18 Ways To Experience Egypt Like A Local

Eat kebda, Sogo2, Foul, Ta3meya, Batates & Betengan sandwiches from a street vendor -men 3ala 3arabeya

You can have a stomachache afterwards, but it’s ok, it only means that you need to eat more of these and you’ll be perfectly good.

Photo by Ed Yourdon

Falafel with Fries sandwich by Alan Teo

Eat Batata Mashweya on a cold winter night in Cairo or Dora Mashwi specially on Alexandria’s corniche

Grilled sweet potatoes are easily made at home, however those grilled in this traditional oven are out of this world. Very soft, and smell so good.

Couldn’t find a photo of 3arabeyet batata at night sorry, photo by Hossam

Eat Baladi bread

Once we get hold on German & French pastry we all admit they are the best, however baladi bread cannot be compared!

Baladi Bread by Ed Yourdon

Drinking/Eating Homos elsham or Sahlab on a cold night

Exactly what you need on a cold night, specially that we Egyptians don’t use heating.

Sahlab by Alpha

Ride a taxi & argue with the driver over the fare and to put the A/C on

An Egyptian taxi driver will tell you all sorts of made up stories, or real stories about his childhood, his experience in life, or even cursing the country, the traffic and drivers. They don’t put the A/C automatically and you always have to argue about the fare.

Photo by Rutger

Drive a car

You cannot miss this one, Egyptian driving is crazy, totally out of control.

It’s totally insane by Asim Bharwani

Cross the street

It’s a challenge, that’s not suitable for the faint-hearted, traffic lights are non-existent. The driver challenges the pedestrian if s/he will be able to cross without getting hit, and the pedestrian is like “if you think about hitting me, you’re doomed”. Egyptians cross highways, ring roads, they fear nothing and are unstoppable.

This photo is not in Egypt, but is more or less the same by Michael Coghian

See someone hitching such a ride

Photo by Vagabondblogger

Eat gebna beida (white cheese) with batikh (watermelon)

Such a delight specially when coming back home from a long day spent near the sea.

Photo by Kirti Poddar

Eat at Kebdet Elbrens -now sadly closed

It’s Elbrens not Elprince, and absolutely the best Egyptian food restaurant in town, a very traditional one.

This photo is not at Kebdet Elbrens by Ronald Woan

Attend Eidul Fitr prayer, eat kahk and have breakfast with family & friends afterwards

Whether you’re muslim or not, it’s an amazing atmosphere, people finish the prayer then head back home to have breakfast with the family, or go out to have breakfast with friends then go home to continue eating with the family.

Eidul Fitr prayer by Sandip Debnath

Attend the slaughtering during Eidul Adha and eating Fattah and fresh la7ma & kebdah

Photo by Clint Rutkas

Haggle when buying from street vendors, souvenir shops and souqs

Photo by Spyros Petrogiannis

Drink Sobia, 2assab, & Fakhfakhina juices

In the Egyptian version of 2assab juice we don’t add lemon slices as shown in the photo by Matthew Hine

Ask someone for directions & getting even more lost

First s/he asks “howa 2alak fen”, next thing you’ll most probably be given wrong ones.

Photo by Brian Talbot

Fight with someone who ignores the queue

Photo by Xiaojun Deng

See a car that is loaded with an illogical weight

I wonder how on earth this car is still able to move!!!

Photo by Ahram Online

Sit on an Ahwa Baladi

It has to be an ahwa baladi, not just a random cafe that serves shisha, and preferably if a football game is on, even better if it’s the derby (Ahly vs. Zamalek)

Photo by Peter Morgan

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