Readers of this site may be aware that I am a friend of Korean cuisine. Having spent six important years of my life in Seoul, I have developed a special affection for Korean food which I tend to call the most tasteful food available on earth.

Wherever I go, I look out for Korean (yes, and also Greek) eateries: In the course of globalization, of which South Korea is one of the major beneficiaries, Korean food has spread to most countries. Usually the Korean restaurants cater mainly for the South Korean expat communities who have problems surviving abroad without their beloved kimchi.

Fortunately, there are numerous Korean restaurants in Cairo, we have found out. I have been to several of them, and am now in the position to share with you my preference: The place which has become our favorite Korean restaurant in Cairo is Arirang in New Maadi.

If you go for the looks, you should avoid the place which originally must have been a garage. But if you are in for tasty and fresh Korean food (and friendly service) this is definitely the place to consider: we usually have barbecued meat (kalbi) with various side dishes. Compared with all other Korean restaurants in Cairo we have been to, the meat here is the best.

I like ending my Korean food feast with a soup (e.g. mandoo guk): These also are marvelous at Arirang.

One indication of the quality of the place is that whenever we go we meet Koreans. It might be we are the only non-Koreans to patronize the place. Today, we actually had problems finding a seat: a tourist group from Korea had basically occupied the whole restaurant.

One additional reason to go to a Korean restaurant in Cairo these days is the availability of alcoholic beverage: all the places I have been to serve beer and the Korean schnaps called soju - and this at a reasonable price. It is also not uncommon to see Koreans in these restaurants bringing in their own hard drinks and consuming them while enjoying the food.

Recently, I asked a Korean couple I had met at my son’s school about Korean restaurants in Cairo. To my surprise, the lady gave us a list of selected Korean restaurants with names and their personal ratings. While I do not share these ratings, I am publishing these here for you to consider:

Three points:

San Marino, New Maadi
Cleopatra, Down Town
Hana, Zamalek

Two Points:

Seoul BQ, New Maadi
Gaya, Degla/Maadi
Amoun, Mohandessen

One point:

Arirang, New Maadi
Dadami, New Maadi

Omitted from this list is the “Pine Tree” (also in Maadi) which we have tested and consider to be a recommendable venue.

But, in the end, the number one for me is the Arirang which our Korean friends have given only one point. This shows once more that de gustibus non est disputandum.

If you like Korean food, try them out and let me know what you think. Kamsamnida!

From a blogging perspective, my 2007 has been an awful year. But then, as readers of this site may know, I have never concealed that I am not the pro-blogging type. More serious than the laxity with which I have dealt with this site, I find that 2007 has seen me giving up writing political commentary and publishing it - one of my favorite past-times in recent years and a source of much personal contentment. I will not bore you with repeating the circumstances responsible for this.

Looking back these past twelve months (and New Year’s Eve is an opportune occasion for such an exercise), I have taken in more impressions, information and new insights than I have shared with others. My new position as regional director for my institute have given me the chance of numerous travels in the vast area between Casablanca in the West and Istanbul in the East. Throughout the year, I have engaged in uncounted exchanges with political friends and partners in what is - also from a liberal perspective - strategically the most important part of the world.

Simply to keep up-to-date with political developments has been a challenge; while I have accumulated a small library of political literature dealing with the region, most of the books are waiting in the shelve to be read at a later stage. Meanwhile, I absorb large quantities of newspapers and other ephemeral literature much of which originating from some tremendously useful online-sources.

Before moving to Cairo, colleagues had warned me that promoting liberalism there would be more or less a hopeless case. And indeed, seen from the outside, the Middle East (and particularly the Arab world) comes across as a hostile environment for liberals and their program.

Still, for me the most encouraging (and in a way also surprising) discovery in 2007 has been that also in this part of the world there exist many committed liberal individuals and well established organizations. It is one of the numerous misconceptions of the Arab world that politics there is limited to an alternative between undemocratic and repressive regimes on the one side and equally illiberal Islamist radicals on the other side. While the political center is under pressure and Arab liberals are standing with with the back to the wall, they are far from being a spent force.

Meeting and establishing personal relationships with liberal individuals and their respective organizations in the Middle East has been a focus of my professional life in 2007. I will continue doing this in the New Year - and probably (in sha allah) - beyond 2008.

For me, the blog is not the place to deal with all too personal matters. However, I will start this post with mentioning yesterday’s argument with my wife: It’s been some time since I was back home for an entire weekend, and the free time, she said, would be a good occasion to get back to my website left deserted for months.

In the ensuing argument I defended this “desertion” with the well known argument that I simply had not the time (or better: would not take the time) to deal with my favorite past time of old days. As I have mentioned before, since coming to the Middle East a year ago and assuming the regional directorship of my Institute, I have felt overwhelmed by the new responsibilities and the seemingly unending things to take care for - many of them of a clearly administrative nature.

If you feel that sort of pressure you have to make choices. In this process, writing - be it for this site or for mainstream media, which I did with some passion ever since I left my job as a professional full-time journalist - has fallen back in my personal priorities. Topping this list (apart from the time consuming job with regular business trips in an area delineated by Casablanca in the West, Istanbul in the East and Hamburg in the North) is spending time with the family in our home in Maadi, pursuing my studies of Egyptian Arabic and lastly, keeping fit physically (I try to spend an hour a day exercising!).

All this said, I hope that 2008 may be different in that sense that I may find the time again for regular writing: Very many interesting and highly relevant (for the rest of the world) things are happening in this part of the world - and in many cases have a distinctly liberal dimension.

So hold out, sooner or later I profess to be back with news and commentary on my liberal times in Egypt and beyond - in sha Allah.

In contrast to the recent commotion, going to Hydra is a practice of routine. We have been coming to this beautiful island in the Saronic Gulf every summer the past five years. To make the point, we stay in the same hotel, and even in the same room.

For me, returning to Greece, is always a homecoming. Greeks tend to be highly communicative. As I speak the language, I get to engage in myriad dialogues and discussions. These range from the banal to more serious matters such as the state of the economy, politics and, yes, even philosophy.

During my Greek summer breaks I always become an avid consumer of Hellenic media. I spend hours listening to FM-radio (via the FM receiver in my iRiver), and every morning read one of the many newspapers for an update on local and international developments (and the stock market).

Greek media are pluralistic, colourful and, at times, also humorous. Over the past couple of years, I have noticed that the quality of journalism here has improved considerably.

But, then, I have not come to Hydra to study politics - and to report about them. But having done just that for many years of my life, I cannot but observe what is going on, and - at times - also make personal comments on Greek current affairs.

Compared to where I come from (the Middle East), Greece has evolved into a haven of stability, and therefore a political commentary can be short. I have discerned hardly any newsworthy developments concerning the ethnika themata, the so called national questions or foreign policy priorities of this state. On the other hand, domestically, Greece seems to be heading for early parliamentary elections. According to one newspaper, these may be held on September 23. In line with this, political debates have heated up a little. Importantly, all this is happening in a democratic and institutional framework. In my eyes, this is just one more indication that Greece has become just another “normal” democratic nation.

Technorati Tags: greece. politics, media, hydra

Once more, I missed to update from Cairo. Meanwhile, my little family and I are in Hydra for our annual retreat - and, also, immersion into Greek life and culture.

The past couple of weeks have, once more, been packed with interesting experiences and personal encounters in the Middle East. I sense an urge to write about just two highlights.

One of these has been a two-day conference entitled “Liberalism in the Arab Word. Challenges in Chances” in Casablanca end of May. I was particularly happy that we had delegations from three Egyptian political parties at the table who openly promote a liberal agenda. These are Ghad, Al Wafd and the newly established “Democratic Front.” After one of the sessions, I joined the Egyptian liberals for a snap shot.

Furthermore, there were delegates from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. After two days of partly emotional debates (after ten years in Asia, I still have to get used to this form of noisy interaction), the group constituted itself as Network of Arab Liberals.

A second - recent - highlight has been the three day visit of a group of European liberal parliamentarians (all members of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, or ALDE) to Cairo. They met top representatives of the government, civil society and also the Grand Sheikh of Al Azhar.

Importantly, the European Liberals also had friendly encounters with the leaderships of the three aforementioned Egyptian liberal parties.

Personally, I am happy that I could play a role in bringing Egyptian and European Liberals together. It seems, networking (and facilitating networks) of liberal forces and individuals across the Mediterranean region(s) will become a focus of attention for me. Networking makes much sense politically and strategically - particularly if the objective is to promote liberalism in a difficult region as is the Middle East.

Technorati Tags: network of arab liberals, alde, al wafd, ghad, democratic front

Our son is in the wonderful age of six and, thus, in a phase in which he is pro actively exploring his environment - and, at times, also the universe. During an extended breakfast session this Friday morning - a day off in predominantly Muslim Egypt - the boy confronted his parents with a clear question: “What is freedom?”

Freedom being at the center of all liberal advocacies (and thus my job), my wife suggested I start the explaining. “Freedom is when you are not in prison,” I said referring to the various games in which good guys and bad guys confront each other and in which, ultimately, the bad guys end up behind bars.

At this stage, I did not want to confuse the boy with the mention that, in some ugly places, also the good guys land in prison.

My wife wrapped up the meaningful little breakfast talk by telling the boy: “Today is freedom, because you do not have to go to school and you can do, more or less, what you want to do.”

This said, I am off to the swimming pool to enjoy with our always curious young son a day of relaxation and of, yes, freedom.

Most things in life have two sides. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible to find ideal solutions. What may sound philosophical, has very practical implications.

As readers of this site may know, I came to Cairo some five months ago as a part of a professional promotion. I moved up the ranks and joined a small group of senior officials, some of whom you may see in the ensuing picture posing in front of my institute’s headquarters in beautiful Potsdam, Germany.

I never made a secret that getting promoted was not a driving force for applying for the position in Cairo. When I asked to be given the job, my objective was not to step up the ladder and earn (a little) more money. I applied mainly for the sake of going (back) to Cairo and working with and for Egyptians, which I enjoy very much.

I am telling you all this to introduce the point that professional promotion may come with a prize and may have downsides, too. I have made this experience twice. The first time I felt this was back in the early nineties, when I took up the job of department head at Radio Deutsche Welle. While in my early years as a junior radio editor I would produce programs, write commentaries and conduct interviews (and did all those things that make journalism exciting), circumstances forced me to give up most of this after assuming the top job in the department. I had become responsible for myriad administrative affairs, which prevented me from doing what I liked most and what had made me to choose journalism as my profession: writing and reporting.

In a way, I am experiencing a similar situation now in Cairo, where various administrative tasks are keeping me utterly busy these first months as the Regional Director of my Institute. While I do find time for discussions with Egyptian friends and partners, writing a regular newspaper column or preparing analytical papers as I used to do during my ten years in Asia, seems like a distant memory.

I hope this is just a preliminary phenomenon, and may be overcome as we move along. I am looking forward to a day when I can take time off and write about - and share with others - what is happening around me.

Here in Cairo, I would never be in need of a good story.

Technorati Tags: professional development, promotion, careers

You may know by now that I am involved in an effort to learn (Egyptian) Arabic. What started some months ago on the banks of the river Rhine with Mustafa Osh, has found fruitful continuation here in Cairo with a competent Egyptian teacher named Nancy Fahmy.

I try to go to classes twice a week. Having done this rather systematically for the past four months, I am slowly starting to sense that I am making progress. I’ll talk about my learning habits and techniques (and also the books I use) in a later post.

Today, I want to tell you that, once more, I guess it is the third occasion, I addressed a public seminar sponsored by my institute in cooperation with Al Ahram’s Regional Press Institute in, yes, Egyptian Arabic.

The event was about globalization and the role of the state. I opened the seminar with a bilingual message starting off in Arabic and explaining to the audience what I think liberalism is all about.

I made an effort to just have a few notes, so the speech came along rather bumpy.

But, then, it is just a beginning.

Technorati Tags: egyptian arabic, foreign language, liberal, al ahram regional press institute

I belong to those people who spend most of the time they are not in bed sleeping at the office. Not that I don’t enjoy the hours at home with the family. But, luckily, working for me has always been more than a means to simply earn a living.

As I spend all that valuable time at the office, I find it important that I feel comfortable there. I believe you can learn a lot about a person by simply having a closer look at his or her work environment.

In an earlier post, I told you that moving my office from the desert to a more suitable location was among my first priorities after going to Cairo some four months ago. Since then, many friends and colleagues have asked for pictures of the new place.

Responding to these friendly requests I invite you to a short virtual tour of the new office on the banks of the river Nile:

Eventually, I hope to find time to share with you some of my thoughts and experiences coming back and settling in Cairo after more than four decades. My first weeks in Egypt have been packed with deja-vues. One of the more remarkable of these often emotional experiences has been a reunion with former school mates of Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule or DEO, which I attended till the age of twelve, when my parents moved from Cairo to Athens (in 1968).

Some 30 DEO-alumni convened in Egypt for the Easter break, and happily some of the returnees had been my classmates. We met on a sunny day filled with old memories at the summer house of my Egyptian friend (and also class mate), who has since become a successful lawyer.

I am not quite sure whether it is a coincidence or a habit for people who grow older that they make an effort to meet again with former friends and colleagues: Just the other day, I received an invitation to another alumni meeting. This one is scheduled for June in Athens and aims to bring together classmates of Deutsche Schule Athen, which I joined in 1968 after leaving Cairo.

For me, the teenage years in Athens are particularly memorable. I have already made travel arrangements and am looking forward to meet again after so many years my first girlfriend(s).

Technorati Tags: alumni, Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule, Deutsche Schule Athen