To see other entries, or to play along, click here: Egypt Everlasting.

This week's theme is SHOPPING, so tell us something about how you shop, interesting things you can buy, unusual shopping places, ways to find great deals, or anything else you can think of related to shopping in your part of the world.

Next week's (8-29) theme: GATHERINGS



Ok, I have to admit that I hate, absolutely HATE shopping! I avoid it whenever possible and lucky for me, the Amazing Egyptian Dude comes from a culture where men are accustomed to doing the household shopping so that their wives don't have to deal with all the hassle. I like that a lot, LOL!

In the area where I live, there is a section called Little Gaza. It is home to a fairly large population of people from the Middle East -- basically, Arabs of all types. Why the area is called Little Gaza instead of Little Giza or Little Cairo or Little Beiruit, I don't know. At any rate, in this section of town is where I do the majority of my grocery shopping for a couple of reasons. First, I can find all the unusual things that the Amazing Egyptian Dude likes to eat and second, the prices are nearly always much much cheaper at these little neighborhood markets than they are at the big chain stores.


Ok, you shopping people, when was the last time you saw broccoli selling at 3 pounds for 99 cents?! Or SEVEN bunches of Italian parsley for the same amount? Deals like this one can be found at the largest Middle Eastern market in our area, Malek Fawaky or in English, Super King. The store is every bit as large as your homegrown supermarkets, the produce is as fresh, but there are a couple of noticeable differences: (1) the place is packed from opening to closing, and (2) the prices are always lower than the competition. Because it's always so busy, I usually don't shop here. Instead, I go to a smaller market closer to my home.


Al Tayebat (which means "tasty and delicious" in Arabic) Market is where I prefer to do my grocery shopping. It's much smaller than the other store, but it has the same great prices as illustrated in the photo above. Five limes or seven lemons for $1 -- when was the last time you saw a price like that at your local Ralphs, Piggly Wiggly, Stater Brothers, Kroegers, or A&P?

If you live in an area that has a significant immigrant population, it might be worth it for you to do a bit of exploring yourself. Look for ethnic markets where you can find bargains just like these!