After only a few days, I have come to the conclusion that Dr. Atkins had it all wrong. Instead of some new fad diet like we have in the US, people who want to lose weight should just come to Cairo. It’s not that the food is any healthier than what we have in the US, but it is the Egyptian lifestyle that causes the pounds to fall off.
Here in Cairo, we are busy all day long. We generally leave the apartment by 10am and then come back after 10 or 11 each night. During the day when we’re out, we are walking nearly everywhere in the blazing heat and we drink so much water (at least 2 or 3 liters). We rarely have time to eat and when we do, it is usually a small meal. I have already adopted the practice of eating as much as I can when we are at a sit-down restaurant because I do not know when I will eat next. For instance, today all I had time to eat was a few pastries, 2 eggs, and koshari. (Koshari is an Egyptian dish made of macaroni, noodles, rice, chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes, fried onions, and hot sauce.)
I have also noticed that Egyptians do not eat nearly as much protein or vegetables as I am accustomed. A typical day for an Egyptian consists of fuul (beans) and aish (pita bread) for breakfast, ta’amiyya (felafel) for lunch, and then shawarma (a sandwich with shaved meat) for dinner. Obviously, some people may eat more or less, or any number of different things, but this is what I have observed thus far.
On another note, I still do not have a bed. Hopefully, I will be getting one in the next few days. I hope. Until then, my best friends are benedryl and the lovely triple butt-groove couch.