MAY 2019 - 20 L.E., VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 WWW.IDENTITY-MAG.COM
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Things To Gift Your Host At An Iftar Party Your Guide To A Thinner Ramadan
SUHOUR OUTFITS: 3AM NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD!
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Simple Makeup Looks For Ramadan Day & Nights
HOLY MONTH DECORATION
SHAHD EL ABD
FOUNDER OF MRS. COOKIE COOKS
MAKE THIS RAMADAN ONE TO REMEMBER
Treat yourself and your loved ones to a Ramadan like nowhere else at Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel. Enjoy an extensive Iftar buffet and Sohour set menu at Afandina by the pool topped with a variety of shisha options. Choose from a scrumptious array of Arabic pastries and treats at En Passant, the perfect take-home indulgences. Chinoix’s authentic Chinese a la carte menu is perfect for those looking for a change of flavors this month. For more information or bookings, visit renaissancecairo.com or call: +202 2406 3333
IDENTITY LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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Shahd El Abd FOUNDER OF
MRS. COOKIE COOKS
W
ho can fathom that it’s already been a whole year since we were walking sleep and caffeine deprived zombies?! Ramadan seems to always take us by surprise; like we are never fully physically or mentally prepared for it. But as soon as we beat those first few mind-blowing (pun intended) days, we quickly settle into the Ramadan routine and fall in love with the holy month all over again. We get accustomed to the super hectic schedule and exploit the low productivity that seems so highly infectious. Unless of course you’re one of those poor unfortunate souls who have their end of year exams either during or immediately after Eid el Fitr, our hearts really go out to you and your kind. Make sure to enjoy the sense of family, solidarity, spirituality and all the good vibes that come with Ramadan. Stay blessed Rola Kamel
Identity Magazine was founded in 2005 by Rola Kamel to enhance every aspect of a woman’s lifestyle, helping our female readers to discover and improve their own identities. Published by Beezarre Publishing Ltd. Themistokli Dervi, 6 Papyros Building, 4th Floor, Flat/Office D5 – P.c 1066, Nicosia, Cyprus. The subscription rate is 240 L.E./year (12 issues) through Al Ahram, Tel: 02-27703190 Distribution by AL AHRAM Website: QPIX SOLUTIONS Printing House: SAHARA PRINTING COMPANY Contact us at: 26A Montazah St., Zamalek, Cairo-Egypt. Tel: 02-27361187 Mobile: 0122-9401071 email: sendus@identity-mag.com www.identity-mag.com
4 April 2019
IDENTITYMAGEG
Ramadan Kareem
A Delicious array of fine food and panoramic Nile views this Ramadan at Grand Nile Tower Grand Nile Tower is dedicated to exceed the needs of all guests seeking fine food and panoramic Nile views with an extensive selection of culinary experiences. To honor this special time of year, guests may choose between the Hotel’s signature restaurants. Offering more than just a culinary venue, Grand Nile Tower has redefined the Ramadan experience with myriad bespoke options to gather with family and friends during the Holy Month.
Grand Nile Tower, P.O. Box 2288, Corniche El-Nil, Garden City, Cairo, Egypt Tel. +202 23651234 Fax. +202 23621927 Email: info@grandniletower.com www.grandniletower.com
IDENTITY MASTHEAD
IDENTITY MAY 2019, VOLUME 14 ISSUE 2
Founder & Managing Editor Rola Kamel Editor-in-Chief Nawal Ismail Art director Alia El Abd Copy-Editor Amina El Fayoumy Senior Staff Writer Amina Moustapha Staff Writers Aya Aboshady & Omnia Essawy Freelance Writers Rana Ramez Relationship Expert Marwa Rakha Fashion Expert Nahed Kazziha Food Writer Soha Darwish Senior Graphic Designer Sandy Saied Marketing & Advertising Manager Riham Yehia Business Developer Raghda El-Sayed Digital Marketing Manager Youssef Ali Social Media Executive Mahmoud Aboudeif Video Editor Ahmed Mostafa
6 April 2019
Identity Magazine Distributor Ashraf Fouad
IDENTITY CONTENTS
22 RAMADAN MANIA 8 The Lust List 10 How to use Ramadan to Quit
Your Bad Habits 12 Ramadan for Expats
STYLE 14 Ramadan Hairstyles 16 Simple Makeup Looks For
Ramadan Day & Night
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18 How To Fight “The Mummy
Look” of Ramadan Days 20 3am Never Looked So Good! 22 Staying Fashionable and
Modest this Ramadan! 26 Shahd El Abd: Founder of Mrs. Cookie Cooks
HOLY JOY
OUT & ABOUT
30 Too Damaged to Love Again? 32 Personalised Ramadan
56 60 62 64
Readings 34 What to Bring to an Iftar
Gathering Instead of Food 36 Fourteen Ways To Stop Feeling
Tired 38 Top Seventeen TV Series To 42 44 46 48 54
Watch This Ramadan Creating the Perfect Ramadan Ethos in your Home Hard to Love: Essay & Confessions by Briallen Hopper Travel Guide: Turkey All Around the World Iftar & Sohour Your Guide to a thinner Ramadan
8 April 2019
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TRAVEL GUIDE: TURKEY
Advertorial Snaps Press Releases Horoscopes
RAMADAN CHOICES... FROM PALATIAL BANQUETS TO ‘STREET LIFE’.
AS DUSK FALLS ON GEZIRA PALACE’S ENCHANTED GARDENS AND LIGHTS GLOW MORE BRILLIANTLY ... CATCH UP WITH NEAREST AND DEAREST AT RAMADAN CELEBRATIONS THAT HONOUR TRADITION WHILE FILLING THE NIGHTS WITH GAIETY. Under brightening stars, select iftar classics from Omar’s Café or Egyptian Nights, as the tempting aromas from grills, freshly-baked breads and oriental classics waft on the soft breezes. Create your own joyful family iftar parties in Ristorante Tuscany or Saraya Gallery ... choose the grandeur of our palatial ballrooms for exclusive private or corporate iftar and sohour banquets. The night comes alive in Cairo’s legendary Som3a Basha tent for sohour among the drapes and fawanees lanterns with megascreen entertainment and Takht music ... Egyptian Nights hosts live band music in a lively ‘street party’ atmosphere of interactive entertainment, while Antica is an exhilarating Ramadan venue on the Palace rooftop. Ramadan Kareem!
16 SARAY EL GEZIRA ST., PO BOX 33 ZAMALEK, CAIRO 11211, EGYPT. T: 00. 202.27.28.3000 CAIROMARRIOTTHOTEL.COM ARABIC.MARRIOTT.COM/CAIEG
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IDENTITY THE LUST LIST
THE LUST LIST
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JUDE BINHALIM EARRINGS This outstanding pair of earrings are going to give you all the classy and elegant vibes you need; especially in those gold and red shades! ZARA EMBROIDERED TOPS Ramadan is all about patterned oriental outfits! And those awesome embroidered tops from Zara are so Chic, giving off all the Ramadan day vibes!
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Get ready to spend your Ramadan nights in style! This really cool Saint Lauren Red Clutch is going to rock your evenings, styled with almost anything.
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BERSHKA BELTED TROUSERS
There’s nothing better than a pair of comfortable trousers! Those belted black ones from Bershka are going to make your life way easier this Ramadan.
SAINT LAURENT RED CLUTCH
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HOMECENTRE JODHPURI POUFFE This season obviously calls for new home decorations; which is why this Jodhpuri Pouffe will make your reception gorgeous and ready for Iftar and Sohour guests!
ARABESQUE TENT
At HILTON CAIRO ZAMALEK Feel the magic of the Nile breeze at our elegant in-door and out-door venue, Arabesque tent offers a daily Iftar buffet overlooking the Nile. Also you can enjoy a lavish Ă la carte Sohour menu, compliment the evening with your favourite Shisha selection and playing one of our oriental games while listening to our nightly live entertainment.
For reservations please call +201274550300
Terms & Conditions apply.
IDENTITY RAMADAN MANIA
HOW TO USE RAMADAN TO QUIT YOUR BAD HABITS
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‘re all aware of the moral benefits of Ramadan, and how to use the holy month to purify our souls and be better people. Take a moment and think of the ways you can also use Ramadan to help you quit all your bad habits and be a healthier person. Check out this list and cross off the things that you are going to do. SMOKING Ramadan is such a great opportunity to help you quit smoking, since you are going to spend over 16 hours a day, every day, without touching a cigarette. Challenge yourself! GOSSIP Hold it up! Stop gossiping about people. You don’t need to ask about every little thing -which is totally none of your business- and you don’t have to grab your friend’s ear and give them all the dirt. JUNK FOOD You always complain about your body and your belly fat while you eat junk food every day at work! Ramadan is here to stop this unhealthy routine; use it to lose all the extra fat.
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SODA Save your kidneys and bones. Replace soda with some daily sugar-free juice, milk and date shake or better yet, a lot of water. ALCOHOL Been drinking a little too much lately? Well Ramadan will help you limit it all and allow your body to recover; you can even consider quitting drinking altogether if you want. COFFEE “Don’t even think of talking to me until I have had my coffee.” Well, there won’t be any coffee, tea or even energy drink to give you that morning boost. You are going to wake up like this, go to work like this and deal with people like this! THE RANDOM LIFESTYLE It is this time of the year again where you are almost fully organized and follow a strict daily routine. Sleeping, working, eating, and even taking naps will be restricted to specific timings, which is actually good for your health (physically and mentally). You have a whole month to change the things you want to change, and it doesn’t hurt to try!
Ramadan FOR EXPATS
Dr. Michael Ryan Assistant Professor of Sociology, AUC
Ramadan is a very special time in Egypt and that is no less the case for expats living here. Although many of the expats living in Egypt are not themselves Muslims, Ramadan is still an opportunity to share in one of the most beautiful (and sometimes frustrating) pillars of Islam. the Iftar dinners, the colourful decorations, and the solemn reminder that Egypt is, above all, a place of warm, hospitable people are just some of the many reasons why expats enjoy being a part of this magical month. For me personally, the most beautiful aspect of Ramadan is the strong sense of community that it invokes, even among the non-Muslims. The omnipresent Ramadan tents set up for Iftar around the city are a continual reminder that this is a time of sharing and community. The communal Iftar dinners, and the sharing of those dinners with those unable to afford their own, is a truly welcome communitarian event, especially to those of us from more individualistic societies. Stephen Urgola, an American who has been living in Cairo for the last 14 years, recounts that some of his favourite memories are of “having Iftar at El Hussein but even more at the meat restaurant at Sayeda Zeinab where I shared a table with strangers who were very welcoming despite language barriers.” The support shown by Copts for their Muslim fellowcountrymen is another fondly recounted memory among expats. As many of us expats come from countries where religion is far more divisive than it is here in Egypt, seeing people put aside religious differences to support one another is a welcome sight. Rashmika Pandya, an Indian-Canadian now living in Cairo, recounts how one of her favourite things is seeing how Coptic waiters will take over for their Muslim colleagues so that they can enjoy the Iftar dinner. It is truly a time when community trumps religion. The traditional lanterns (fawanees) and bright festive Ramadan decorations everywhere are another favourite among expats. in fact, Urgola says that 14 April 2019
searching for these lanterns is one of his favourite things to do during Ramadan. Indeed many expats I talked to noted how one of their favourite things about Ramadan was watching Cairo transform from an otherwise monotone brown city into one of bright, cheerful colours. Ramadan can also be a frustrating experience for many expats. Many who are fasting, especially in the intense heat of summer, can become cranky and shot-tempered (and understandably so!). As a professor, the change in energy level and attitudes of my students during the summer once Ramadan begins is noteworthy. Food options are also not always available. Ryder Kouba, a native Texan who has lived in Cairo for just over a year now, laments that many of his favourite koshary places are closed during the day. For many, even when their favourite restaurants are open, they still avoid eating and drinking in front of their friends and colleagues who are fasting as a sign of respect. The festivities that often go long into the night can be another source of frustration for those who have to wake up early for work (although, alternatively, for those of us who are night owls we appreciate the comparative silence during the day!) Despite these frustrations, however, most expats view Ramadan as a welcome reminder of the kind of hospitable people who make Egypt what it is. And, as Jason Blum, an expat living in Cairo for the last three years, adds, “at least there is less traffic!” Ramadan kareem!
IDENTITY BEAUTY
Ramadan HAIRSTYLES by Omnia Essawy
Ramadan has its own special rituals in everything, including hairstyles. But because we are all exhausted all the time, it becomes hard to properly take care of our hair and style it. But fear not, we got for you the best and easiest hairstyles that will help you complete your Ramadan look without taking up too much of your time or effort.
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Messy Bun with a Headband Another messy and easy to do hairstyle is the messy bun. The bun is a classic hairstyle that is perfect for a busy day or a casual night out. The messy bun gives extra stylish vibes to the look. And if you want to go the extra mile and stand out, a simple headband or a hair piece can go a long way.
Messy Beach Waves One style that would go great with the boho-like style of Ramadan fashion is the messy beach waves. This style adds carefree, easygoing vibes to your overall look. And it doesn’t need too much time to create, obviously, the word “messy” is right there in the name!
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Bubble Ponytail If you feel like adding a creative twist to your regular ponytail but don’t have time to work up a complicated hairdo, the bubble ponytail is the hairstyle for you! It is almost as easy to do as the regular ponytail, and gives your hair an oomph that is usually hard to achieve without a ridiculous amount of products.
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Half Bun If you want the convenience of a bun but don’t feel like pulling your hair up, the half bun will be perfect for you. You get to let your hair go down your back without bothering with the rebellious part in the front because you’ll just pull it up into a stylish high bun.
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High Ponytail An oldie but a goodie; the classic, easy to do, and always stylish high ponytail. It works in both daytime and night outings; it takes an average of a minute and a half to perfect, and goes well with almost any outfit.
Straight, Sleek, and Shiny You can’t go wrong if you go classic, and nothing is more classic than sleek and shiny straight hair. Keeping your hair straight and sleek shows off your hair’s beauty and length perfectly. Going a bit extra on the shine makes you pop and stand out, which makes it perfect on one of those fun Ramadan nights.
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Short Bob The short bob is perfect for those practical busy bees who don’t want to worry about their hair during Ramadan. It is also perfect for the summer seeing how it doesn’t go down your back or make you feel hotter than you already are. And let’s face it; we can use all the help we can get to fight off the heat while fasting.
Side Braid The side braid is the joker of hairstyles. It works perfectly for every occasion; from a run down the store to a late Sohour outing. The bonus point is that it is super easy to perfect and goes well with pretty much every hair type and face shape.
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SIMPLE MAKEUP LOOKS FOR RAMADAN DAY & NIGHT! by Aya Aboshady
RAMADAN DAY
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This amazing BB Cream from Garnier will save your skin on those sunny Ramadan days when you want a very natural lightweight texture that moisturizes your skin and controls the shine all at the same time!
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For the most perfect lashes, this mascara from Glossier is almost unreal! It’ll give your lashes this wet yet very glamorous and natural look! 18 April 2019
To go with the BB cream, a very nice and also lightweight loose powder from NARS is here to save the day! Say goodbye to those cakey makeup looks that bring out the wrinkles because this one will make your skin as smooth as porcelain!
For a very natural look, this cream blush from Bobbi Brown is the only thing you’ll need for fresh flushed skin and a pretty subtle glow!
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Every woman is all about the fullest and bushiest natural brows! Which is why this “Gimme Brow” eyebrow gel from Benefit Cosmetics is the one for you, no questions asked!
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What’s a natural look without a pretty subtle highlighter? This liquid one from NYX is perfect for giving you the right glowy shine for a Ramadan day!
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Get the rosiest flushed lips with this Rose Balm Dotcom lip balm from Glossier! It won’t even look like you have any lip product on and that’s great for a Ramadan morning!
RAMADAN NIGHT
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This literally GENIUS L’Oréal Paris True Match 4-IN-1 is everything you’ll ever need in one product! It’s a primer, foundation, concealer and powder all at once, and it gives your skin the most flawless finish without any cakiness!
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The new Maybelline New York Total Temptation Mascara is just as pretty as it looks. It gives your lashes the most natural lift and length for a great night out!
There are no better brow products than those of Benefit Cosmetics! This Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil is super easy for brow filling and creating the perfect shape for your brows, and it will stay as long as you want it to in a fun Ramadan night out with friends!
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5 For glowy and pink-flushed cheekbones this Makeup Revolution London Blush Palette is all about the glam and fabulousness! You could also mix the shades with the highlighters and use them on your eyelids to create a pretty eye-look.
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What could be better than nude matte lips? Basically nothing! Which is why this Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in the shade Cognac (Warm Raisin) is PERFECT for you!
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For both the Ramadan day and night simple makeup looks, this Revolution London Ultra Cream Contour Palette is very easy to apply and will give you very deep, lifted and defined cheekbones!
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HOW TO FIGHT “THE MUMMY LOOK” OF RAMADAN DAYS by Omnia Essawy
As much as we all love Ramadan, it still is the time of no food, no drinks, and worst of all, NO SLEEP. Because we are restricted by the Iftar and Sohour timings, it is practically impossible to have a good night sleep. So we basically rely on a couple of long naps for an entire month, sans coffee! Hence, looking extremely exhausted ALL THE TIME, or like what some like to call the “Mummy Look” and make yourself look like a convincing human again, you’ll need to up your regular beauty routine during the holy month. Just because you feel tired, it doesn’t mean you have to look tired too! Here are some of the things you can do
Deep-Moisturizing Sheet Masks
Deep-moisturizing sheet masks are your napping buddy this month. Every time you try to take a 15/20-minute nap before or after Iftar, take it with a sheet mask on. They will work on cleaning, nurturing and moisturizing your skin to the roots, so you can wake up looking twice as rested as you feel.
Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
For everyday use, make sure to wash your face with a gentle cleanser twice to always maintain a clean fresh 20 April 2019
face. Dead skin and excess oils are your enemy throughout this month because they cause you to look even more pale and tired.
Sheer Foundations or Tinted Moisturizers
Sheer foundations or tinted moisturizers are ideal for making your skin look awake and vibrant. Thanks to their dewy coverage that reflects the light, your face will look naturally glowy, refreshed and well-rested. Also a tinted moisturizer will give you sun protection which is essential of course, because the last thing you need on top of tired skin is sun-damaged skin.
Under Eye Cream
It is all in the eyes. They make or break your look. If they look tired, you will look tired. So make sure to apply a hydrating eye cream/gel to smooth out the under eye skin texture and compensate for the constant exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
Concealer
Concealer is your best friend in Ramadan. It is responsible for covering the effect of the two hoursleep you get every night, so choose it carefully and keep it close at ALL TIMES. To get the best results possible, use a concealer two shades lighter than your skin tone and apply it in a triangular shape under the eyes while blending it in a tapping motion.
areas where the sun would naturally touch your face; apples of cheeks, tip of nose, and along your hairline. Use a very light hand, so it would look natural and suitable for daytime.
Blusher & Highlighter
Using a slightly shimmery blush and highlighter is the key to getting that well-rested fresh-looking skin, despite all odds. Lightly dust the blush onto the apples of your cheeks to earn back some of the colours that exhaustion has stolen from your face. Then apply the highlighter to the tops of your cheekbones, down your nose bridge, across your Cupid’s bow, and on your chin.
Lips
Because of the lack of hydration in Ramadan, our lips tend to look more tired than usual. But chapped, pale looking lips are not cool anymore, we are not in the early 90s, and you are not a rock star myth. So keep your chap stick/lip balm on you at ALL TIMES. And apply it every time you feel dry, or just every chance you get. And top it off with a natural looking extra moisturizing lip gloss/stain. Stay as far away as you can from matte lip glosses/lipsticks; they will make your lips look even drier than they already are, and you don’t need that on a Ramadan day.
Setting Your Concealer/Foundation
This year Ramadan coincides with the month of May, and while it is supposedly spring time, it gets quite hot during the daytime here in Egypt. So to keep your concealer and foundation in place all day and prevent them from creasing and melting, set the areas that tend to sweat the most on your face with a loose setting powder. Make sure not to apply it all over your face, to keep the dewy look of your foundation/ moisturizer intact.
Eyeshadow
To make your eyes pop and keep them from looking dull and tired, go for warm colours of eyeshadow, preferably with a subtle shimmery texture to brighten your eyes, and therefore your entire look. Just remember, subtle is the keyword, because you don’t want to look like a disco ball during midday in Ramadan.
Bronzer
No matter how hot it gets during Ramadan, it is hard to get the sun-kissed look because of all the exhaustion, so applying a bronzer is the key to achieving this look. Dust your face with a peachy warm bronzer on the
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IDENTITY STYLE
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AM NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD! by Omnia Essawy
It’s time for our favourite 3 AM outings again, that’s right; I’m talking about Sohour! Ramadan nights and Sohour gatherings have an atmosphere like no other. Which is why our fashion choices have to be equally unique to match the vibes of Ramadan nights and Ramadan coloured venues. Things to keep in mind when preparing your Sohour outfits are modesty, comfort, and simplicity. You want to stand out but you also want your look to maintain the wholesome feel of Ramadan. It is not an easy equation, but we are here to help you achieve it.
ZARA
22 April 2019
H&M
BERSHKA
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STAYING FASHIONABLE AND MODEST THIS RAMADAN! by Aya Aboshady
Ramadan fashion is usually different from the rest of the year. Women are always looking to stay modest and elegant this season. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get creative and stylish with the outfits, who says women can’t be casual and chic at the same time in Ramadan? Let us show you how:
ZARA PRINTED SKIRT
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We’re pretty sure no one would look prettier than you in this beautiful Ramadan-like printed skirt with the cool patterns and really stunning blue/turquoise shade from Zara; especially when you couple it with a plain white blouse!
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PULL&BEAR V-NECK Animal prints are never going out of style! Especially when the season is all about patterns. This really pretty white buttoned blouse from Pull&Bear matched with those really cool brownish animal printed pants is suitable for day and night outings. Also, don’t forget to pick the right gold accessories to go amazingly with the look!
ZARA OVERSIZED DENIM JACKET Let’s face it; denim is always the right choice! And oversized outfits are essentials in any woman’s wardrobe right now! This long-sleeved-faded loose-fitting denim jacket from Zara is so stylish especially when matched with ripped denim. Because denim on denim is the new awesome trend!
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TOPSHOP BLOUSE
Summertime is pretty much translated: YELLOW! And in Ramadan, nothing will shine brighter than you with this button down top from Topshop in pale yellow. Whether matched with light, dark or even black jeans; anything will rock with this blouse!
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TOPSHOP UTILITY TROUSERS Those incredibly cool high-waisted Paper-bag Utility Trousers from Topshop have been a very stylish trend for some time now; and we really don’t think they’re going away any time soon nor do we want them to! The classic Khaki colour is so in style and could easily be topped with this plain black high neck for an awesome afternoon or evening-out-look! April 2019 25
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MANGO PRINT SHIRT AND TROUSERS This V-neck and flowy fabric are so in this season! Especially when the blouse is buttoned up and short sleeved and the trousers are long and straight! The printed outfit is also so Ramadan-like and you simply can do no wrong wearing it!
VERSACE DENIM
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Did someone say Versace? Oh yes, us! Want to look fabulous from head to toe? This beautiful Versace outfit will do the job. Just look at how cool the printed long sleeved cropped denim jacket is! The signature Versace Pillow Talk print can have no alternative this Ramadan!
ZARA PRINTED KIMONO
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Nothing screams “I’m going out in style for Iftar” than a very modest, beautiful and stylish long Kimono! This Printed V-neck-long-puff-sleeved one with embroidered details from Zara will just go with anything during the season!
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ARITZIA WILFRED BRAX JUMPSUIT Well, Ramadan means modesty and SUMMER! Is there anything cooler in summer than jumpsuits? Simply no. This pretty short-sleeved-wide-legged jumpsuit from Aritzia in the outstanding Pearl Grey colour will make you feel like a princess who just got out of her castle!
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STRADIVARIUS FLOWING BLAZER
This really cool Flowing Blazer with the nude tones is awesome for a Ramadan day out! It looks really summery and stylish. And you can match it with anything, whether it’s a pair of light/dark jeans or its identical flowy plaid bottoms!
TOPSHOP JUMPSUIT
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Want to look modest, elegant and casual all at the same time? Take a look at this very summery and trendy broderie jumpsuit from Topshop! The beautiful rust shade and vintage frill on strap style will make you pop out. And you can style it with anything you want; a white shirt and Converse or maybe even heels! April 2019 27
IDENTITY INTERVIEW
28 April 2019
Shahd El Abd
FOUNDER OF MRS. COOKIE COOKS Interview by Amina Moustapha Photographer : TIMOTHY KALDAS Photography Editor : HANY SERAFEEN
From a young age, Shahd El Abd knew that cooking was the path for her! When she turned 17, she moved to Switzerland where she attended a hospitality school specialized in Culinary Arts and Hotel Management. She completed her BBA in Entrepreneurship, after which she moved to Paris and worked in the culinary arts department at the Four Seasons George V. She worked all around the kitchen as a Garde Manger chef and a butcher, as well as in the Hot Kitchen and Pastry sections. We met with Shahd to hear all about her amazing career and delve with her into the tasteful world of cooking...
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START A CAREER IN COOKING?
WHAT DO YOU DO TO STAY CURRENT ON NEW TRENDS?
I’ve had a passion for food ever since I was 13 years old. It started developing while travelling abroad and trying out different cuisines of many countries; it’s really interesting to see other cultures’ food habits and traditions. By time, I developed a passion for food and set a goal to open my own restaurant one day and to manage my own kitchen. I spent years working hard to achieve my goal.
I continue to travel every once in a while to explore the new culinary trends the world has to offer. I also enjoy attending professional cooking competitions that are held annually in United Arab Emirates and France.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CUISINE? HOW MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUISINES CAN YOU COOK? Despite the fact that their portions are tiny, my favourite cuisine is French. I love how sophisticated French cuisine is; they treat cooking as a form of art. They are also very good at marrying ingredients together to create a surprisingly pleasant taste that always keeps you excited while you enjoy your meal. There are a few other cuisines that I love cooking such as Indian, Thai, Italian, Mexican and Mediterranean.
IS THERE A CHEF YOU ADMIRE THE MOST? WHO AND WHY? Chef Paul Bocuse, he’s a French chef who won the title “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” in 1961. Sadly he left us in January 2018, but his passion left its mark on the industry. He was the first chef to win 3 Michelin stars in a row. In my opinion, the French cuisine has greatly evolved during his time as he was one of the first chefs to introduce several famous dishes from the French cuisine that we all know and love today. TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR RESTAURANT S. LOUNGE…
Garlic, not only does it give an incredible flavour to the food, but as the doctors say it’s a magical ingredient that is filled with antioxidants and can cure a lot of diseases.
I opened my first restaurant project S. Lounge in June 2014. We are pet friendly and have all the facilities and services that would make our guests feel like they are chilling in their own living room but in an outdoor space. The place is a casual dining restaurant with a menu that offers Mediterranean dishes as well as exotic smoothies and milk shakes. It’s located on Maadi’s Road 9.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR COOKING SHOW, WHEN AND WHERE CAN PEOPLE WATCH IT?
WHAT DOES YOUR RESTAURANT DO TO KEEP YOUR MENU NEW AND EXCITING?
I release four episodes every month that you can enjoy watching anytime on my YouTube channel, Facebook or Instagram accounts under the name ‘Mrs. Cookie Cooks’. You can always see what I’m up to in my kitchen daily by following my page on Instagram. The idea of my show is to share with people my favourite dishes that aren’t very complicated or time consuming and can be cooked in a basic kitchen; my recipes are very quick and simple. I also share in each and every episode essential cooking techniques and general cooking advice such as how to avoid cross contamination in your kitchen.
We usually change our menu every 6 months. We conduct a sales analysis to determine which items are highly in demand and which are slow, and we update our menu accordingly. We recently changed our restaurant design and furniture style completely to make the whole dining experience cozier than it already was.
WHAT’S THE ONE INGREDIENT YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
WHO IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE? My target audience is beginners in the kitchen with a passion for food and who want to learn how to create a good meal from the ingredients they have in their kitchen. I would love to share what I have learnt with anyone who is interested in experimenting in the kitchen. 30 April 2019
WHAT ADVICE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE PEOPLE WHILE THEY ARE COOKING DURING RAMADAN? My first advice and request is for people to be a bit more conservative with the amounts of food they cook and prepare to minimize food wastage. Studies show that food waste during the holy month of Ramadan is incredibly high; over 25% of prepared food ends up in the garbage bin which is a true shame. My second advice is to try to keep your meal plan as creative as possible, introducing new dishes to make food more interesting as sometimes eating the same dishes and cuisine everyday can get boring. Let’s try to spice up our Iftars and Sohours this year a bit!
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IDENTITY ADVICE
TOO DAMAGED
to Love Again? by Marwa Rakha
It’s common for many people to go into relationships with emotional baggage. Regardless of whether that comes from a past relationship or childhood, any baggage you still carry will have a way of affecting your current or future relationship. For some, that can make falling in love or maintaining a positive relationship super challenging, and sometimes… next to impossible. There are people who have no idea what it actually means to experience love. They’re single up to this point and all of their efforts to date or have a relationship have ended in failure. By now, they’re probably resigned to stop chasing a concept that seems foreign to them. We reached out to our Relationship Expert, Marwa Rakha, to help us understand better how someone can be unable to love. Is it true that some people can’t fall in love? “Can’t fall in love” might be the way their ex boyfriends, or girlfriends, describe them. It might be the words they use to describe the way they feel about their doomed relationships. But it certainly is not a factual statement. We were all born with the instinct to crave and seek love, and with the ability to love and fall in love. The question is: what happened to that person that blocked his/her birth nature? What are the most common psychological reasons behind why someone may struggle with falling in love or maintaining a romantic relationship? The list of assumptions is very long; here are the highlights: As a newborn, infant, and during early childhood, that person’s needs to be held, embraced, respected, loved, and accepted were ignored. Some parents are obsessed with “independence” to the extent of starving their children emotionally. Using the infamous cry-it-out method with their newborns and infants, they basically let them cry until they give up and shut down. They let them cry to sleep, 32 April 2019
or cry to be held, or cry to be rocked, or cry to feed, or just cry! Another example is feeding on schedule; instead of feeding the baby on demand, according to his/her needs, the baby is fed on a schedule decided by adults regardless of its actual needs. More fatal mistakes include, conditional love, where the parents only love the child when he/she is “good”. Abuse, be it verbal, physical, or emotional, is something else that blocks a child’s natural abilities to give and receive love. Neglect and lack of interaction is another parenting blunder – if parents do not care to spend quality time with their children, these children grow up feeling unworthy and undeserving of love – therefore they seem emotionally aloof as grown-ups. Other than childhood traumas, growing up in a dysfunctional family is another reason behind the seeming failure to fall in love. People who grew up watching their parents fight, cheat on one another, or were exposed to domestic violence, reject falling in love and getting married on a very deep level. On the outside, they might seem eager to be in a relationship, but deep down, they neither want, nor believe in, relationships. Dysfunctional families are not just the loud ones; the unnaturally quiet ones are as damaging. The families where the husband and wife do not talk, communicate, laugh, joke, hold hands, exchange loving looks, or simply share their lives together – such families are not a good place to find a role model, or a positive example, of love and loving relationships. The last reason I will bring up here is a person’s own negative first experiences. For example, a girl’s first love experience was full of abuse and manipulation. She might have been taken advantage of sexually, or even raped. Her following relationships were horrible rebounds and led to more loss of self-esteem. After
several years, that girl will be one of those women who “can’t fall in love”. She simply cannot trust herself to fall in love and get hurt. Likewise, the young man whose first love played him, cheated on him, and dumped him. Then he went into a series of relationships that were not right for him. This young man has seen the very ugly side of malefemale interaction to the extent that he abhorred feeling emotional towards someone else. To him falling in love is a lie! Falling in love means losing control, being weak and vulnerable, being abused and hurt – and who in his right mind would want that? The irony here is that, most of the time, a person who “can’t fall in love” is a child whose needs were unmet, who grew in a dysfunctional family, and who naturally chose the wrong partners to fall in love with. It is a cycle where one thing leads to the other.
How can a person who thinks they’re incapable of feeling love be helped? A person who is incapable of falling in love needs therapy. No one else can help that person, other than a professional therapist. The traumas are usually on a deeper level than anyone could reach, and changing beliefs and thoughts is a very long journey. Most of the time, that person’s early memories of neglect have been blocked. Also, they might have been forced to pretend that, growing up, they had perfect loving parents in a perfect loving family, and only a therapist can get to the bottom of this. Some people might be too ashamed of their first relationships, and how much abuse they have had to endure, that they decide to not talk about them because of the painful memories they bring.
Bottom line, these people need professional help and trying to “heal” them will only damage you. April 2019 33
IDENTITY HOLY JOY
PERSONALISED RAMADAN READINGS Ramadan is the perfect opportunity to carve out the time needed to reflect on the Quran and read it from cover to cover, not wanting to miss any of the treasures inside. But if this has been your routine for as long as you can remember, you may now feel as if you’re in a rut and you’re just doing it out of habit. The holy book is never meant to be read robotically just for the sake of completing it; there are too many deep thoughts within to just be read lightly. This year, before you start your routine, think honestly about what your spiritual life needs and add a focus on that for all of Ramadan. You can resume your normal reading routine, but single out some extra thoughtful passages when you need them, even if they are out of order. Read these passages when... 34 April 2019
YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT Life is difficult, and we all need encouragement to live it in a spiritual and uplifting way. Keeping your eyes focused on what’s important will help you live the life you aim for. At-Tawbah 51 “Never can anything befall us save what God has decreed! He is our Lord Supreme; and in God let the believers place their trust!” Al-Mujadala 11 O ye who believe! When ye are told to make room in the assemblies (spread out and) make room: (Ample) room will Allah provide for you. And when ye are told to rise up rise up: Allah will raise up to (suitable) ranks (and degrees) those of you who believe and who have been granted Knowledge: and Allah is wellacquainted with all ye do. YOU’RE FEELING WEAK Real strength comes from above. An-Nahl 53 For, whatever good thing comes to you, comes from God; and whenever harm befalls you, it is unto Him that you cry for help. Al-Ahzab 1-3 O Prophet! Fear Allah and do not obey the unbelievers and the hypocrites: certainly Allah is aware and wise. But follow that which comes to thee by inspiration from thy Lord: for Allah is well acquainted with (all) that ye do. Put your trust in Allah: for Allah is your allsufficient protector. LIFE IS OVERWHELMING We like to always be in control of everything, even though we know we can’t. Fortunately, Allah is in control, so we need to remember to leave it in His hands. Al-Mu’minun 80 It is He Who gives life and causes you to die, and in His control is the alternation of the night and the day: then why don’t you understand? Al-An’am 59 He Alone has the keys of the unseen treasures, of which no one knows except Him. He knows whatever is in the land and in the sea; there is not a single leaf that falls without His knowledge, there is neither a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry which has not been recorded in a Clear Book. YOU RECENTLY LOST SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU It is never easy to understand why we have to lose those we love, but the Quran provides comfort for your aching heart.
Al-Baqarah 156 Who say when afflicted with calamity: “To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.” Ar-Ra’d, 28 “Verily, in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest.” YOU WANT TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH AND GOOD VALUES As humans, we always seem to want to be in control, when we really need to put our faith in the Provider. Ash-Shu’ara 80 And when you are ill, it is He who cures me. Ar-Rahman 1-9 The Most Merciful Taught the Qur’an, Created man, Taught him eloquence. The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation, And the stars and trees prostrate (kneel down face to the floor), And the heaven He raised and put the balance, That you not transgress within the balance. And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance. YOU WANT TO FEEL LOVED We can never really grasp the immensity of Allah’s love for us. These verses will help remind you of that, and also remind you that it is important to spread that love to others. Ad-Duhaa (All) By the forenoon (after sun-rise); And by the night when it is still (or darkens); Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hated you. And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world). And verily, your Lord will give you (all i.e. good) so that you shall be well-pleased. Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware (of the Qur’an, its legal laws, and Prophethood, etc.) and guided you? And He found you poor, and made you rich (selfsufficient with self-contentment, etc.)? Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression, And repulse not the beggar; And proclaim the Grace of your Lord (i.e. the Prophethood and all other Graces). Al-Baqarah 286 On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) “Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith.” April 2019 35
WHAT TO BRING TO AN IFTAR GATHERING INSTEAD OF FOOD by Nour Younis
Ironically and even though Ramadan is a month of fasting, all we do during the month is gather with our friends and family and indulge in scrumptious meals whether it’s for Sohour or Iftar. And since Ramadan is also the month of doing good deeds and its essence entails that we not only think about what we eat but also feel for those who are less fortunate than us, it is only fair that we don’t waste the blessing of food that God has given us. During Iftars, we usually prepare more food than we need and a lot of it unfortunately ends up in the trash. So this Ramadan instead of bringing food to an Iftar gathering and adding up to the amount of food that will go to waste, how about you bring something else instead? Here are some gift ideas for those who are not feeling very creative: 1. QUR’AN There is nothing better than the holy book to greet someone and thank them for the delicious food they have prepared for you. And the best part is, every time your host reads from the holy book, you get a free ticket to heaven. 2. FLOWERS We often underestimate the power of nature here in Egypt, and trust us your host is bound to appreciate that bouquet of flowers sooner or later. Try buying orchids. They’re beautiful and if taken care of, they can re-bloom many times reminding your recipient of its giver over and over again! 3. SOMETHING SMALL FOR THE KITCHEN How about you bring your host a tool that will come in handy in the kitchen? A cheese knife or a wooden spoon are both good ideas! A bread basket too. Bottom line is there are many options and utensils from which you could pick and choose! 36 April 2019
4. SOMETHING FOR THE HOUSE If you are not feeling the kitchen idea, how about bringing something for the house? Like a vase or sofa cushions that match the colours of the carpet. 5. A FRAMED PHOTO OF YOU AND YOUR HOST Ramadan is all about sentimentality and appreciating the little things, so imagine how sentimental your host is bound to get when you show up at their door with an old photograph of you together. 6. A THANK YOU NOTE On your way to your host, you could stop by the gift shop and look for a thank you note that expresses your gratitude towards them. Don’t forget to add your touch to it, maybe a few nice words and your signature! 7. SCENTED CANDLES Just think about it, how cool would it be if you show up with a bunch of candles that your host could use to decorate the dinner table? And if you have enough time on your hands, you can even try customizing the candles, maybe have a thank you note written on it. 8. A FANCY PEN This one could do you wonders, especially if you’re invited to Iftar at your boss’s place. A pen is the best standard business gift. 9. CD/ MIX TAPE If the people you are going to have Iftar with are big fans of music, customizing a playlist for the evening is a thoughtful gift to get your host. It will also guarantee you the entertainment you need to enjoy the evening. 10. CARDS/ BOARD GAMES It doesn’t matter what kind of game it is, and you have
a lot of options to pick and choose from. Whether it’s Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk, Clue or any other board game, this is one of the best gifts you could buy your host, especially since you will be relieving them of the huge burden of how to entertain the guests and keep them on their toes. 11. FANOUS/ LANTERN Ramadan is all about beautiful Fawanees lit everywhere, and the truth is no home could possibly get enough of those. Just imagine how thoughtful it would be to walk into your guest’s house with a Fanous that they could light in and decorate their home with every Ramadan and remember you through the years. 12. PRAYER COUNTER/ SEBHA We all like to count our prayers during the holy month. So think about all the Thawab you will be getting when your host tracks their prayers to God on the Sebha or
prayer counter you got them. The results will be more than rewarding. 13. DRINKS Most guests bring the dessert and forget about the drinks, even though in Ramadan you have plenty of seasonal drinks that you could pick and choose from. Whether it’s Hibiscus or Amar El-Din, you name it and they’ve got it. Finally, our best advice to you would be to ask your host about what they want you to bring them. If you’re wondering about the polite way to ask, then how about you tell them that you would be taking this route, for example, while driving to their Iftar, and you were wondering what to pick up for them along the way. And most of all, remember to have fun and to thank God for all His blessings.
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Ways To Stop Feeling Tired by Mirana Tera
It’s happening to everyone nowadays. Ask anyone how they are, and there’s a high chance they are going to respond with “fine, just tired.” Everyone seems to be tired, consumed, and burnt out all the time. This is because we are all living stressful lives, juggling work and responsibilities with very limited time for ourselves. But this isn’t how it has to be. Don’t live your life feeling tired all the time, instead wake up and make these minor life alterations: 38 April 2019
1. GET MOVING Some people do the exact opposite when they feel tired; they tend to skip exercise which actually makes them even more tired. Exercise improves your blood circulation delivering oxygen and nutrients to your cells more efficiently, leaving you more energized. They say the worst exercise is the one you never did. So when you feel like all you need to do is crash on your couch, go have a 10 minute walk in the fresh air or even dance to a couple of your favourite songs to get your blood flowing.
2. HYDRATE YOUR BODY When you feel like you’re running out of energy, the first thing that crosses your mind is to grab a cup of coffee or even an energy drink that’s loaded with caffeine. Next time when you’re feeling sluggish, drink a glass of water instead. It sounds too simple to be true, but when you’re dehydrated, it slows down everything in your body and makes you feel fatigued and groggy. It doesn’t provide the same ‘quick fix’ as caffeine, but is more sustainable in the long run. 3. TAKE YOUR VITAMINS A multi-vitamin is recommended daily for higher energy levels, especially when you are not eating healthy enough to provide your body with all the minerals and vitamins that it needs. 4. TAKE SOME TIME OUT TO MEDITATE Spending as little as a few minutes daily meditating can do you wonders. Try to start each day with five minutes of silence. In these five minutes forget everything and just focus on yourself inhaling and exhaling. 5. SLEEP PROPERLY Our bodies are unique and require a different amount of sleep, but it is probably somewhere around eight hours every night. At least, try waking up and falling asleep at the same time every day to organize your circadian rhythm. Avoid using your phone before sleeping, the lights can make it harder for your brain to rest while sleeping. 6. DON’T OVEREAT Large meals can drain your energy. Eat more times with fewer quantities. This will result in more constant blood sugar and insulin levels. You’ll also find it easier to lose excess body fat. Avoid carbohydrates for maximum effect. 7. LOSE WEIGHT IF YOU NEED TO Losing weight definitely helps you re-energize. Any extra fat you carry takes energy from your body with every move you make. if you do lose a couple of kilograms, you’ll feel lighter on your feet, too. 8. BREATHE Remember to breathe. Sometimes we breathe too lightly to get enough oxygen to our brains. When you feel like your energy has dropped or you’re too stressed, take a deep breath, hold it in and then exhale. Repeat for a couple of times and you’ll feel relaxed instantly. 9. EAT WELL Don’t skip breakfast because this meal provides you
with a lot of energy you will need to get through your day. Have snacks like nuts, fruits and veggies, and eat iron rich foods to avoid any iron deficiency that causes anemia. Remember that your body is exactly like a machine, so it’s all about what you put into the machine. If you feed it well, it will work well. 10. CAT NAP The shorter a cat nap, the more efficient it is. Take a 15 minute nap when you’re exhausted and it will do you wonders, just don’t let turn into an hour or two. If you want to enhance this nap, take a cup of coffee just before you lay down. It’s actually called a “caffeinenap,” and when you wake up the coffee will have started working. Extra Tips for Ramadan Ramadan is knocking at the door again, still falling in the summer months. Fasting gets even harder when the days are hot and long. Most of us feel energydrained while fasting and sleepy after Iftar. Ramadan shouldn’t be spent feeling exhausted and unhealthy, it can be quite the opposite if you do it right. Here are five tips on how to maintain your energy levels during the holy month: 1. Drink, drink, drink, and drink! Yes, staying hydrated is that important. During the non-fasting hours, make sure you focus on replenishing your body with fluids, especially water. 2. Don’t overeat during Iftar; we all fall into this wrong habit. Instead of eating modestly during Ramadan, we tend to binge eat at an Iftar table full of different kinds of food loaded with carbs and fats, followed by oriental desserts immersed in syrup, nuts and cream. Avoid that; keep it light and have your dessert twice or three times a week instead of making it a daily ritual. 3. Have a light, healthy Sohour. You should aim for something that fills you up but won’t get you thirsty during the day. A Sohour of yoghurt, beans, and eggs with whole wheat bread would be a perfect choice and maybe a banana to give you energy. 4. Keep moving. Hit the gym from time to time instead of being glued to the screen watching all the Ramadan series. 5. Don’t ever break your fast with a cigarette or a cup of coffee. instead, break it with dates and a couple of glasses of water. This will ease your transition from fasting to replenishing your energy, and will set the tone to make your Iftar and Sohour healthier. April 2019 39
TOP 17 TV SERIES TO WATCH THIS RAMADAN by Amina Moustapha
Every year Ramadan brings along talent and incredible performances when it comes to TV series. This year is no different. On the contrary, talents are straining at the leash, so get ready for all the drama. Here is our list of the top 17 must-watch TV series this year, so pick and choose which one you’re eager to follow, and let the time before Iftar fly by.
1. KALABSH 3
For the third time in a row Amir Kararah will come back to our small screens as police officer, Selim El Ansary. Kalabsh 2 was a major success last year. Karara is coming back with an army of stars; Hala Fakher, Dina, Rogina, Yousra El Lozy, Hala Shiha, Ahmed Abd El Aziz and Hesham Selim. The script is written by Baher Dowidar and directed by Peter Mimi, and Hossam Shawky.
3. EL KATEB
2. LI AKHER NAFAS
The queen of comedy is back once more to our screens. Yasmine Abd El Aziz is one of the fewest female actresses still standing in the leading role arena, and we couldn’t be more proud of her. The series stars Fathy Abd-El Wahab, Ahmed Kamal, Mourad Makram, Youssef Osman, Hazem Ihab and Ihab Fahmy. The script is written by Amin Gamal, Mohamed Mehrez, Ibrahim Mohsen, and directed by Hossam Aly. 40 April 2019
For history lovers, this one is a must-watch. El Kateb revolves around how the Mamluks came to power in Egypt, and that’s not all there is to this series, the cast is quite exceptional! Basel Khayat who stole the show last year with his performance in El Rehla is the lead actor of the show, alongside him will star Gamal Soliman, Bassem Yakhour and Dora. The script is written by Soliman Abd-ElAziz, and directed by Tamer Isaac.
4. LAMS AKTAF
For the past two Ramadans, Yasser Galal has proven that he is a solid competitor in the Ramadan race, we are quite certain he will continue dazzling us this year. Starring Fathy Abd El Wahab, Hanan Motaweh, Donia and Eman El Asy. The script is written by Hany Sarhan, and directed by Hassan El Manbawy.
6. SUPER MIRO
We can’t have a Ramadan season without the Ghanem family entertaining us with their super fun series. Super Miro is starring Amy Samir Ghanem, the one and only Samir Ghanem, and to add more amusement to the show Bayoumy Fouad, Mohamed Sarwat, Hamdy El Marghany and SNL Arabia’s Ahmed Sultan will also be joining them. It’s bound to be fantastic. The script is written by Mohamed Mohamady, and directed by Walid El Halafawy.
5. PRINCESS PESSA
Mai Ezz El Din always mastered playing more than one character in the same project, and it seems that she will take this custom to the next level this Ramadan. In her new series Ezz El Din will play the character of Pessa and also her grandmother, a very bossy woman who doesn’t take no for an answer. The series will star Haggag Abd El Azim, Amir El Masry, Iman El Sayed and Ahmed Halwa. The script is written by Mostafa Omar and Farouk Hashem, and directed by Akram Farid.
7. AMAR HADY
This year Hany Salama will provide us with one of his extraordinary performances. In his new series Salama won’t be presenting the stereotypical hero, on the contrary his character is a wicked drug trafficker. Starring Dalia Mostafa, Ashraf Zaky, Mourad Makram and Mohsen Mohey El Din. The script is written by Islam Hafez by and directed by Raouf Abd El Aziz.
April 2019 41
8. ZAY EL SHAMS
After proving that she now belongs to the leading roles category through her last year performance in Malika, Dina EL Sherbiny is back this year to take the Ramadan race by a storm in a crime drama. Alongside her is a phenomenal cast; Ahmed Malek, Ahmed El Saadany, Reham Abd-El-Ghafour, Ahmed Daoud and Sawsan Badr. The script is written by Mariam Naoum, and directed by Kamla Abo Zekry.
11. HADOUTA MORAH
Ghada Abd-El Razek is back to the Ramadan marathon, and she never fails to wow us with her performances. The series is starring Ahmed Safwat, Ayda Riad, Abd Al Rahman Abo Zahra and Ahmed Seyam. The script is written by Omar Abd El Halim and directed by Yasmine Ahmed.
9. KABIL
Amina Khalil, Mohamed Mamdouh, Mohamed Farag‌talk about a dream team! Chances are this is the series that will steal the show this year! It is also a crime drama, starring Ahmed Kamal, Aly El Tayeb and Noha Abdin. The script is written by Mostafa Saker, and directed by Karim El Shenawy.
12. BADAL EL HADDOUTA TALATA
10. HOGAN
After taking a year off, the hilarious Mohamed Emam is back once again to join the Ramadan race, claim his spot, and entertain us with one of his amazing performances. Alongside him will star Salah Abdallah, Asmaa Abo El Yazid, Karim Mahmoud Abd El Aziz, Riad El Kholy and Aida Riad. The script is written by Mohamed Salah El Azab, and directed by Cherine Adel. 42 April 2019
Another member of the Ghanem family is also shining this Ramadan! The comedy star Donia Samir Ghanem is coming back in an anthology series, which means she will play a different character every episode, and it also means we will have 30 episodes of fun. Starring Samir Ghanem, Dalal Abd El Aizz and Mohamed Salam. The script is written by Sherif Naguib and Ayman Wattar, and directed by Khaled Halafawy.
15. A’LAMET ESTEFHAM
13. EL WAD SAYED EL-SHAHAT
After a long period of absence from both the big and the small screens, Mohamed Ragab is back! We all can’t wait to see what he will deliver to us this Ramadan, and if the star will succeed in saving himself a spot in the marathon every year. The series is starring Haytham Ahmed Zaky, Edward, Mirhan Hussein and Mohamed El- Bezawy. The script is written by Islam Hafez, and directed by Samih El Nakash.
Even though we are still heartbroken that the trio Ahmed Fahmy, Shiko and Hesham Magued has split, we can’t deny that we profited from this split because we got more of their hilarious projects! Fahmy stole the show in Ramadan 2017 with Rayah El Madam, and this year he is back to entertain us once more. The series stars Hana El Zahed and Mohamed Abd El Rahman, as well as many guests of honour who will make an appearance on the show.
16. WELD EL GHALABAH
The biggest Egyptian action star of all time is back to our small screens during the holy month. Ahmed El Sakka is back to fascinate us with his performances, so buckle up. Starring Mohamed Mamdouh, Ingy El-Mokkaddem, Safa’a El Toukhy, and Edward. The script is written by Ayman Salma, and directed by Mohamed Samy.
14. MAMLAKET IBLIS
Ghada Adel, Rania Youssef, Ahmed Daoud, Salwa El Khatab are all Ramadan stars, and it is great to see these stars acting opposite each other in this thrilling drama series. Get ready for high-quality performances. The series is written by Mohamed Amin Rady, and directed by Ahmed Khaled Mousa.
17. ABO GABAL
Mostafa Shaaban knows the Ramadan arena by heart. Every year his series join the race, so he had built himself a huge audience who loves him and will wait every year to see what he has to deliver. This year looks more than promising just by looking at the cast; Hassan Hosny, Mohamed Lotfy, Salah AbdAllah, Ayten Amer, Naglaa Badr and Mahmoud El Guendy. The script is written by Mohamed Sayed Beshir, and directed by Ahmed Saleh. April 2019 43
Creating the Perfect Ramadan Ethos in your Home by Nada Swelam Architect & interior designer Co-founder of Zillij designs
Ramadan is a very special time of the year during which family and friends meet up and connect. If you are getting ready to host your loved ones this Ramadan, this article can help provide you with some low budget interior design tips on how to make your home more welcoming and comfortable during the blessed month. Since interior design is largely based on human psychology, a survey was first conducted to understand peoples’ perception of what makes this month so special for them. The four main keywords; spirituality, unique nostalgic atmosphere, massive gatherings and delicious food were concluded and provided the basis for our home décor tips. Reorganizing your home for big gatherings
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Whether you have your friends, family, or work mates over for Iftar, you may need to reorganize the space to accommodate them all. Start by adding some group arrangements, reorganize the seats to create multiple group options, add a comfortable floor seating area using cushions, small tables, colorful fabrics, and some Moroccan inspired lanterns. Warm Ramadan colours such as red, yellow and green can add a nice comfy feeling to the space. These can be incorporated in your seating cushions or home accessories. Why not add some nostalgic quotes as well? A fun idea would be to print out some traditional Ramadan quotes from your favorite shows ‘Boogi & Tamtam’, ‘Amo Fouad’, ‘Bakar’, or anything else you can think of. You can print out quotes or pictures, put them in frames and either hang them as part of your wall décor or place them on side tables. A little fun memento to get everyone in the spirit of things. You can also create your own Ramadan photo album planter. If you have a Polaroid camera at home, start taking some pictures during your gatherings throughout the holy month and hang them using wooden clips or strings to any tall planter at home. You can later place this planter in your entrance or main gathering space, creating your own Ramadan photo album as the month progresses.
A welcoming entrance is all you need The entrance is a key place that can give that warm welcoming impression you want your home to conjure. It is the first place to decorate to set the Ramadan mood and greet your guests with. First, lighting can totally change the mood of your entrance space. Add some bronze Moroccan inspired lighting units. These are usually perforated, allowing light to reflect on the walls and floor with beautiful Arabian patterns. You can find these traditional lights in Khan el Khalili bazaar where various shapes and sizes are sold. Add them either as floor lamps, a ceiling lamp, or some candle lights. Complement it with some floor cushions, a matching rug, and a tall planter to add color and bring it all together. You can also hang some Islamic wall art that symbolizes the Ramadan ethos. Choose your favorite Quranic verses written in a nice calligraphic font; print it out and hang it in a simple wall mounted frame. The key to your spiritual space Spirituality and prayer are the most important aspects that define the holy month of Ramadan; it’s all about connection. You can have a calm spiritual corner that puts you at ease and encourages you to meditate, pray, and connect. We advise you to choose your prayer corner close to a window or an openair area, where natural light can easily enter the space. Natural daylight can help put you in a state of peace, comfort and tranquility; this link with the outdoor world creates a more spiritual mood. Place planters and blue colored elements to create a calming space, and light a ‘Bukhour’ rod to engage your sense of smell. You can also hang some ‘Thikr’ and ‘Zakah’ reminders on the walls. Food is a significant element; serve it right! Since food is a very important aspect of Ramadan gatherings, you need to pay attention to the décor of your food serving corner. Start by organizing the space to have different appetizers, beverages, and dessert corners, and make it so that the circulation and flow is easy all around them. Colours also have a great impact on human psychology and appetite. Add some hints of blue if you want to create a calming effect, orange if you want a color that stimulates the appetite, or yellow for a happy welcoming impression. These colors can be added through coloured napkins, flowers, home accessories, or table cloths. Another easy decorating idea is to hang the ‘Iftar Doaa’ in a frame in your dining area or print it and place it next to the plates set. A lovely gesture to remind your guests to give thanks and Doaa while breaking their fast.
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IDENTITY REVIEW
HARD TO LOVE:
ESSAY & CONFESSIONS BY BRIALLEN HOPPER by Rana Ramez
“Even our faults and flaws can become bearable when mediated through the eyes of others, since our closest friends can show us the awful sides of ourselves that we would never have seen, but in ways that sharpen us instead of wearing us away.” – Briallen Hopper, Hard To Love
Briallen Hopper got a PhD in American literature from Princeton, and attended divinity school and taught writing at Yale. She is now an assistant professor of creative nonfiction at Queens College, and after getting her articles published in various prominent magazines and journals for the last decade, she decided to delve into the world of book writing through Hard to Love. 46 April 2019
Hard to love is a smart collection of essays where Briallen Hopper explores love and relationships beyond the bonds of marriage and coupledom. Through personal narratives, Hopper celebrates the meaningful but often under-appreciated forms of intimacy, including friendship, kinship between adult siblings, care-taking teams, and more.
deepen as she realizes how much she honors these bonds and how sturdy they are. She shows us that a happy life can happen with friendships, sisterhood, and family; all we have to do is reach out and lean on.
It is a series of love letters to the meaningful, if underappreciated, forms of intimacy that are tricky, tangled, and tough, but ultimately sustaining.
Again, Hopper’s Hard to Love honors categories of love and relationships beyond marriage and coupledom. She spots the light on the relationships in our lives that are often treated as invisible or seen as secondary; friendships, kinship with siblings, care teams that form in times of illness, or various alternative family formations. She explores how any form of love should be honored and never taken for granted.
This read will teach you a lot about life challenges, about yourself and about your relationships with everyone around you; here is how: YOU CAN BE INDEPENDENT AND STILL LEAN ON OTHERS Self-Reliance” is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist, philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hard to Love opens with an essay called “Lean On” that is an insightful takedown of the value of self-reliance as discussed by Emerson. The essay is both deeply funny and a persuasive rallying cry for honoring the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow their own instincts and ideas, but at the same time it highlights the need to turn to the people we love, trust and lean on them. Hopper embodies “Self-Reliance” in the person of her high school boyfriend. She begins to learn the key lesson of this book: “Rather than resting all my weight on one unreliable man, I began to spread myself out. I learned to practice mutual, broadly distributed leaning: to depend on care that was neither compulsory nor conditional, and on lavish, unanticipated kindness.” LOVE IS NOT JUST ROMANTIC LOVE Everywhere around the world, women are taught at an early age that the ultimate goal in life is to find true love and marry, and those who fail will be unhappy and feel unfulfilled. Through a series of experiences and critical analysis, Hopper reaffirms that love is not just romantic love, and a life well lived can indeed happen without getting married and giving birth. She also writes about navigating the plot of a woman’s life after having “missed the boat” (for whatever variety of reasons) of marriage, home ownership, and children—she takes us on journeys involving roommates and precarious jobs, all buoyed by relationships with friends that only
HONORING ALL CATEGORIES OF LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
HOW TO LOVE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE What if we acknowledged the deep meaning we derive from our feelings for the books and movies and television that are the dearest to us, or even the love we have for our most honored possessions? What if we pause to pay attention to any source of happiness in our lives other than people? Hopper shows us how we can value difficult and amorphous loves like loving a challenging job or places that bring you happiness, or even your car. The book suggests that all of these kinds of love can offer us nourishing alternatives to the one path most often celebrated in life. Marriage. SHE LOOKS AT THINGS AS HONESTLY AS SHE CAN, EVEN WHEN LOOKING IS PAINFUL Throughout the book we will witness how Hopper knows herself well and how she looks at things as honestly as she can even when looking is painful, even when lying to herself could be easier. How she does not hide from her own vulnerabilities or her privileges is quite inspiring. The book will teach you that there are always easy ways out, but choosing to take the hard path, the one with many bumps in the road requires courage, but that’s how you get where you want to end up. Hopper advises us to do the hardest yet most efficient thing to understand ourselves, and it is to never lie to ourselves even when the truth is way too painful.
‘Hard to Love’ is a must read to learn how easy life will be when you love yourself the right way, and that after all we are not that hard to love. April 2019 47
IDENTITY TRAVEL
Travel Guide: TURKEY by Rana Ramez
BEST TIME TO VISIT
VISA • It takes up to one week for the Visa to be issued from the Turkish
embassy in Cairo.
• After receiving the visa, a permit has to be issued from Tahrir
Complex. It also takes around one week.
Spring (from April to May) and autumn (from September to mid-November) are the ideal times to visit Turkey, weather wise.
THE COUNTRY OF ABUNDANT ATTRACTIONS AND DAZZLING DESTINATIONS COLOSSAL CULTURE • Cer Modern Arts Center in Ankara offers a variety
of modern arts exhibitions and workshops.
• Aqua Vega Aquarium in Ankara is one of the largest
underwater worlds in Europe and the third largest tunnel aquarium. • Blue Mosque or Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Old Istanbul provides the best panoramic views of the 48 April 2019
city and is a great vantage point to gaze upon Old Istanbul. • The Esztergom Castle and Turkish Cultural Center on the banks of Danube River. It aims to offer a better understanding of the Turkish history and culture. • Erimtan Museum in Anatolia displays the diverse collection of artifacts unearthed in Anatolia, in addition to holding concerts every Tuesday.
HULKING HISTORY • Aya Sofya Museum (Hagia Sophia) in Istanbul.
Known as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, with Ottoman minarets and Constantinople’s interiors.
• Sumela Monastery (Monastery of Virgin Mary),
located in the northeast region. Built into a cliff face, it’s the main attraction along the Black Sea Coast from the Byzantine era.
• Pergamum in Bergama. Greco-Roman ruin of
one of the ancient and most important libraries in the world presiding on a hilltop.
• Roman Theater of Aspendos, south Antalya. The
finest surviving model of a classical age theater, where Marcus Aurelius celebrated his rule.
• Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. The palace from where
the sultans of the Ottoman era built their extended vast empire. Lavish jeweled interiors surrounded by public gardens, once the sole domain of the Royal Court.
• Ruin of Ephesus. One of the most complete still-
standing Roman cities in the Mediterranean region. A city of marble-columned roads and colossal monuments.
• Ankara Castle. Used by the Roman Empire, the
Byzantine Empire, Seljuq Turks, the Crusaders and the Ottoman empire.
• Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul. The largest
palace in Turkey with wondrous exteriors displaying many styles.
VIBRANT ACTIVITIES • Air balloon rides in Cappadocia. A surreal view of swooping rock valleys with ridged cliffs and wave-like
rippling rocks and pinnacles. • Shopping in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. With more than 5,000 shops, cafes, hammams, mosques and jewelry stalls covering 60 streets, it was an important trading center in the 15th century. • Mediterranean cruise from Bodrum and Fethiye. Hidden coves with tiny white sand beaches, hundreds of scattered islands and steep forest-clap slopes are to be expected. • Galata Tower Tours, Istanbul. Located North the Golden Horn, it offers amazing views of the city, including a restaurant and a nightclub. • Paragliding dive off the summit of Babadag Mountain. The mountain rises up behind the shore of the scenic Ölüdeniz, which is one of the world’s top paragliding destinations. • Bosphorus cruise. It takes you from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side and vise-versa. • Ortakoy Partying. Used to be a fishing village, now it’s the party district with a waterfront filled with clubs and bars. TURKISH CUISINE • Turkish coffee. One of the most delicious and
rich blends of coffee that takes a great deal of preparation. • Lokum (Turkish Delight). A mix of chopped dates, walnuts or hazelnuts and pistachios. • Manti (Turkish Ravioli). Handmade dumplings filled with ground lamb or beef and topped with creamy yogurt sauce. • Simit. It’s a mixture between pretzels and bagels, encrusted with sesame seeds. • Baklava. Layers of flaky pastry complemented by finely chopped nuts with syrupy goodness. • Iskender Kebab. Derived from Donor Kebab, this is thinly sliced lamb with warm tomato sauce over pieces of traditional bread, topped with yogurt and butter.
April 2019 49
IDENTITY GOURMET
ALL AROUND THE WORLD IFTAR & SOHOUR by Soha Darwish Food writer & Critic Menu Consultant. Diploma in Food Journalism - London, UK
IFTAR MENU Soup Artichoke & Hazelnut VeloutĂŠ Salad & Dips Avocado Salad
Ramadan Kareem everyone! Sharing meals in Ramadan is a daily celebration of the holy month with friends and family. Below is an Iftar and Sohour menu inspired from cuisines from around the world. I’ve put together an easy yet impressive menu that would allow you to entertain your guests without slaving away over a hot stove. Enhance the mood with modern Ramadan decorations and funky authentic tableware - it will be a big success!
Thin slices of avocado, mixed leaves, parmesan shavings and almonds; drizzled with citrus olive oil vinaigrette
Green Hummus Baby spinach leaves, coriander leaves, cooked edamame beans; all blended with regular hummus paste (either homemade or ready-packed)
Appetisers Chicken Bites Aubergine Rolls Mains Seafood Lasagne Verde Beef & Prunes Tagine Served on a bed of Couscous Desserts Mango Panna Cotta
50 April 2019
Artichoke & Hazelnut Velouté: Serves 6-8
Velouté is a silky-smooth soup or sauce made from roux (butter & flour) and broth. It’s perfect for Iftar as it’s served in small quantities due its richness - half a soup ladle is enough to warm you up and prepare your body for solid food.
Shopping Basket: 800g frozen artichoke hearts – 1 large chopped onion – 75g butter – 200 ml whole milk– 850 ml chicken or vegetable stock – 1 ½ tbsp flour –100g toasted hazelnuts – 1 chopped celery stalk– 100 ml cream - salt & pepper.
Steps: 1. In a large pot, sauté the onions in butter until translucent then stir in the flour. Gradually, pour in the stock while stirring, season well and bring to the boil. Leave to cool down. 2. Add the chopped artichoke hearts and celery, simmer until soft. 3. Start by grounding the toasted hazelnuts in the food processor, then pour in all cooked contents in the pot. Blend all well until smooth consistency. 4. Pour back the thick mixture into the pot, add milk & cream then bring to the boil and simmer until you reach a velvety silky velouté. Sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts & fresh parsley. Serve hot.
Chicken Bites: Serves 6-8 This addictive recipe reminds me of my childhood. I was fortunately introduced to it by my friend’s mum, just tweaked it a bit!
Shopping Basket: 500g cooked chicken fillets– 200 ml thick béchamel sauce – 1 tsp Dijon mustard – 100g grated parmesan – 50g grated mozzarella – 2 beaten eggs - 300g breadcrumbs – 1 tbsp chopped chives – ¼ tsp paprika –½ tsp oregano - salt & pepper.
Steps: 1. Blend all ingredients (including 1 egg and 150g of breadcrumbs) in a food processor until smooth paste. 2. Form small-size balls, dip into egg then coat them with breadcrumbs. Put in freezer for 2 hours before frying or in the fridge the night before. Serve hot! April 2019 51
Aubergine Rolls: Serves 6-8
One of my original recipes inspired from the famous Melanzane parmigiana when I need a meat break, the mushroom here does the trick for my family.
Shopping Basket: 1kg of long aubergine, thinly sliced– 500g chestnut mushrooms – 3 minced garlic cloves - 150g grated parmesan – 100g grated mozzarella – 1 chopped medium onion – 2 tbsp parsley –1 chopped tomato can - ½ tsp paprika – ½ tsp dried basil – ½ tsp oregano - salt & pepper.
Steps: 1. Drizzle aubergine slices with olive oil then grill in the oven or electric grill. 2. In the food processor add; mushrooms, onion, garlic and parsley - blend them together until finely chopped. 3. Empty the canned chopped tomatoes in a cup and stir in 1 crushed garlic clove, dried basil and oregano and a splash of olive oil - season well. 4. In a large pan, sauté the mushroom mixture in olive oil then season with paprika, salt & pepper – until cooked. 5. Place 1 tablespoon of the mushroom mixture on each aubergine slice, top it with cheese then roll it up. 6. Lay aubergine rolls in a baking dish and cover with the chopped tomatoes mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Beef Tagine with Prunes on a bed of Couscous: Serves 6-8 A luscious Moroccan staple, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to execute such a complex flavoursome dish. The aromas will surely set up the ambiance for Ramadan!
Shopping Basket: 1kg beef cubes– 2 medium onions – 3 garlic cloves– 1 tsp ginger powder – ½ tsp turmeric½ tsp saffron – 1 tsp cinnamon –1 cinnamon stick – 2 bay leaves - ¼ cup olive oil- 1 tbsp honey – 1 cup prunes –1 can chickpeas - 2 cups instant couscous- salt & pepper.
Steps:
52 April 2019
1. In a large pot, sauté 1 ½ grated onions and garlic then add the beef with all spices, brown it over medium heat. Add about 5 cups of water then bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until beef is cooked - it can take about 1 hour or more (add water when needed). 2. When beef is cooked, reduce the sauce then add slices of ½ onion, honey, soaked prunes and drained chick peas - simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until sauce is thick and syrupy. 3. For quick couscous, put in a glass bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning, then a cover with double the amount of boiling water from the kettle. Seal the bowl tightly with cling film and leave it for about 10 minutes. Remove cling film and fluff it up with a fork – it will be ready. 4. In large platter, lay a bed of couscous then cover with tagine and sprinkle some toasted almonds on top. So fitting for Ramadan!
Seafood Lasagne Verde: Serves 6-8
For an opulence boost to the table, a sublime twist for the beloved lasagne. I like to use lasagne verde (green) for colour contrast and flavour enhancement.
Steps: 1. In a skillet, sauté grated onions & garlic with the raw seafood, season and cover with water until cooked (takes about 4 min). Keep the pan on the side. 2. In a large pot, make béchamel sauce by whisking butter, flour & cream in cold milk off the heat, until lump free. Season with nutmeg, and simmer while stirring until it thickens and is cooked. 3. In another container mix ricotta with parmesan (add an optional egg). 4. Pour about ¼ of the béchamel sauce into seafood pan with crabmeat, chopped smoked salmon, parsley and paprika. Simmer for 2 minutes. 5. In a large oven dish, smear the bottom with a ladle of béchamel, then lay first layer of uncooked pasta sheet. Spread some ricotta mixture then seafood sauce, ladle of béchamel, sprinkles of mozzarella and then another layer of pasta. Repeat at least 2 times covering the top with remaining béchamel, mozzarella and parmesan. 6. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven 200 for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake until golden colour. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes then serve. Heavenly satisfying!
Mango Panna Cotta: Serves 6-8 When it comes to Ramadan desserts, we must admit that our efforts are dwarfed by the evolving creations of pastry shops nowadays. Here is a light pudding to complement the rich selections our guests shower us with.
Shopping Basket: 1 pack Lasagne Verde pasta– 400g peeled raw prawns – 200g salmon fillet - 100g smoked salmon – 150g fresh cooked crabmeat -150g grated parmesan cheese – 150g grated mozzarella cheese – 150g ricotta cheese - 3 minced garlic cloves – 2 tbsp parsley- 1 chopped medium onion –3 tbsp flour- 1 ltr milk – 200 ml cream – 2 tbsp butter - 3 tbsp olive oil – ¼ tsp paprika – ¼ tsp nutmeg - salt & pepper.
Shopping Basket: 2½ cups of fresh mango cubes– 1½ cup mango juice – 3 gelatine sachets– 2 cups whole milk – 3/4 cup sugar – 2 cups cream – ½ tsp vanilla extract.
Steps: 1. Mango purée: Blend 2 cups of mango until smooth. Stir in 1 gelatine sachet in mango juice over low heat until powder dissolves. Then mix with the blended mango puree. Pour about 2 cm in separate small ramekins then leave them to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 2. In a small saucepan, add milk and stir in remaining gelatine. On medium heat, dissolve the gelatine and sugar. Remove from heat then add cream and vanilla. Leave to cool down until room temperature. 3. Pour the mixture in the chilled ramekins over the mango purée. Chill again in the fridge for about 2 hours until it sets. Garnish with remaining small mango cubes. Serve chilled and enjoy! April 2019 53
SOHOUR MENU Dips Guacamole Smashed avocados, tomatoes, lime, red onion & fresh coriander
Beetroot Labneh Salad Quinoa Tabbouleh Mains Pain Surprise Prawns Fatteh Levant-spiced sautéed prawns, fried Lebanese bread, yoghurt and tahini sauce; topped with fried garlic and toasted almonds
Meat Pizza Dessert Date & Banana Bread
‘Pain Surprise’: Serves 6-8 A savoury pastry that literally takes few minutes to make, I developed a recipe of my own and I’m sure you’ll eventually do too, as soon as you get the hang of it!
Shopping Basket: 1 large pack of rolled frozen puff pastry – grilled chicken strips – 50 g chopped sun-dried tomatoes - 2 tbsp red pesto – green/black sliced olives – 250g grated mozzarella & cheddar –1 beaten egg seasoned – 2 tsp nigella seeds & sesame seeds - salt & pepper.
Steps: 1. On a greased oven tray, lay the defrosted puff pastry sheet; spread the red pesto then lay the fillings in layers on one half, finishing off with the cheese. 2. Fold the empty half over the filling and seal all the ends so it looks like a bread loaf. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle seeds and make parallel horizontal cuts with a sharp knife. 3. Bake in a preheated oven 180 for 35 minutes, until pastry is golden. Serve warm. 54 April 2019
Meat Pizza: Serves 6-8
A Nigella Lawson adapted recipe from my protein diet days, perfect as a light meaty dish on the Sohour table.
Shopping Basket: 400g ground beef– 1 grated small onion– 150g grated mozzarella – 2 eggs –2 tbsp parsley – ½ tsp paprika – ½ tsp oregano- ½ tsp basil – ½ cup oat bran – ¼ tsp mixed spices- 1 chopped tomatoes can – 2 garlic cloves - 2 tbsp olive oil - salt & pepper.
Steps: 1. Blend the beef with all ingredients (except for tomatoes, 1 garlic clove & cheese) in the food processor until smooth paste. 2. In a non-stick oven pan (round or rectangular), drizzle some olive oil and pat the meat mixture with your hands stretching it to fill up the whole pan. 3. Empty the canned chopped tomatoes in a cup and stir in 1 minced garlic clove, dried basil, oregano and olive oil - season well. Spread it over the meat base and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in the oven 180 for about 30 minutes until meat is cooked. Cut into squares or slices and serve warm.
Date & Banana Bread: Serves 6-8 This is my original recipe; my aim here was to cut down on sugar and flour. This decadent bread which is perfect for Sohour is full of nourishing natural nutrients. A big hit with kids too!
Shopping Basket: 2 ripe bananas – 1 cup dates– 2 eggs – 1 cup of almond flour – ½ cup flour –1 tsp cinnamon – 1 tsp vanilla extract– ½ cup sunflower oil – 1 tsp bicarbonate Soda – ½ tsp baking powder.
Steps: 1. Soak the dates in about half a cup of boiling water for 10 min. Meanwhile, in a big bowl, mash bananas then add eggs and all ingredients - whisk together. 2. Remove the pits from soaked dates and purée in soaking water. Then stir into the batter. 3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake in the oven 180 for about 40 minutes. Leave it to stand for 15 minutes, then turn it over and cut into medium slices. The texture is soft, almost mushy and very comforting! April 2019 55
YOUR GUIDE TO A THINNER
Ramadan
If you are looking to lose weight this Ramadan instead of gain, then this guide is the kick-start you need. Modest food intake paired with a disciplined exercise regiment can help you become a new you inside and out by the end of the month! We recommend the thirty minute ZR30 Total Body Workout available on productivemuslim.com. DAY 1 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, 1 grilled chicken breast fillet, 3 cups of your favourite salad, a handful of nuts, a cup of tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake or smoothie Snack: 2 cups of green tea, followed by 1 whole papaya Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 cup of oatmeal cooked in 2 cups fat free milk, topped with 1 sliced banana, and 1 chopped date (optional) DAY 2 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, 2 grilled tilapia fillets, 2 cups steamed mixed vegetables, a cup of tea/coffee After Workout: A smoothie Snack: Watermelon Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 date, 2 boiled eggs with sauteed baby spinach DAY 3 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, chicken with lemon roasted vegetables, a cup of tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake Snack: 2 cups of green tea, yogurt with granola/muesli chunks Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 cup of oatmeal cooked in 2 cups fat free milk, topped with 1 sliced banana, 1 chopped date (optional) DAY 4 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, grilled chicken salad, a cup of mint tea After Workout: A glass of carrot juice Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 banana sliced in half, with walnuts, cinnamon, and honey, baked for 15 minutes Sohour: 1 large date and a large smoothie 56 April 2019
DAY 5 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, grilled tuna steak with salsa, a cup of apple cinnamon tea After Workout: A smoothie Snack: 2 cups of green tea, a bowl of fat free Greek yogurt, topped with crushed walnuts Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 cup of oatmeal cooked in 2 cups fat free milk, topped with blueberries DAY 6 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, basil and bulgur salad, a cup of tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 apple, 1 pear Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 3 cups of fat free Greek yogurt topped with walnuts, raisins, and crushed granola/muesli DAY 7 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, cracked wheat grilled zucchini salad, a cup of tea/coffee After Workout: 2 cups of carrot juice with a handful of almonds Snack: 2 cups of green tea, carrots with fresh guacamole Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 large date, a smoothie DAY 8 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, kale and quinoa salad with black beans. A cup of herbal tea After Workout: A smoothie Snack: 2 cups of green tea, mixed nuts with 2 cups of fat free Greek yogurt Sohour: 2 glasses of water 1 cup of oatmeal cooked in 2 cups fat free milk, topped with 1 sliced banana, and 1 chopped date (optional).
DAY 9 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, bean salad with za’tar, a cup of preferred tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake. Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 banana with a handful of nuts Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 3 cups of lentil soup topped with quinoa DAY 10 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, spicy kasha vegetable salad, a cup of mint tea After Workout: A glass of carrot juice and a handful of walnuts Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 2 cups of mixed fruits Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, topped with 4-5 strawberries and 2 dates DAY 11 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, oats and lentil haleem a cup of preferred tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake or smoothie Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 cantaloupe Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 2 boiled eggs served with sauteed spinach, 1 orange DAY 12 Iftar: 2 glasses of water, chicken with beans and nuts, a cup of mint tea After Workout: A smoothie Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 2 cups of mixed berries Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 3 cups of fat free Greek yogurt topped with walnuts, granola/ muesli, raisins, and 2 chopped dates (optional) DAY 13 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, 2 grilled chicken shish kebabs, with a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and baby spinach sprinkled with lemon juice. A handful of mixed nuts, a cup of preferred tea/coffee After Workout: A protein shake
Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 cup of roasted chickpeas - sprinkle olive oil on boiled chickpeas. Then add cayenne pepper, lemon juice and bake it for 15-20 minutes Sohour: 2 glasses of water, an omelet made with onions and green pepper wrapped inside 2 romaine lettuce leaves DAY 14 Iftar: 3 dates with 2 glasses of water, grilled chicken with beans and nuts, a cup of mint tea After Workout: A glass of carrot juice Snack: 2 cups of green tea, 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt with a few raisins Sohour: 2 glasses of water, 1 bowl of lentil soup, topped with chopped cucumbers April 2019 57
IDENTITY OUT & ABOUT Sheraton Montazah Hotel
RAMADAN
Outings
Celebrate The Holly Month Of Ramadan At The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo In the spirit of giving and precious gatherings in the holy month of Ramadan, The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo invites guests to an array of delicious and unique culinary experiences. Ramadan, a month of worship and giving, is also a month full of flavor and incredible gastronomic experiences. From ‘Al Qahira’ to ‘Alf Leila Wa Leila’ Ballrooms, Culina restaurant, Aqua pool restaurant, lobby lounge as well as the famous ‘Wust El Balad’ Ramadan tent, there is a variety of experiences to suit every taste. Culina Restaurant: The culinary team at The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo has put together a 58 April 2019
selection of gourmet Arabic and International delicacies for their extensive Iftar buffet experience. Main courses are provided through interactive cooking and molecular gastronomy stations for main courses and desserts add an element of culinary theatre to the experience. A Redefined Ramadan Experience at the Grand Nile Tower As the Holy Month of Ramadan arrives once again, the Grand Nile Tower has redefined the Ramadan experience with numerous tailored choices to gather family and friends for a mouth-watering culinary experience while enjoying a panoramic view of the Nile. For Iftar, enjoy gourmet setmenus at El Sakya Souk restaurant
and The Nubian Village. The two restaurants offer a special menu of light favorites in an oriental atmosphere for Sohour. Live entertainment will provide a complementary soulful ambiance with a repertoire of classic tunes to set the perfect mood. For desserts, satisfy your sweet tooth with a varied selection of Ramadan oriental pastries from Delice gourmet shop. For Nile cruise fans, Grand Nile Tower’s yacht, Marquise, provides Iftar buffet and special Sohour cruises for groups upon request in a classical oriental evening at Baccarat. Enchanting Ramadan At Le Meridien Cairo Airport Experience the bliss of the holy month with family and friends at EVOO while breaking your fast on
an extensive Iftar buffet featuring a lavish selections of culinary choices and traditional Ramadan favourites in addition to a delightful variety of oriental desserts for 380 ++ EGP Step into Mezzeh for an authentic Lebanese Iftar experience. feast on an array of uncommon Lebanese delicacies, savoury assortment of hot and cold mezzehs, desserts, shisha and more. Mezzeh also presents special Iftar set menu including a wide selection of savoury appetizers, main dishes and desserts for only 430++ EGP Create exceptional memories this Ramadan at Shahrazad Tent, Whether you are planning to spend some leisure time with those who matter the most or arranging a corporate Sohour gathering, Shahrazad Tent is your Ideal Venue. Ramadan at Sheraton Cairo Hotel This year Sheraton Cairo is your gathering place during the holy month of Ramadan. Whether it is Iftar or Sohour, a family or friends gathering, we are bringing a great variety of food and beverage offerings ranging from set menus, buffet style and a’ la carte in all restaurants. You can enjoy an open buffet Iftar at Rawi restaurant overlooking the amazing Nile view indulging in the amazing oriental flavors. Or having an authentic Sohour at El Mawardia with a family style menu and an oriental Takhte that will guaranty an amazing Ramadan vibes. And as Ramadan is never complete without a tent, We are launching “ZAD” a one of a kind poolside tent with outstanding entertainment and amazing food. Ramadan @ Hilton Cairo Heliopolis This year Hiton Cairo Heliopolis offers an extensive selection of authentic cuisines offering oriental iftar buffets and exquisite Lebanese Iftar set menus including
mouthwatering dishes at Al Dabké. Egyptian Nights; Hilton Cairo Heliopolis Ramadan’s lounge features a festive spirit of Ramadan’s atmosphere set against the backdrop of contemporary design, and overlooking the gardens, this modern lounge features extensive al fresco terrace and a full range of delectable offerings of Iftar and Souhour. The lounge offers an array of oriental Arabic plates created by famous Egyptian and Lebanese chefs and served in overwhelming proportions followed by piling plates of oriental sweets, freshly baked oriental fitir on a display show kitchen, along with creative inventions of Shisha flavors. A takht band provides live entertainment from a stage across the pool complemented with several huge screens broadcasting hit Ramadan series, all are topped with Hilton professional, expedient and friendly service. Arabesque Tent At Hilton Cairo Zamalek Feel the magic of the Nile breeze at our elegant in-door and outdoor venue, Arabesque tent offers a daily Iftar buffet overlooking the Nile. Also you can enjoy a lavish à la carte Sohour menu, compliment the evening with your favourite Shisha selection and playing one of our oriental games while listening to our nightly live entertainment. Ramadan At The Jw Marriott Cairo The time spent with family and friends during Ramadan is priceless, so let us help you create memories to cherish by spending Iftar and Sohour at JW Marriott Hotel Cairo where you will enjoy impeccable service and exquisite culinary experience surrounded by the unique atmosphere of the Holy Month.
Experience the holy month in graceful elegance with our variety of Ramadan specials. Enjoy a delectable Iftar buffet and Sohour set menus at Mirage Café. For a more casual outdoor experience Plateau offers family-style Iftar and a la carte Sohour amidst a beautiful backdrop, enlivening entertainment and shisha. La Patisserie will be serving up the very best of oriental pastries. Guests in need of unwinding get 30 minutes free for every one-hour massage booked at Mandara Spa. Meshmeshia at Sonesta Tower & Casino- Cairo
Hotel,
Exclusively during Ramadan, Sonesta Cairo Hotel introduces “Meshmeshia” around the pool. Enjoy the authentically Ramadan spirit with specially created Ramadan decorations while serving mouthwatering “Iftar” & “Sohour”, live entertainment and various “Shisha” flavors. A genuine Ramadan experience you don’t want to miss. Ask about our special prices for Iftar & Sohour. Make This Ramadan One To Remember At Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel! The time spent with family and friends during Ramadan is priceless, so let us help you create memories to cherish. Treat yourself and your loved ones to a Ramadan like nowhere else at Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel. Enjoy an extensive Iftar buffet and Sohour set menu at Afandina by the pool topped with a variety of shisha options. Choose from a scrumptious array of Arabic pastries and treats at En Passant, the perfect takehome indulgences. Chinoix’s authentic Chinese a la carte menu is perfect for those looking for a change of flavors this month. April 2019 59
MEET MAI SALAMA AND NEAMAT KHALIL; FOUNDERS OF THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY SUMMIT For the 5th year running, Creative Industry Summit was launched today for a two-day program that sees the world’s most prominent minds share invaluable insights into the latest trends in the creative field. We had the chance to discuss the Creative Industry Summit with its founders, Mai Salama and Neamat Khalil to know more about this edition’s highlights and what to expect next! 1. How did the idea of the Creative Industry Summit come about? Out of a need to bring the movers and shakers of the creative industries to a platform where they meet and exchange ideas. Such summits are important as it educates and inspires the new generations. Having the founders of other similar summits only confirms the idea that all platforms are vital to developing the different industries. 2. The summit has been going on for five years and 10 editions. In your opinion, how did the summit progress through the years? The event has grown to include multiple tracks, international speakers, experts and artists as well as the leading movers and shakers in Egypt. Every edition has its own challenges, they in fact evolve and grow as the C-S grows. Previous challenges were for example bringing international experts and now its mostly in content and maintaining its strength. 3. We noticed that this year, the majority of the speakers were either young or women – some were young women. How do you think leading roles in the business are being taken over by younger candidates and by women? It is funny you note this, this was not intentional, we set out to bring the right experts for the topics and content we develop. This year, for example, one of the most notable speakers was Mohmed Ramadan. 60 April 2019
We wanted to bring highlight a celebrity who made a brand out of himself, and when we did our research Mohamed Ramadan checked all the right boxes. We contacted him and he liked the idea of participating in C-S since he never spoke in a conference before. 4. This edition, we got to listen to many international speakers who discussed global topics, yet everything they said was still somehow relatable to Egyptians. How far do you see globalization affecting the Egyptian market? The whole world is now connected, and Egypt is not far off when it comes to lots of industries and creativity in specific. When preparing the content with our speakers, we always make sure they showcase international trending issues while relating it to our market so our audience can learn and relate. Our next edition will be in Lebanon. Lebanon and Egypt are both known to be strong markets when it comes to creativity, it only makes sense when growing outside Egypt and targeting the LEVANT for Beirut to be the place to be 5. Out of all the previous editions, what was your favourite moment of the summit? Every edition is special however having Sophia the Robot meet Abla Fahita was exceptional - The Artificial Intelligence vs Abla Intelligence session was a very unique one in fact and will never be replicated anywhere in the world.
RAMADAN FLAIR AT THE PALACE This year the Cairo Marriott Hotel will be welcoming guests with open arms for an extraordinary iftar and sohour experience. It is the perfect occasion for gatherings and spending quality time with family and friends. The Palace with its authentic charm and flair is offering a variety of venues with a selection of themes. For a more personalized event, guests can enjoy a tailored iftar or sohour either in banquet ballrooms or outside caterings. The annually anticipated iftar is back in Omar’s Café with an outdoor and indoor seating. An array of appetizers, mezzah, grills, main courses will be offered and on top of all the mouthwatering Cairo Marriott’s famous Om Aly dessert. More will be awaiting guests and their families for an unforgettable iftar experience. Following iftar, guests can enjoy Cairo’s evening breeze at Al-Qahwah. For big groups who crave to go oriental, Egyptian Nights with its oriental vibes and street-decoration will be serving special set menus for both iftar and sohour. Individuals can pick from the one-of-a-kind a la carte menu for iftar and sohour showcasing a huge variety of oriental savories. Time to get ready to enjoy live entertainment daily from 10:00 pm until 1:30 am. Ristorante Tuscany will be the perfect private spot for family and friends gatherings offering an Italian familystyle menu cooked to perfection. A French atmosphere blended with oriental and historical vibes will be available at Saraya Gallery for an authentic family style iftar experience.
Guests can orchestrate their own private iftar or corporate sohour events at any of the historical ballrooms of the Palace with a variety of set menus and Ramadan specialties prepared by Cairo Marriott’s culinary team for guests to indulge. Spend sohour time at the iconic Som3a Basha tent, a street-style sohour is prepared for guests every night from 9:30 pm with a special live Takht band performance starting from 10:30 pm until 2:00 am. Time to unveil Cairo Marriott’s latest surprise; Antica the newest addition to the iconic Gezira Palace, it is the perfect Ramadan Nights destination located at the palace’s rooftop overlooking magical views of the River Nile. Hurry up and book your spot at the Cairo Marriott to spend Ramadan right at the Palace. For more information and reservations please contact the hotel directly on + 202 2728 3000.
April 2019 61
GIUSEPPE ANGELICA TAKES GUESTS ON AN ITALIAN GASTRONOMIC JOURNEY AT VIVO RESTAURANT AT THE NILE RITZ-CARLTON, CAIRO
Cairo’s most renowned Italian restaurant, Vivo, welcomed Chef Giuseppe Angelica as the Italian Chef De Cuisine starting March 2019. With more than 15 years of unrivalled experience in various prominent destinations, restaurants and luxury hotels, Giuseppe will be taking Vivo restaurant into a unique Italian voyage of flavors that will produce taste sensations and delight the palates of its guests. Born in Bologna in Italy, Giuseppe discovered his culinary passion at a very young age at his grandmother’s kitchen when he was only 18 years old. Giuseppe’s appointment brings an enormous impact to Vivo restaurant, as he brings the finest Italian ingredients to Vivo’s kitchen creating mouthwatering rustic Italian authentic dishes. Giuseppe introduces a drastic change to the restaurant’s menu offering a selection of Italian classics along with seasonal favorites, using the finest and freshest ingredients cooked with passion, precision and artistry to bring together a work of art on each dish. 62 April 2019
Vivo infuses a rich gastronomical Italian experience in a luxuriously laidback atmosphere. The restaurant brings a part of the lush Italian countryside to the elegant setting of the iconic hotel. Under the cultural and culinary guidance of Chef Giuseppe, fresh Italian and local ingredients will add a sophisticated edge to Vivo’s menus. Vivo indulges guests with an Italian allure: the décor is contemporary chic which is complemented by panoramic views of the eternal Nile and the renowned Cairo Tower. The restaurant channels rustic Italian charm in every element, including an oven for fresh bread and sizzling pizza. As an overture to the premium Italian experience and authentic food, guests can also enjoy the nostalgic sounds of jazz music and delight in cocktails and cigar at Bar’Oro, a sophisticated bar attached to Vivo overlooking magical views of the Nile River.
Sofitel Clubs Championship Golf Tournament Organized by Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah Sofitel Cairo El Gezirah held for the 5th consecutive year “Sofitel Clubs Championship” Golf tournament at Katameya Dunes Golf Course, where participants joined from all golf courses in Egypt. The Award Ceremony was held at Sofitel El Gezirah at Le Duplex Asian restaurant & Bar where we crowned the winners & the club champion as well as weekend stay & restaurants vouchers from Accor hotels in the region for the 20 birdies drew. The golf participants included all the top Egypt’s Golf clubs, “Katameya Dunes” “Palm Hills”, “Katameya Heights”, “Allegria”,” Mirage Golf course, Al Gezirah Sporting Club & Alexandria Golf Club. During the award ceremony, golfers shared the Sofitel passion for precision and the spirit of conviviality and celebrated the Sofitel Swing & Chic with the handmade trophies & medals given to all the winners during this unique event and the club champion for this year was Katameya Dunes Golf Club.
Relaunch for quiz store city stars Wednesday 3rd of April at city starts at 6:00 pm Samsung launches the all-new 8K QLED TVs for the first time in Egypt Samsung produces Super Big 82 inch TVs for the very first time in Beni Suef plant to launch it in Egypt and the region Samsung Electronics Egypt revealed its newest 8K TV today, during a press conference held in the Four Seasons Nile Plaza hotel. The brand new 8K TVs present further advanced specs that mark a new era of TVs providing an unprecedented experience for the consumers. April 2019 63
McDonald’s launches Your Right to Know’s second phase to answer all customer questions McDonald’s Egypt has recently announced the launch of the second phase of “Your Right to Know” campaign. The campaign’s first phase that aimed to apply transparency and credibility principles achieved remarkable and noticeable success, and was recognized as the first of its kinds to be launched by a fast food company
OPPO Launches F11 Series: Versatile Portrait Mastery, Breakthroughs in Photography and User Experience OPPO officially launched the F11 and F11 Pro on Monday 15th of April in Four Season Nile Plaza This time the F11 series upgrades from selfie expert to portrait master, featuring a 48-megapixel (MP) image sensor to provide users with an unprecedented night photography experience. Software and hardware upgrades combine to improve battery life, gaming performance, and user experience. In addition, the F11 Pro boasts an uninterrupted full screen display made possible by a hidden front camera module.
Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences Wins Luxury Hotel Of The Year – For The Second Time From Niche Award Festival Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences wins the Luxury Hotel of the YearEgypt from Niche Awards Festival 2019 organized by Niche Magazine for the second time. Niche Magazine is a tasteful magazine that presents luxury living and all aspects of the lifestyle that reflects the readers’ values & attitudes.
“Miss Mermaid” Miss Mermaid Germany and Miss Mermaid International 2019 are going to be taking place at Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh from the 31st of March till the 14th of April. The Miss Mermaid management chose Baron Palace Sahl Hasheesh because it’s a 6 star luxury hotel set in the heart of Sahl Hasheesh bay offering a 600 m silky white sandy beach with the best diving and snorkeling opportunities. The Palace is also famously known to offer five star detailing services and a wide set of gastronomical restaurants and bars options, with more than 16 options offered at the resort. 64 April 2019
The Land Developers Hosts a Gala Dinner Celebrating The Company’s Launch The Land Developers hosted a magnificent night filled with music and food on the 18th of March at Cairo’s Four Seasons Nile Plaza to celebrate its launch into the real estate market. The company also announced its debut project - Armonia - situated in The New Administrative Capital.
Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts Launches Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo… A New Gate to Egypt’s Glamour Amidst the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx Airport and facing the new Grand Egyptian Museum, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts unveils its new hotel Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo. With a remarkable location in the middle of Egypt’s most magnificent historical landmarks and a design of contemporary touch, the hotel will take you in an exceptional journey embracing both heritage and novelty.
3GB RAM + 32/64GB ROM and 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM First in its segment to offer an f1.8 aperture and Nightscape mode at the same time to get significantly better image quality
Toyota Egypt Launches the 12th Generation of Toyota Corolla Toyota Egypt launches the all new 12th generation of Toyota Corolla for the first time in Egypt; the car that has been sold in more than 150 countries for the past 50 years. Corolla is considered the bestselling car model in history with more than 46 million cars sold until now.
The instigation of 90 Avenue’s Spring Festival stands as the first community event in a series of exciting proceedings hosted by Tabarak Developments. The event was held on Friday the 5th of April 2019 in 90 AvenueNew Cairo opposite to AUC and unveiled a world of imaginative festivities full of entertainment and thrilling activities such as a Musical Parade, Giant Puppets show, Canvas wall coloring animals, Easter Egg hunt, Face painting, Kites branded for giveaways, Caricaturists, and Boomerang Photo booth finished with a sensational musical guitar play from the eminent Marsellio..
The trend-setting Huawei P30 lite is the ultimate blend of new trends and machine aesthetics As a global handset manufacturer, Huawei announced the new generation P series to the world. Similar to the naming method of previous generations, the P30 series is divided into three different configurations: P30 Pro, P30 and P30 lite. Amongst them, the P30 lite’ is launched with three color options and three styles are Midnight Black, Pearl White and Peacock Blue. The Night Black option is dark, understated and luxurious. It reflects light like little stars in the night sky, making it look romantic and mysterious. The Pearl White option shines brightly, and when held in hand it looks like white satin on the user’s fingertips, gentle yet moving.
Power your Style with realme 3, fueled with Helio P60, 4230mAh AI battery starting from EGP 2490 realme 3 comes with 3D Unibody Gradient Design in three variants:
realme Egypt will be launching the most powerful phone in this budget segment today, realme 3. The stylish device is powered by the AI master MediaTeK Helio P60 processor and comes with a 4230 mAh battery, giving you the longest battery life in this segment. realme 3 is equipped with an upgraded 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera with Nightscape and Chroma Boost mode, which are the first in this category, with 6.2-inch dewdrop full screen and triple SIM slots expandable up to 256GB.
Philip Morris International Enters The ‘Year Of Unsmoke’—Calls On All Those Who Can Empower A SmokeFree Future
Eight out of 10 people globally support PMI working with governments, regulators and public health experts to phase-out cigarettes in favor of smoke-free alternatives In a bold step that confirms its real efforts for implementing its strategy and vision for the future of the smoking industry titled, “The Year of Unsmoke,” Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) launched “The Year of Unsmoke,” an urgent call to action If you don’t smoke, don’t start If you smoke, quit. If you don’t quit, change April 2019 65
IDENTITY SIGNS
TAURUS
20 Apr – 21 May
STRENGTHS: Trustworthy, stable, practical, artistic, generous, loyal, tender and caring. WEAKNESSES: Stubborn, prejudiced, possessive, lazy, limited, frugal and materialistic. CAREER: Workaholism is made for Taurus born people. With high geared brains, work is always on Taurus’ mind, even if they’re not working. They are the ones who get things done with their persistence and analytical thinking. MOST COMPATIBLE WITH AT WORK: Capricorn, Cancer, Leo and Pisces
VIRGO With Virgo’s strong powers of analysis and Taurus’s sense of style and beauty, it’s a fortunate match. It’s easy for them to overlook each other’s weaknesses due to their great work ethics.
WORK COMPATIBILITY ARIES Taurus seeks routine while Aries is bored by it, which makes it a hard match. They need to let their respective strengths balance each other’s weaknesses. TAURUS This is a practical match, but not necessarily the most exciting one. But since both prefer a solid predictable job, it’s not a big deal. It’s a very well-balanced match. GEMINI Since Taurus likes to create a stable work routine and Gemini prefers to mix things up, both have very different approaches to work. A successful partnership is created when their duties are detached. CANCER This is the dream team. Caring Cancer will tell workaholic Taurus to slow down, while dependable Taurus will shield sensitive Cancer from harsh work elements. LEO This can be described as a creative hardworking partnership. They can both create a beautiful, comfy and relaxing work environment with high efficiency and effectiveness. 66 April 2019
LIBRA Both seek a harmonious relaxing and stressfree workspace. Make sure to delegate the work responsibilities according to each other’s strengths. SCORPIO This is not an easy relationship of two stubborn signs. But since the two of them are respectful hard workers, it’s not impossible to find a middle ground. SAGITTARIUS Taurus moves slower than goal-oriented Sagittarius, while Sagittarius can lose their enthusiasm by Taurus’s attitude. It’s simple to light it up though with some laughs at work, due to their shared sense of humor. CAPRICORN A practical outlook and strong work ethics are shared between these two signs. The more creative Taurus is, the perfect match to the more executive Capricorn. AQUARIUS It may seem impossible for Taurus to figure out their Aquarius colleague. In case both can learn how to not get into the other’s business, they will be just fine. PISCES The supportive practical Taurus is just what the dreamy Pisces needs. A highly successful business partnership is formed when Taurus respects Pisces’ intuition and Pisces honors Taurus’s sensible advice.
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