Beaming In

The Time Traveller has made contact. He's wandering around Cairo airport and expects to be beaming in here this evening. You will note the conspicuous satellite dish on this mudbrick house on our road. Even the poorest families can afford a mobile phone (or two) and a TV with satellite connection. How different from the 'first' world! This goes to show the extreme profit being made by providers in wealthy nations.


My walk through the Luxor souk to find painting and electrical supplies led me past a butcher. Thursday is usually a big day for meat purchases and today was particularly busy because the Coptic Christians, who have been fasting for 40+ days, are preparing for the big feast on Sunday. They abstain from all meat products, including eggs, cheese, butter, and milk. Moreover, their fasting extends beyond Lent: they fast 210 days out of the year.


I also passed a man selling snacks: soaked chickpeas in the green bucket that are handed out in the paper cones and fruit from the doum palm.


With its multiple branches, the doum palm tree is very distinctive from the date palm. In ancient Egyptian art the doum tree appears in humorous scenes with baboons, who are supposed to harvest the fruit but instead throw it at one another.


The fruit is completely different from dates. It is hard and nut-like. Its flavour reminds me of Crunchie chocolate bars that I ate as a kid - a little malty. Although not advisable, children will try to bite off chunks with their teeth. Using a hammar to break the fruit into small pieces is a better idea.