Shopping here in Cairo can be quite a challenge, especially when you don’t have a driver, a car, or a lot of money. Once a month or so, we go to Carrefour and buy there what we haven’t been able to find at our local grocery stores. Sometimes we also go to Alpha market. Running around like this will help us get some things we can’t find in other stores, however it is no guarantee that we’ll always find what we’re looking for. For a couple of weeks I’ve been out of coarse sea salt, and every store I’ve managed to get it at before, is out.
The other day I did a big shopping at our local grocery store, Seoudi, and one of the things I managed to remember to get was foil. You can usually get foil, it’s not a problem, although you have to pay attention, or you might end up with imported foil, which is very expensive. I bought the locally made foil, and picked out a package that looked neat. When I got home and opened it however, the foil roll was completely dented in the middle, almost bent, practically rendering it useless (because the foil will rip and get stuck to the roll every time I try to use it). I held the roll up to Courtney and exclaimed “And THIS is why I can’t spend the rest of my life in Egypt!” That roll of foil represented several things I just can’t stand about living here: 1) it was there in the store, for sale, and yet, it has been so maltreated that it’s practically ruined. 2) If I were to take it back, nobody would understand what I thought was wrong with it. They would pull of a [ripped] piece and say “Look, still fine.” And in their eyes, there really is nothing wrong with the state of this foil roll. 3) All I wanted was a simple roll of freakin’ foil. Really. If you’ve never lived here, you might think the heat is starting to get to me, but if you have, you probably know what I mean: WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO HARD???!
Note: My groceries, after purchase, were brought to my house, no extra charge. I bought the most amazing sun-ripened fruit for close to nothing. The sun was shining the whole time, and after my trip to the grocery store, I spent the afternoon by the pool. Living here is really nice. Really. It’s just that sometimes, the foil gets to me.
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4 comments:
Oh, I so understand. What more can I say?
I hear you loud and clear. I know we haven't officially met yet, but would you mind if I linked to this post from my blog? You've put into words what I feel.
I feel ya. My hubby's family recently renovated their bathroom and it looks worse than before and the toilet leaks! They just deal with it...and I know all about the foil. My mother-in-law reuses foil over and over again. It like once she works so hard to get a decent size piece off the roll she is reluctant to give it up after a single use.
~Jessica
...but, its so laid back here (in odd ways)that I'm sure you could get away with opening a package in the store to check the contents. I've seen my mother-in-law do this.
One time, the pharmacy sent her hair bleach instead of another kind of peroxide to clean out her appendix removal wound. She used it painfully for a week until my husband and I visited and checked the package. Crazy.
~Jessica
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