Moments: Hawawshi

This is the sort of thing I love about Cairo: You're out for an afternoon walk. Feeling a little thirsty, you stop at the nearest kiosk to buy a bottle of water, only to be overcome with the most amazing and unmistakable aroma drifting towards you from inside. Your first thought is proven correct as you see the young guy sitting behind the counter opening the silver foil covering his hawawshi, the steam rushing out.

Hawawshi is just one of those things that is so good (unless you're a vegetarian, in which case take no heed) that it can't really be adequately described. It's made from baladi bread, Egypt's version of pita bread (but much better) stuffed with spicy minced meat, brushed with oil, wrapped in aluminium foil and baked for about half an hour.

Being a hawawshi enthusiast, I was compelled to comment how beautiful the smell was and ask him if it was from a good shop (fellow hawawshi people having instilled in me the importance of verifying the quality of hawawshi establishments, which are prone to using questionable meat), thinking we could stop by and pick some up on our way home. He immediately picked it up and held it out to me to take. I refused. He insisted, waving it towards me. I thanked him and refused again.

Then, from beside me, my son's voice chimed in. "Aah, is that hawawshi?" The young man behind the counter smiled down at him as he tore his lunch down the middle and thrust half of it into the hands of my son, who didn't hesitate in accepting it and the kindness with which it was given.

As we continued our walk, the aroma of the hawawshi and the ripple effects of this man's generosity followed us down the street.

Egypt. The same but different.

Flying into Cairo this time—the first since the Revolution—felt a little different than flying into Cairo typically does. To begin with, the airport was very hushed, with a notable absence of men approaching with oversized trolleys insisting we needed assistance with our luggage. Happily, I took possession of a trolley and attended to my own luggage without anyone saying anything or trying to muscle in.

While not venturing too far beyond my local neighbourhood this first week, initial impressions were quick to form. And in my world first impressions count for a lot.

It’s often the little touches that make the biggest impact. The things you don’t notice or brush over when they are there typically leave the most gaping holes when they’re gone. (Bearing in mind that not all gaping holes are bad things.)

While aware of the possibly scientifically illogical nature of it, what struck me immediately is that the air seems cleaner. And yet, there it is. Cleaner, fresher air. It feels easier to breathe in Cairo than before.

And so it is also with the traffic, which is the same but different somehow in a way my finger can’t quite place itself on. Not as intensely frustrating perhaps? A feeling that even if things are moving at a snail's pace they are, in fact, actually moving and the destination is both visible and reachable?

While it’s tempting to say that the heat is oppressive, that would be a little impertinent considering Cairo is now on the tail end of summer and actually a couple of weeks into autumn. Along with the fact that talking about the weather is dull and the general population is already aware that Egypt is a hot place for a large chunk of the year. Suffice to say that the heat is currently just a little prickly if one is walking out and about in the middle of the day.

Optimism hangs so much more lightly in the air than despair. And today, a cool breeze weaves its way intermittently through the hot sky.

Oh, how the rhetoric about Egypt has changed!

A thought ran like a loop through my mind for years as I watched Egypt’s immeasurable potential sink further and further into despondency with the passing of time: Egypt should be the best country in the world. And not because of its pivotal geographical location, the Pyramids, the Red Sea, the history, the Nile, the Suez Canal or the abundance of other fabulous things the country has to offer – although they certainly play a part – but because of the best thing about Egypt. The people. Egypt has always been about the people, who have a very particular, largely indefinable quality.

For a long time now, there have been echoes of the same tedious rhetoric: Egyptian people are too apathetic, too demoralized, too afraid, too lacking in hope to ever rise up against oppression. But on January 25, the people did rise up, the people broke through their fear, the people persisted, united and triumphed – and they did it peacefully. Because of this they have become an inspiration for people everywhere. This revolution has proven so many people wrong and has swept away decades, if not centuries, of stereotypes and bigoted perceptions about the Middle East and Arabs... at least for those who are willing to listen with open ears. At the same time it has set an incredible example for the world to follow. Cheesy as it may sound, because of 18 days in Egypt, there is renewed hope for all of humanity.

There are no pithy little phrases that could adequately describe what Egypt could now become, now that the sum of her unified voices has been unleashed.

Nobody is under the illusion that reconstructing Egypt will be a walk in the park. Obviously the post-revolution road ahead will be filled with many stones. But the thought running through my head has changed. Should has been replaced with will.

Egypt will be the best country in the world. Because of the people.

Egypt will not be silenced!

The silence is eerily deafening. Barely anyone from Egypt is online, with all ISPs having been shut down except one – Noor – apparently because that’s the one used by the stock exchange and some banks. Mobile phone services are erratic at best.

A whole country has been wiped off the Internet map as Hosni Mubarak and his regime try to silence a nation and isolate them from communication with the outside world. Clearly, it’s also to shield their ongoing crimes against humanity - and quite possibly intended massacre - from the eyes of the world.

Today is the fourth day Egyptians have protested across the country against the barbaric, corrupt regime that has been in power uncontested for almost 30 years. Further protests are coming in a couple of hours, after Friday prayers at 1:00pm Egypt time. Reports from eyewitnesses on twitter say plainclothes police/thugs are dowsing cars and public squares with petrol, presumably in order to set them on fire during the protests and blame protesters, thus giving them an excuse to attack them. Or, perhaps – God forbid – to set the public areas aflame once they’re filled with people.

It's also reported that the regime's thugs are also out in large numbers armed with knives and baseball bats.

Contrary to popular public opinion in the US and other countries, these protests are not being led by the Muslim Brotherhood (although some members of the MB are reported to be protesting as individuals) or, in fact, by any single group. They are being powered by the people, by individual Egyptians who have had enough.

Do whatever you can to support them and let the world know they’re being heard.

Only God knows what will happen in Egypt over the coming hours and days. But to all of Egypt and all Egyptians… your white heart is beating loudly and we can hear you.