About a week ago I wanted to write about the things that happened in one day. Time flew but I remembered all the events because each serves as an example of what life is like here in Luxor. I think not enough can be said of the mix between those seeking the ancient cultures which have now been commodified as tours and tour packages and the modern culture which is more Muslim in nature and practice. Since most people in the West don't know much about Islam this is a bit of an adjustment at times, however it is far from what is pictured on television and the nightly news. A wake up call to the misinformation placed before the public should be the greeting As-salam alaykum, ….
Anyway, about ten days ago I had a dream about eating some Kentucky Fried Chicken, KFC for the uninitiated. Normally I don't dream about fast food and if I did I would dismiss it. However, I took this as a valid cue from my subconscious that it might be time to try some local KFC. So I woke up the first day and ignored the cue; however by the second day I decided to give it a go since it was still in my mind and I could taste a piece of original on my lips. This is especially odd, since even as I write this I am contemplating a return to vegetarianism. Eat from the bounty of the sun...
So we get in a cab and head down to KFC which is down by the British part of town. The British own most of the buildings in the area and you see more of them there. Right before you hit that part of town, there is KFC. It is a very clean KFC, it looks like one you would expect to see in a major US city downtown, if you didn't know about the New York KFC that was infested with rats and so on...
So we go in and order an 18pc for everyone. There are seven of us, so that equaled out to two pieces for everyone and a few extras. The first thing we noted was that they didn't have biscuits they had rolls. Strike one. The next thing was that the sign was pretty much like the one in the states, plus one. The following thing we noticed was that all the staff was local Egyptian, who looked highly competent, plus. So when I ordered we were told that the chicken had to be cooked so it would take about ten minutes. No problem.
While we were waiting we looked at the stream of customers in and out. There was a group of European tourists, who looked at us funny while they made the attempt to not look like death warmed over. Then there was the constant stream of Japanese tourists. Correction, badly dressed Japanese tourists. At about eight minutes into out wait one of the badly dressed Japanese tourists got in an argument with the cashier. I noted that our fresh chicken started disappearing. I forgot that the time we had got in was a lull period. Between lunch and dinner chicken can sit. How was I supposed to remember? I haven't eaten KFC in a few years at least. So after the cashier and the Japanese make peace my order is up and I'm out.
We get home and I am excited. Taste the fries and they are solid. The cole slaw isn't identical to the states but it is likewise respectable. I eagerly look forward to my chicken, perhaps a nice breast and a wing. Lo and behold their isn't a single breast in the box! I laughed, while calculating that four should have been there, but no big deal. We got a mix of spicy and original. The original was a fail, big time. Not because it didn't make an effort, the chicken itself was good, but it had sat way too long under a heating lamp or warmer. However, the spicy was both crispy and tasty. So the moral to the story on Egyptian KFC, at least in Luxor, make sure they drop your chicken while you wait, make sure you get the chicken that is dropped and make sure that you get your correct share of breasts.
The actual cost of the meal was very comparable to KFC stateside. I guess we payed about 170 LE for the 18 piece dinner, which is about $30 USD. Had the chicken been as expected I would have been very happy. A comparable Egyptian meal with two roasted chickens, vegetables and hummus would cost about half of that, near 100 LE. But for the experience it was worth it.
So after we eat we immediately get sleepy. What can you expect from a buffet of greasy Americanesque goodness? Nothing but the itis.
So we wake up a few hours later and go meet up with Brother A to head into town. We hop in his car and roll out but before we get there a police officer halts him. I think back to what I had been told and try it out. I say – how ya doing, as loud as I can in my most American voice. He steps back and then he sends us on the way. I made Brother A real happy.
I had been told before that unlike in the states, the police here, particularly the tourist police, are really here to serve tourists and look out for our interests as foreigners. I think I am getting a grasp of that, after being repeatedly hassled in Tampa by the good ole boys in blue there. Anyway, the officers here are very respectful and tend to be stand offish. However make no mistake that those toys you see them with are actually machine guns or submachine guns. I guess the saying about if you are going to talk talk, if you are going to shoot shoot, is true here more than in any other place. Whatever the case, we were all really happy about the experience and Brother not getting a ticket which is, I think, at the minimum 2000 LE.
So we head about our business and we make it back to the store about to go home, loaded with items from the bakery, maybe some coffee and whatever else we had managed to score in town that night. When we are about ready to go home a local dervish, Sheik Khalid comes in. Sheik Khalid is the subject of the third interesting thing of the night.
Sheik Khalid is a dervish, I am not quite sure is he is a by Hoyle Sheik however. A dervish, to my understanding is a wanderer, a person on a spiritual journey, usually somewhere between the material world and the spiritual world. At times, when a Sheik has demonstrated some miraculous work, he will inspire others to follow him. When followers ask how, he will sometimes give them instructions to sell all their worldly possessions and wander the earth looking for signs and such. This would be a dervish. Not all dervishes have this common trate, but most are striving for a sort of spiritual perfection.
Sheik Khalid is no exception to this rule. Also, because the dervish is caught between the two worlds of spiritual and material they tend to have a mystical aspect about them or works which have been credited to them of a mystical nature. Sheik Khalid is said to possess such a gift. Whenever he visits a house, the person whose house it is usually expands the house after he leaves, by some luck or divine fortune after his visit. Plus he is a really nice guy, with good energy bursting from him.
When encountering a dervish, some might wear older clothing, but their body will be clean. There are some who are whirling dervishes, of whom I have encountered one so far. The tradition, I believe, stems from the particular Sufi tradition of Islam. Anyway, Sheik Khalid invited me to a mosque further out of town, encouraged me to have the kids pray more, and wrote out a blessing for the house and for my wallet. I will let you know how they work out. I made a small offering and left, before we went home though, he insisted on driving through town with us, so we obliged, and he drove us right to the point of our incident with the police officer earlier and back to the store, then home.
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