But then the man fixing the elevator, who I've seen around and whose name is Mohamed says ... "Gowwa, gowwa." I'm confused. "Gowwa" means inside in Arabic, but what's he trying to say? The next thing I know, the elevator doors close. Now, I'm certain that I'll have to take the stairs ... but then the doors open back up - in seconds - and the elevator is there like it's always been there and ready for me to get in and ride up - it's like it's a magic trick, but I'm suspect. I walk closer and Mohamed encourages me to get in. What? His voice alone startles me. I look up and there he is. I say, "La. La." That's "No" in Arabic, but he's insistent. So, reluctantly I walk in the elevator. I glance up. He can see me and points for me to select a floor. I hit the button for the seventh floor and I immediately think, "Well, he'll be okay since there are several floors above seven; at least he won't get smashed." I know, forget the fact that he could get electrocuted or whatever else. Not only that, but I failed to think that "I'm in an elevator that, just seconds ago, was being repaired." Wtw?

When I hit seven, the elevator didn't move. But Mohamed starts to rustle around and eventually we're going upward. All the while I'm thinking "What kinda ish is this?" Luckily, the ride is over before I can repeat that phrase too many times. When the doors open on my floor, I get out of the elevator and begin to walk toward my flat, but Mohamed is trying to tell me something ... he wants me to send the elevator back down ... huh?

I push the ground floor and as I walk away I say to myself, "What the hell just happened?" I know that me and the residents of the building have complained loudly about the sometimes working lift, but I've never experienced something quite like that before, nor do I want to do it again. I mean, if there's going to be a man operating the elevator, I'd rather he be in the elevator than on top of it.

I'd love to get a picture of 'the man inside the elevator' (you know, like 'the man behind the curtain' in "The Wizard of Oz"), but I can't imagine calling 'the lift' again and also wondering if it will come? And/or if it does come, will Mohamed be there ... ?

ADDENDUM: The next morning, when I went to call the elevator, (surprise) it's not working. After walking down the seven flights of stairs, I went to the front desk to tell them that elevator's not working; they look at each other blankly and offer me no sign that they know what I'm talking about; I walk away more frustrated than ever and head to my Arabic lesson. I'm gonna learn this language and use it to give a few people a piece of my mind ... in their language.

The Egyptian Way :: What I See

The Egyptian Way :: What I See

I take a bus to work at The American University in Cairo (AUC). It can take about 50 minutes w/o traffic or infinitely w/traffic; it's an awful toss up for the commute home.

But the variety of things that I see when I look out the window still amazes me. There are lots of unfinished housing developments as well as unfinished corporate office buildings.

There's always a lot of traffic. There are a variety of cars: old cars, foreign cars, small ones too along with the occasional abandoned vehicle. Trucks are plentiful: tractor trailers and flatbeds. Motorcycles, scooters and guys riding bikes w/a large try of bread on their heads and somehow managing to balance it all through heavy traffic. If there's a pick up truck, there's a good chance that it's filled w/men heading to/from work or it's full of goods.

Unfortunately, there are often drivers driving on the wrong side of the road; more unfortunate, sometimes I've been on a bus or two where our bus was driving on the wrong side of the road. Those bus drivers usually get an earful from the passengers and they probably get written up about the safety violation. With all of that traffic, or more pointedly, the cause of all of that traffic is the traffic police, who rarely manage to efficiently move traffic.

The people are quite interesting: men in suits and construction gear and galabayas. The vendors are out; people are at cafes sipping tea and having some shisha.

There are many billboards, most of them in Arabic, but just as slick as any billboard in the U.S.

Lucky for me there's always some sunshine! Whether it the sunshine in the morning or getting to see the sunset. It's a treat to see just like it's a treat to always see The Nile.

I could go on, but I've put together a Wordle on some of the things that I see on my commute to and from the AUC campus.

The Egyptian Way :: A Blog Series

After living and working in Cairo for a year, I've decided to write a blog series called "The Egyptian Way". Friends and people who find out that I'm living abroad always want to know what's it like to live in Egypt.

I've posted a few things about my life in Cairo, but overall, I've been rather low key. But some days, things happen and the only explanation is that it's "The Egyptian Way". So it's time for me to exploit the phrase.

Of course I'll tackle the issue of traffic and taxis and crossing the street, but I'll also talk about other lifestyle and social issues and how basic household chores get done. Things are different here, but only occasionally do I stop w/a look of surprise on my face.

I'll try to get in the habit of posting something every Wednesday, but don't get mad if I'm just caught up in "The Egyptian Way" where sometimes deadlines are missed and things just don't get done.

Image: Walking Tour in Islamic Cairo March 2010 (copyright Kim Fox)