3 Parts ancient history
1 Part Whirling Dervishes
22 repressed and desperate Americans: Preparation of ingredient--Steep Americans in Amman, a very quiet city where one would be hard-pressed to find the sort of insane debauchery that defines some individuals' college experiences.
1 Part overwhelmingly large market
A handful of exploitative, money hungry taxi drivers: The Cairo taxi routine--get in taxi, exchange a few rounds of pleasantries, wait to arrive at your destination, get out of the taxi, hand the driver the amount you deem appropriate, walk away quickly with a medley of Arabic protestations and complaints playing behind you.
A socioeconomic structure that reproduces extremities in both wealth and poverty
1 criminal justice system whose balance can be dramatically tipped at the drop of a coin. (On one occasion, I was driving around with friends and we ran into a cone barrier blocking off a part of a busy intersection. Instead of driving around, all of my other Egyptian passengers started glibly declaring "Egyptian routine." My friend then drove up to the police officer, greeted him, slipped him 10 pounds, and then drove through the now unblocked intersection.)
1/3 cup economic development
2 handfuls of annoyingly loud, ignorant, and oblivious tourists.
1 falooka ride on the Nile
Cooking Instructions:
First get one large, 20 million-person city, add in 1/3 cup economic development, and heat to medium high heat, maybe about 80 degrees.
Next, haphazardly and wrecklessly dump everything else in. Cook for about seven days, stirring constantly and furiously, to the point of nausea preferably.
To finish sprinkle on some amazingly nice Egyptian people and flavor with smog, C02, dust, and a variety of other gaseous toxins, to taste.
SaHtain! (kind of like cheers)
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