The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

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Welcome back Dish of the Week readers; we wish we had returned this week with a more optimistic outlook on life – but this week has been a whirlwind of emotions at the office. We all heard about the Mansoura incident that has rocked our nation over the past few days. The sad news of Nayera Ashraf’s death has been a toll none of us saw coming, especially after all the unexpected social media backlash. We will not get into the contradicting opinions we have seen on various platforms justifying her death, but what we can do is mourn her passing and pray for her family to get through this. 

Black Coffee, it is that simple – this week, the overall vibe has been somewhat tasteless and bitter, to say the least. Even though black coffee appeals to many coffee enthusiasts, it is definitely not the popularised taste of the masses. Black coffee is brewed without adding milk, sugar, cream, etc. Black coffee has a stronger taste than when flavoured with additives or artificial sweeteners. Many people love black coffee because of its pleasant aroma and tart acidity – but most of us prefer adding flavours, toppings, and any type of milk to make the experience more bright and flavourful. 

The global taste for all coffee drinks and their derivatives has definitely taught us something; we all have different views of what tastes good and what doesn’t. Some of us cringe at the thought of having hot plain bitter acidic coffee and others cannot stand the idea of adding cream and sugar to their coffee. We cannot change people’s preferences; however, we can give them options and the opportunity to try things out of their comfort zone. Of course, the case of Nayera doesn’t come close to different tastes of coffee, but this incident has shown us something fundamental. Some people out there can justify violence, death, and bullying in ways we cannot imagine, probably because they were conditioned to think as such. Realising that there are so many outlooks, upbringings, opinions, and behaviours we know nothing about is a must in this day and age. We certainly cannot change each and every person in the world who thinks like that, but this teaches that we must understand what can cause a person to think like that. Our nation needs core rehabilitation, from what our media offers and our schools teach to firm decisions on the mental fitness of people deciding to have children and the role models we let into our lives. 

We cannot express how lousey this week has been, but we always try to see the silver lining to every situation. Perhaps this occurrence was why this social problem could get the spotlight it deserves, and in time we can have more legislation that can adequately serve our community and upcoming generations. Qahwa sada it is for this week.