In my four years at JU I have never encountered anyone as infuriating and as condescending as a certain Furry Canary. I suspect he has one or more aliases on JU. I am sorry that I have to mention him by pseudonym but I cannot for the life of me, understand why he is so domineering, so persistent or so certain that the World will bow down to him for being a superior person. This is a man who cannot put a banner to his name without a mistake (The Merchant would be appalled), and who scribbles a...

Squeaky Fromme was one of Charles Manson's misguided followers. She was , as I've read, immature and easily misled. She sought a god and found one in Manson. I met a girl the other day who reminded me of young Americans who are easily misled and end up more radical than the average flock member. I received a CV by fax and it was from an American girl living in the Middle East. She hailed from South Dakota so I shall not name her. I called her to arrange an interview as I felt she may be su...

I have been a JU blogger for four years or so and I shall continue to be a JU blogger. But, there are some articles I like to write about that are more "Africa oriented" and I wondered, JU permitting, whether I could ask Joeusers for some tips. Personally I find places like Blogspot oversubscribed and under-read. There's a Blogspot for everyone but that means hundreds of thousands of Blogspotters who drift with the wind. JU is far more selective, though I do miss some of the old Joeuser re...

Here is the June Food quiz. Remember no googling. 1. What are the main ingredients of custard? 2. What is a Granadilla? 3. Holland's best selling beer is...? 4. Which is rarest: Black truffle or white truffle? 5. Which famous English chef is famous for the F word? 6. Yorkshire pudding is served with......(meat). 7. New York's most famous chef is........? 8. Kitchen Confidential was written by....? 9. What is Foeie Gras and why is it controversial? 10. Which ingredient in bread mak...

I'm off to London on business this Thursday. It will hopefully be cooler than searing Cairo which is peaking in the mid-thirties at 8:00pm in the evening. When I return I'll post the JU Food and Drink Quiz for June. Who will be the June winner? Let's wait and see!

The Vespa scooter is very popular in Cairo. The little machine is designed (with maximum 250 cc), to take two passengers around town. However, have you ever seen a Vespa with an aircon and washing machine strapped to the back? The rider has to stand while negotiating Cairo's traffic and his load is, to say the least, unbalancing. What about an old Russian motorcycle with side-car and five persons aboard, plus 1 sheep, a crate of tomatoes and a bamboo cage full of chickens? It is not unusua...

I borrowed a friend's Volkswagen Beetle in 1966 and went for my test. It involved a run around the block and a stop in front of the licencing office--no reversing, no hills, no parking. I did not have to take a learner's licence as I had a motorcycle licence. I'm sure it was the easiest test in South Africa. But, I did know how to drive having done so since the age of 16 (illegally of course). We had a Hudson and I practised going in and out of the garage. Then we had a Volvo and I learnt lef...

Today I saw a bee and I spoke to it. Yes, I know I'm going senile but a bee is a VIP on my balcony. He arrived and sat on the shutter door and I decided to speak to it. "Hey bee," I said, " Could you perhaps visit my barren cucumber plants and my tomatoes?" Perhaps you can wriggle around a bit and get all that pollen into a frenzy and I'll get some damn fruit. Better still, get out there and call your buddies and tell them I'm only two floors up." The bee scratched his wings and buzzed off. H...

As this is my 200th article and I love food and beverage shows on TV, I thought I'd post a quiz as I know Joeusers love these. Rules: Very simple --no Googling or dictionary peeping. Straight off the bat and have a go at my twenty questions. Winner becomes Joeuser "Gourmet" for May! 1. Name three Italian cheeses. 2. What are "petit pois?" 3. What ingredients would you use to make a Bechamel sauce? 4. Venison is meat from a ____? 5. Sherry is traditionally made in which country? 6. ...

I think I'm going to write a childrens' story about my guppy George. He has to be the strongest guppy I know of. Let me explain: My son and I have shared a fish tank for over a year. We tried guppies and they died like flies. We tried little catfish and they did fairly well for months before turning belly-up too. We tried goldfish and, fortunately, two are still with us --er,that is out of ten original team members. The surviving member of our guppy family nearly didn't make it. After a go...

I want to ask Joeusers whether they have researched their family trees and where their families originally come from. I have seen from watching TV, that, in the US, there seem to be Norwegian influences, Italian influences, Irish backgrounds, Polish backgrounds and so on. Watched a programme the other day on a cooking channel(!) about Czechs and their food. Many Czech Americans have brought their cultures with them and they have endured. So it is with other groups who immigrated in the 1800'...

I wonder how many people realise that the city of Cairo would not exist without the Nile River. The river provides water for the city, irrigation for the cultivation of food, opportunities for tourism and a cooling breeze that dulls the heat of a desert climate. As you pass over the Nile via Cairo's numerous bridges you can feel the cooling effect of this nourishing river. In places it is over a mile wide. The other day we took a fellucca ride for some relaxation. You climb on board a typical...

Expatriates like me who live in Cairo don't own a car. I own a car in England but my daughter uses it and I've more or less signed it over to her. I could not own a car in the craziest city in the World because it would not last one week! I've been driving for over forty years but there is no way that I am going to drive in Cairo--it is a mad, road-raged city with bumps every five minutes (I don't mean speed bumps)--and an impatience that would try a saint. So, like millions of others in our ...

I do enjoy living in Cairo. One reason is, that It is, probably, the mecca of home delivery in Africa, if not the World. Here are some insights that will probably boggle your mind: -My British newspapers and my auto magazines are delivered to my door twice a week. I receive the Sunday Times on the next day, Monday. - If I want a Pizza, a burger or a Chinese meal, I log on to a home delivery site that delivers in twenty minutes.Yes, there's MacDonalds, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Hardees, KFC a...