Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Housewives' Helper


The women living in the villages don't usually have cars or access to supermarkets so enterprising young (and old) men drive carts around with the more commonly used cleaning supplies, such as simple soaps, detergents and the old fashioned rusts-away-in-your-hands steel wool to clean the enormous aluminum cooking pots they favour. These things and a bit of elbow grease leave the pots glistening in the sun.

41 comments:

Leif Hagen said...

It's always good to have helpers!

Jules said...

fasinating picute. where was this taken?

Kathryn Segal said...

I love how your photos show everyday things, interesting portrayal of another culture.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani said...

This was taken this morning while I was out riding along a canal in Giza.

Danielle said...

Fantastic picture!

brattcat said...

I learn so much from your blog. Look at that enormous bundle of steel wool. I remember the feel of little steel splinters in my hands from using the old stuff.

MsTypo said...

Congrats again on being Blog of Note!! :)

Our local guy rings a bell and this of year totally sounds like one of those street Santas. LOL

radha said...

Congratulations on being the blogger of note.
Nice blog you have here! I hope to visit Egypt one day, and till then I guess a daily visit to your blog might help.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on becoming a "Blog of Note". This looks like a interesting place to visit - I've added your link to my must-read list.

Ahmed H. Melege said...

Nice blog..

Brian Christopher said...

Great photography.

nathalie in avignon said...

Congratulations on being Blog of Note today, Maryanne. You more than deserve it! I always enjoy your photos and commentary about a world that is so different from mind. The world may be shrinking but it will be a long while still before all lifestyles around the planet come to an identical standard. And in the meantime, our city daily photo blogs provide an amazing chance to learn about daily life in other parts of the world.

Mia said...

Maryanne, Your photographs take me back 30 years to some of the happiest days of my life, the three months I spent living in Gurna, across the river from Luxor, working in the Valley of the Kings in 1980. I was afraid all the old ways had disappeared. But I see they continue. What a beautiful, heartbreaking place! And how lucky you are to have made the wise decision to stay on! Have you read Penelope Lively's memoir of her Egyptian girlhood? I suspect she grew up not far from you.

Francisco Neto said...

Essa daki eh PIKA, HEIN!

Mo said...

great image

Picture-lover said...

Great picture, I was curious like Jules, where did you take the picture?

denysmaco0l said...

nice post, friend!!!!!!!
please visit me back!!!!!

Culture of Indonesia

thanks....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your travels and photo.

t4belajarblogger said...

Nice information. Thanks you^

Mengembalikan Jati Diri Bangsa said...

Nice articles.Thanks for the interesting articles. By reading your blog I can find the answers to my question. I hope you will continue posting an article having a useful information. I wall visit again later.I will wait your other interest posting. Thanks so much!

nineob said...

It's always good to have helpers!
Fantastic picture!

Jaz said...

Yay! One of my favourite blogs is Blog of Note. That's so cool, well done :)

Shamoood said...

Congrats!

To be selected as "blog of note". Keep it up.

Nice collection of daily life pictures; all the way in your blog.

Scope said...

Well, I like what I see what you printed... "expect the unexpected".

I'd like to explore the world if given the chance, and yes... blogs as yours are wonderful to people like myself. Got street pics and relevant narrations.

How's life in Giza? If a Singaporean were to migrate there, what's the big deal in admin?

Do they welcome foreigners? That part you are showing seems to be a nice neighborhood to be in...

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani said...

I like where I live, but I speak fluent Arabic and find it funny when things don't work. Most people who move here have to work in the city and there aren't too many rentals out here. I always advise people who think they want to move here to come for a visit to see if they really like Egypt for starters.

Unknown said...

Congratulations of being a blog of note! I really enjoyed your blog. The photos and descriptions are beautiful. Thank you for this glimpse into another way of living!

JĂșnior Araujo said...

Your blog is simply wonderful!!!!
I'm searching for interesting things online, and the: Your Blog!!
Nice.

I'm Brazilian, and I hope you to keep sending your wonderful messages...

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

OOOoh! This Ozarks farm chick's Hubby could use some lessons here. Hubby's rules are anything that touches the house here on the Ponderosa is HOUSEWORK. Hubby does not do housework.

I just wanted to give ya a big old CONGRATULATIONS from the Ozarks hills and hollers. Have a fab day!!!

Hayley said...

That's really cool you made it as a 'blog of note'.

Congratulations!

Seaside_Chick93 said...

im new on here but good blog how do you use this website and if possible can people go onto my page/blog and read it and comment

Carolyn said...

Sounds like the pioneer days in the American West.

I love your blog with its captivating pictures and pithy summaries of life in a place so foreign yet appealing to most of us.

{You may remove this bit before posting, or not post at all - I won't know or care. May I make a tiny correction? (Once a grammar teacher, always a grammar teacher...) This post's title should read "Housewives' Helper" or Housewife's Helper"-- the first indicating that he helps many housewives, or the second that he helps each one.}

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani said...

Anyone who clicks on your name will go to your Blogger profile which has a link to your blog. Blogger is really very easy.

Seaside_Chick93 said...

kk thanks, ur blog is really good and nice picture

Mia said...

Tried to post a comment last night, but must have pushed the wrong key. In any case, I wanted to congratulate you on your annointment as a Blogger of Note, which brought you to my attention. I'm grateful for that, since your photo blog reassures me that the old ways of Egypt are still in place. I lived in Gurna, across the river from Luxor, and worked in the Valley of the Kings for three months in 1980 and fell in love with the country and the people. I envy you your decision to stay. Have you read Penelope Lively's account of her girlhood in Egypt? I think it's called Oleander, Jacaranda, and it seems to me she grew up near Giza. Anyway, I'll be checking in daily from now on.

Peevish said...

Lovely blog, wonderful pictures. Either housewife's or housewives' helper would be correct.

Molly said...

My husband and I went to Egypt about 4 years ago.

While in Cairo we saw a lot of old men with carts - like the "Housewive's Helper" - but loaded with green vegetation. We always wondered what that was? To us it looked like a huge pile of weeds on the back of a flatbed cart and donkey-drawn.

These carts would brave Cairo's traffic right along with the cars which you know is really crazy at all hours of the day and night.

Molly

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani said...

That probably would have been either berseem (a kind of clover) or garawa (a kind of grass) to either be used by the owner's animals as feed or sold to housewives who might be keeping poultry and such at home.

Anonymous said...

Great information!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comment. great pictures keep them coming.

Happy Holidays!

Ceissa said...

Congratulations !!!
Really interesting pic..

Ceissa said...

Congratulations!!!
I love your pic..

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