23 June 2007

Food expenditures for one week

Excellent Study




Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25




Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Favorite foods: fish, pasta with ragu, hot dogs, frozen fish sticks





Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat





Kuwait: The Al Haggan family of Kuwait City
Food expenditure for one week: 63.63 dinar or $221.45
Family recipe: Chicken biryani with basmati rice





United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week: $341.98
Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken




Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Favorite foods: pizza, crab, pasta, chicken




China: The Dong family of Beijing
Food expenditure for one week: 1,233.76 Yuan or $155.06
Favorite foods: fried shredded pork with sweet and sour sauce




Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Family recipe: Pig's knuckles with carrots, celery and parsnips





Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Family recipe: Okra and mutton





Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week : $31.55
Family recipe : Potato soup with cabbage





United States: The Caven family of California
Food expenditure for one week: $159.18
Favorite foods: beef stew, berry yogurt sundae, clam chowder, ice cream





Mongolia: The Batsuuri family of Ulaanbaatar
Food expenditure for one week: 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.02
Family recipe: Mutton dumplings




Great Britain: The Bainton family of Cllingbourne Ducis
Food expenditure for one week: 155.54 British Pounds or $253.15
Favorite foods: avocado, mayonnaise sandwich, prawn cocktail, chocolate fudge cake with cream



Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork



Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

22 June 2007

That's what I call "A room with a VIEW"

Two weeks ago I stayed in the famous El Salamlek Palace Hotel in Alexandria the hotel was originally built by H.M. Khedive Abbas Helmi II as a hunting lodge for his beloved for his Hangro-Austrian Mistress, Countess May-Torok von Szendro. The Greek architect Dimitri Faricious Pasha actually designed the palace and undertook its construction in 1892.

Later, during the reign of H.M. King Fouad I, son of H.M. Khedive Abbas Helmi II, El-Salamlek served as a guesthouse. And later, under the reign of King Farouk I, El-Salamlek became a summer office and guesthouse for the king's most valued guests.

I took nine years to restore the palace and turn into an Hotel. I have to admit that El Salamlek has been beautifully restored and still contain a lot of original artifacts and paintings. The rooms are decorated with lots of gold paint and antiques.


I took these 2 pictures of El Salamlek from the sea



It is great to wake up every morning with fabulous view. This is what I really call a “Room with a View” :)
















My bedroom not bad Henh????






To be honest even though this hotel looks nice and all I am not a big fan. I am more into modern hotels that are practical and comfortable. The bed Oh the Bed, the bed was cracking with every move of my body. When I was lying there just thinking of moving before I even move the bed would sense my thought and would start cracking.. Imagine if you were there with your Lovey Dovy for a nice romantic night?! The Neighbors will definitely shoot you :) Thinking of it again cause the building is so old the walls are pretty thick?!

Again I have to admit that the service was excellent that I felt like Royalty. In my room I had the best complimentary fresh fruit basket that I have seen and believe I have stayed in allot of 5 star hotels :) To conclude I guess if the room is for more than 100$ it is not worth it.

11 June 2007

Damien Hirst's "For the Love of God"




Inspired by an Aztec turquoise skull at the British Museum, this piece of art, entitled "For the Love of God", was created by Damien Hirst and will be on display at White Cube Mason's Yard. It's a life-sized cast of a human skull in platinum. The work is covered entirely by 8,601 VVS to flawless pavé-set diamonds, weighing a total of 1,106.18 carats. It's the most expensive piece of art ever created, costing between $16 and $20 million to make, and $99 million to buy.

The focal point for the piece is a large flawless pear-shaped pink diamond - worth an estimated $8 million - positioned on the skull’s forehead and surrounded by fourteen flawless white pear-shaped diamonds.

Hirst himself keeps only a copy at home. "You couldn't really just shove it on the mantelpiece," he told reporters.

For those freaked out by what they saw in the film Blood Diamonds, don’t worry: The 24 million dollars worth of precious stones are said to be ethically sourced.

Why feed starving children in Africa when you can glue diamonds to a skull? It just makes sense.

10 June 2007

Sinai Desert 1975-1976


Courtesy of Tommy Mardell – He was working for the UN emergency Force (UNEF) as photographer based in Sinai 1975-1976

09 June 2007

Google Egypt




I always dreamt that one day I will work for Google now that I saw their Egyptian office I changed my mind :(

Israel Store???!!!

This store is supposed to be in El Game3 Square in Heliopolis, Cairo??!!!!
Did you ever get to see it or heard of it?


08 June 2007

Abou Shakra building new look!!!!!

Last Saturday I was meeting friends at 4 PM it was the first time I pass by Kasr El Ainy street in day light for a long long time, I was talking on the phone when I reached the street my friend on the line heard me yell what the F$@k?!! He thought I had an accident in reality I saw the Abou Shakra building in its Orange Florescent new look!!!!!

What a shitty color what were they thinking???!!!

Yuck!!!