Fake Cheetos and Naguib Mahfouz . . .

Hey guys,

Just thought I would share the day's events with you. I've been reading a book lately called "Children of the Alley" by Naguib Mahfouz. He's probably the most famous author in Egypt. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1988. The book is pretty incredible. I've only got about forty pages left, and I'll actually be a little sad when I've finished the book. It's the first one of his books that I've read. But if the rest of them are anything like this one, I'm going to have to stock up the next time I go to a bookstore.

And on the lighter side, I had a healthy dinner of fake Cheetos tonight. Well, I really don't know what to call them, and cheetos is the only thing that even comes close. You'll love the list of ingredients: corn meal, oil, ketchup, salt. Yep, that's it! :) There have been a lot of foods in Egypt that have taken some getting used to. The first time I ate a lot of them I promised myself that I would never eat them again. But after a while you learn to get used to them. The fake cheetos are on that list. The first time I had them, I thought they were horrible. But tonight I actually went and bought them on purpose. What a big difference a little time makes.

I think the secret is not to compare the food to what it reminds you of. For example, if you're thinking of Cheetos, these will seem terrible. But if you just get used to the fact that you're not eating cheetos, you're just eating something else entirely, they're much more enjoyable.

All right you guys. It's time for me to trundle off to bed. Hope you're having fun . . .