"cairo" news and stories

Whatever happens in post-Mubarak Egypt, we know one thing that will never change: koshary. A favorite food of Egyptians, koshary (also spelled koshari or kushari) is a classic vegetarian dish of lentils, rice, chickpeas, pasta, tomato sauce, onions, garlic and cumin that's simple, comforting, fragrant and delicious. When in Cairo's Tahrir Square, before the revolution, chef Anita Lo (of New York's Annisa, and "Top Chef Masters") tells Saveur, she tried this national dish, and went from skeptic to big fan. A touch of a special sauce made all the difference.

Learn more about koshary, and get Chef Lo's top pick at Saveur.com.

I have a love/hate relationship with the city in which I live -- Los Angeles. You can't beat the balmy weather (did I mention that I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt all day today?), but you also can't beat traffic, no matter how carefully you listen to the traffic report, time your driving with "rush hour" or opt for surface streets.

But in the end, I love Los Angeles, which is why I love these dinner plates from notNeutral. The dishwasher-safe porcelain plates are 12" in diameter, feature the downtown core printed on a black background, highlight key buildings in red, and indicate rivers and public spaces. While I favor Los Angeles, the plates also come printed with Shanghai, Cairo, Berlin (part of Collection 1) and New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Dubai (part of Collection 2).

Each plate is $50.

If you live in a developing country, that is: In the U.S., land o'plenty, so the golden arches will always remain a convenience as a drive-through window, but in cities that are congested and land is scarce, McDonald's has taken to delivery.

Where would you have to go to get your Big Mac and fries delivered right to your door with a delivery charge of anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar? Ronald McDonald commissions fleets of delivery people in cars or on motorbikes in cities like Manila, Taipei, Cairo, for a total of about 25 cities, with a half dozen more in the works.

Really, I think L.A. is congested enough of a city that McDonald's delivery could work here. I can't tell you how many times I've woken up on a weekend morning craving an Egg McMuffin, but was a little too, uh, "dehydrated" to get in the car and get to a McDonald's before 10:30AM!

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