Pomegranate pizza!

Here's how I know my 2-year-old really is NOT being raised in the USA. Her food preferences are hilarious, and also very Mediterranean. Last night, Mike and I went out for a nice date and left Maya at home with her visiting grandparents. We decided to order pizza for them to eat while we were out. So Mike got out the pizza menu, and the following is the conversation:

Mike: Maya, I'm going to order pizza for you and grandma and grandpa.
Maya: (Smiling) Pizza!
Mike: What do you want on your pizza? Cheese?
Maya: No cheese! (wrinkles nose) Cheese spicy...
Mike: Hmmm. OK, well do you want vegetable on your pizza?
Maya: (wrinkles nose) No vegetables!
Mike: OK, well what do you want on your pizza?
Maya: Pomegranate!
Mike: You want pomegranates on your pizza?
Maya: Yes. Pomegranate!
Mike: (wrinkling his nose) A pomegranate pizza?
Maya: Yes! Pomegranate pizza!
Mike: Well, I don't think that the pizza place has pomegranates to put on pizza. Sorry...

Getting Ready for Christmas

Here are some photos of Maya getting ready for Christmas. She had a big day yesterday. We went to the park with grandma and grandpa, then came home and decorated the Christmas tree, then made Christmas cookies.

Maya loved making Christmas cookies. We gave her her own piece of dough, which she rolled, cut, smeared, licked and tasted. Fun! Meanwhile Grandma Jan and I actually made the cookies. Maya got to decorate them later with some frosting we had found at the grocery store.

Speaking of decorations, we had a terrible time finding stuff to decorate the cookies with. We called the local grocery to see if they could deliver us some decorations. We asked if they had either sprinkles or food coloring so we could make some colored sugar. They said they had white sprinkles and coloring for food. So we said, OK great, please deliver. What actually came to our door was white asparagus (the white "sprinkles") and turmeric powder (the "coloring for food").

Meanwhile, I had gone to the big grocery store by myself. I couldn't find any sprinkles or food coloring. But I did find some frosting in a tube. So that's what we used to decorate the cookies.

Newsflash!!!

Hold the presses! The Saudi-produced Pampers active baby cloth-like diapers are back in Egypt!!They just magically reappeared on the shelves of our favorite supermarket. No explanation for their LONG and mysterious absence. Just all of a sudden back on the shelves. Thank you!!

Next on my Cairo wish list of things that I have seen in Egypt but which are currently not available: Dryer sheets and Flintstones gummy vitamins.

Making Latkes

Today after work, Mike and I made latkes with Maya for Hanukkah. Maya had a fabulous time! She put the potatoes and onion in the blender, commented on the "noise" when Mike turned it on, and then sat in the kitchen and pretended to "cook" on the counter with a rubber spatula while Mike was frying the latkes in the frying pan.

She even got into the sugar bowl on the counter, and we got a few pouts when we took it away from her. I was reminded that there is a reason we don't allow chairs in the kitchen!! Too easy to get at the good stuff!

Unfortunately, we couldn't get Maya to actually eat the latkes. I couldn't believe it. We loaded her dinner plate up with latkes and topped them with a dollop of apple sauce. Then we added in some green salad. She chose the salad and left the latkes completely untouched. She is apparently having a veggie craving day.

Anyway, here are some pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

Mike the electrician

I know I mentioned previously that last night, after Maya went to bed, the lights flickered, we heard a pop, and the heater sighed to a slow stop. Did I mention that it is cold in Cairo?? I know we are acclimatised, but still, we do actually need heat in the winter.

We didn't want to call the electrician for various reasons. So Mike hiked down to 26th of July street during Maya's nap, found an electrical supply shop, and bought a new switch. Then he came home and replaced the fuse in the switch, and now we have heat again. Thank God!!

Maya the city girl!

Maya has developed some very urban habits. For example, she can hail a cab on the street and tell it where to go, Cairo style. Here's how she does it. When she sees a taxi on the street, she leans forward, waves her arm, and shouts: Gabalaya, Gabalaya. (That's the name of our street)

Of course, Maya does this even when we don't need to get a taxi. So today when we were downtown and crossing the very busy Tahrir square, Maya was trying to stand up in her stroller and shouting: Gabalaya, Gabalayato about a million passing taxis.

Anyway, last night we had some friends over who told us about a European Christmas bazaar where we could buy imported European wine and chocolate. And since it is not easy to get imported alcohol in Egypt, Mike decided he wanted to go to the bazaar. It was at the Nile Hilton hotel, and began at 9:30 a.m. It was a serious mob scene. By the time we got there by about 10:30 a.m., almost all the alcohol had been sold and expats were leaving the hotel with huge boxes and bags full of booze.

We didn't leave completely empty handed. Sure, we couldn't get any French or Italian wine. But we did manage to snag a couple of the last bottles of sparkling wine from the Hungarian booth, and from a couple of other lesser known European countries. I think we scavanged up some Maltese wine, for example. And there was a lot left at the Armenian booth. I hope it's good.

Maya also got to see Santa up close, as he paid a visit. But she was absolutely terrified of him and would screech if we got within a 5-meter radius. She also demanded to be carried the whole time we were there because, as she put it, "Santa scary".

Anyway, now we are yet again trying to solve an annoying apartment problem. An electrical surge blew out the switch on our heater in the living room and we need to get it fixed. It is COLD in our apartment right now!

Happy Hanukkah!

Sorry for going awol for a while. I have been super busy.

Anyway, I thought I would post a few pictures of Maya at Hanukkah. On the first day, we scouted down a donut shop in Cairo because Mike thought we should have jelly donuts. I know of a place called Dar Donut, the Cairo version of Dunkin Donuts, if you can call it that.

I became acquainted with Dar Donut (House of Donuts) in 1995 as a study abroad student when, in a fit of homesickness, I decided along with some friends of mine that I needed a donut. It was comfort food. It would remind me of home. We went out to Mohandiseen across the river and bought donuts at Dar Donut. We took them back to our dorm and ate them. And guess what. They were rancid!!

Needless to say, I haven't had a donut in the Middle East since. But I consented to try them out again. So we piled in the car and drove to that same street corner on Mohandiseen to Dar Donut. Inside, we had a few basic choices of donuts: Chocolate frosted, glazed, sugared, jelly, cinnamon, vanilla frosted or cherry frosted. Not bad for Cairo! We bought our donuts and headed home.

At home, Maya was very excited to try the donuts. And to my serious relief they were not rancid this time! Not great. Not Dunkin Donuts. But not bad either. I tried to get Maya to try a jelly donut, but she rejected that in favour of taking a little lick off a vanilla frosted, which she then rejected for a sugar coated donut.

Then we gave Maya her first round of Hannukah presents from Grandma Laura and Grandpa Rick. She is seriously speedy at unwrapping presents. Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pictures! Sometime this weekend we are supposed to be making latkes. But Mike is in charge of that. We'll post pictures when we have them