I have to admit, of all the countries I\u2019ve ever visited,\nEgyptians are the most entrepreneurial of all people on Earth. It must be\ningrained in the DNA. I\u2019ve had the opportunity many times to haggle and buy\nthings: out of cruise ship windows, out of bus and car windows, off of\nstreet carts, off a cart pulled by a donkey on an interstate highway, and while\nidling at the red light in rush hour traffic. I have even had chocolate\nice cream cones delivered to my car window!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is a way to take something and transform it for\nsale, an Egyptian will find a way to do it. I have personally seen women dig\nthrough the trash bins outside restaurants, collect all the green garnishes and\nleftover raw vegetables, and sell it for horse fodder to the cowboys offering\nrides at the pyramids. There is also a man on a motorized cart (it\u2019s\nreally half motorcycle, half mini-truck) who cruises up and down the side\nstreets yelling into a bullhorn, \u201cDo you have anything you want to get rid\nof? I\u2019ll take it off your hands!\u201d There is also a man who collects\nplastic water bottles, another who collects paper and cardboard, and at any\nstoplight in Cairo you can buy packages of tissue or kitchen towels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This spirit is part of a larger element of the Egyptian psyche which includes their ideas about work and preserving the dignity of each person; thus, the 50 EGP tip to the intrepid salesman I dubbed \u201cJohn Elway.\u201d (Read the “John Elway” blog post<\/a> here, and read more about tipping here<\/a>.) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have to admit, of all the countries I\u2019ve ever visited, Egyptians are the most entrepreneurial of all people on Earth. It must be ingrained in the DNA. I\u2019ve had the opportunity many times to haggle and buy things: out … Continue reading