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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Dare to sin
By Injy El-KashefSultana is not about ice-cream. It's not about flavour or quality. It's about a challenge. It dares you to resist -- and invariably wins. A simple proof: we stood outside the tiny Sultana space, right in the street, each holding a huge ice-cream creation. People walk by. They stare at our ice-creams, say nothing. Five minutes later, they walk the same way again, starring again at our ice-cream. Someone suggests, "How about some ice-cream?" and without waiting for a reply, barges into Sultana's. Moments later, a party of five (who did not seem to have any ice-cream intentions before our paths had crossed) walks out, each carrying an immense cone and a bright smile.
Every single living fruit finds its ice-cream version over there. Every nut, every dessert variation (including Pannacotta and Truffles) is represented. And, as if someone on a diet going for ice-cream is really going to pick diet ice-cream, they have it anyway just to increase the consequent guilt feelings. After all, guilt is often the aftereffect of a wonderful experience.
We stood, with dazed amazement, trying to assimilate all the different possibilities. Settling on a couple of flavours is an arduous task when one is not even capable of keeping track of all the options. The toppings caused a similar problem: will it be nuts, dried fruits, hot chocolate sauce, whipped cream, fruit salad, meringue, or fresh fruit? We thought the best way was to pick one of the readily configured images advertised overhead -- true, there were about 20, but at least each one is designed with specific flavours and toppings, we thought. After a good 15 minutes we confidentially declared our choices. "One Bon-Doc and one Fantasy, please." The reaction was unexpected "So? What do you want?" "Well, just what we said, please." "These are toppings [you idiots, he refrained from saying] you must still choose your flavours."
Sultana insists on imposing an embarras du choix. Fine.
My bombastic missile consisted of three lethal ingredients: one scoop of Swiss chocolate, one of caramel and one of toffee. My friend's choice fell on mocca, hazelnut and cassatta. For both orders we paid LE19. Between the two of us we could have brought happiness to East Timor. We refused the wafer and insisted on a fancy Sultana cup. Who wants to gulp down such a gift of God in haste just to avoid leakage? Standing in the street, relishing every roasted nut on our scoops, we were grateful we came to the Korba branch where no seating is available. Who knows what would've happened had we lingered there longer on comfortable seats? Sultana dares you -- and invariably wins.
32 Gezirat Al-Arab St, off Lebanon St, Mohandessin. Tel 304 7830
5 Ibn Al-Nabih St, Zamalek. Tel 738 2061.
13 Baghdad St, Korba, Heliopolis. Tel 418 5886
Also several branches in Alexandria and the North Coast
