When I think back to those experiences — which were far more memorable than anything else I did visiting those countries — I see one commonality: I said yes. Yes towhile alone on a business trip in Tokyo. Yes to not booking a hotel for my one-night layover in Vienna. And yes to taking a ride down the coast with a musician I had met hours before in a coffee shop.
Shortly before arriving in Cairo, I messaged an acquaintance on Facebook that I had met briefly seven years before. She is the only Egyptian I know, an activist lawyer I had met when I first moved to New York City. At the time, I was sleeping on my brother's couch post-graduation. She was staying there a few nights, too, while she found a sublet to live in during her summer internship. We had hung out one day — and that was it.
Her friend turned out to be an incredible cook and had been toying with opening a catering business. Had we tried molokhia yet, she asked. When I woke up hungover the following morning, I had half-assumed she had been joking. One of those grand promises you make that seem brilliant at 3 a.m., but are soon forgotten. I was wrong.When we arrived in the late afternoon, we found that she had arranged an entire dinner party with her friends and family in the span of 12 hours. And just as she said, every dish she'd talked about was cooked.Harrison Jacobs/Business InsiderSalads, chips, and mac & cheese.