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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Still relatively new to Egypt and unfamiliar with many aspects of the country’s politics, I was impressed by a recent meeting with representatives of Egyptian liberal youth organizations. Quite honestly, I had not been aware of these groups’ very existence just a short while ago. But then, no less than five delegations showed up at […]

This afternoon, I visited the offices of a leading Egyptian newspaper. As a journalist by profession, I cherish meeting media-people to get their take on things. For me, this is particularly valuable as I am new to the place and (still) rather ignorant.
At the end of the visit, the editor-in-chief, a bright and well educated […]

In the life of a blog, six months is an eternity. My last post is almost that old. Admittedly, this is not the correct way to treat your readers. And, therefore, the minimum I can do is offer an explanation (and an apology to those who have come along over the past couple of […]