Dear Insiders,
Read with interest, as always, the Food Snob's “Culinary Journey through Egypt.”
Think about your suggestion regarding the serving of pita bread. It's from the Middle East, as is Egypt (poor, distressed country in upheaval), so it is entirely correct and why it was served.
Naan, delicious as it might be, is from India which is some distance away, actually on another continent. It might have been tastier but it would not have been authentic Egyptian food.
I think Gamil is doing well. And let me assure you that were you to go to China or Japan, the food you would get there seldom resembles the Chinese or Japanese food served in this country.
Persis Gow,
Concord
For the record, Persis, we completely agree. We talked to the Food Snob and here's what he had to say:
It wasn't the serving of pita bread itself that the Snob took issue with, but rather the fact that the pita was not fresh. My call for naan was not a longing for Indian food, but simply a plea for a fresh-baked flatbread to accompany my baba ghannouj. Let's not quarrel over this naan-issue.