"We got a 4:30 wake-up call to be ready in time for our Egyption Farmhouse Breakfast. It was still pitch dark at 5 when we took a motor boat across the Nile from our hotel, walked down a narrow gangplank and up a little hill overlooking the river. The area was enclosed on three sides with fabric hangings and the ground was covered with Oriental carpets. We sat on low stools around two round tables were set with crisp linens. A brass tray in the center of the table held olives, cucumber, tomatoes, baba ganoush, feta and tahini. A galabeya-clad gentleman passed two types of bread fresh out of a kiva-style earthen oven, and poured fresh-squeezed orange juice. Cousin compared it to a scene from the Arabian Nights.As the stars faded and the sky brightened, we feasted on an assortment of cheeses and cold cuts, omelets prepared to order, cereals, fuul (a lentil dish kind of the texture of refritos, which you can season to taste with ground chilis and cumin), sausages, fresh and dried fruit, Egyptian rice, yoghurt, pastries, and more. What a feast! Lots of different tastes and textures to sample. I couldn't begin to try them all, but I could have happily stayed there all day to try.
The sun rose over the Nile as birds chirped in the rustling trees surrounding our little slice of paradise. A meal we'll never forget."
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