Ayam el Dahk

The days of laughter

A Jewish mother receives a long awaited telephone call from her only son.

“Hi mom.”

“My son! And how are you?”

“Mom, I’ve got news for you! I just got married!”

“Mazel Tov my son! And who is she, do we know her?”

“No. I don’t think so. Mom I have to tell you she is Christian.”

“Oh well my boy, we are all children of God, so welcome to your wife;”

“Hey mom I have to tell you something else.”

“Yes my son, what else?”

“Well, she has four kids.”

“Four kids? Well you have a family now.”

“Hey mom, I have to tell you something else: we have no place to live!”

“Well my son, that is no problem. You and your wife can have my bedroom, the kids: 2 in your old room and 2 in the spare room.”

“Hey mom and where will you sleep?”

“Don’t worry son, as soon I as put down the phone, I’ll drop dead.”

 

The days of SHAKSHOUKA

AYAM EL SHAKSHOUKA

The days of SHAKSHOUKA 

That lovely name was one I hated. You will say “what a difficult person to please”.

That was my mom’s opinion too!

What was a shakshouka? First and above all you prepared the spiciest tomato sauce possible.

Not just a drop but a pan full of it. It was so spicy.

you could light a cigarette with it or fly off in a rocket! 

When it was ready and boiling, you broke fresh eggs in it one after the other.

Immediately the eggs consolidated except the centre, which remained soft.

The usual roz be senebar (rice with kernels) was prepared because shakshouka without rice was not shakshouka.

Each person helped himself to rice and added an egg with its very spicy sauce. Mmmm.

What a delight!

But not for yours truly.

When finally to please my mom I did eat shakshouka, my lips were chapped, torn and hurt by that sauce not to talk of the egg that had become red in the process!!!

Was I really too difficult to please?

Considering things today: yes I think I was difficult to please!