Last weekend I decided to go to the club in the early morning to enjoy some quietness before it got crowded, and to relax under the warmth of the sun. So I headed to the club feeling so fresh and alive leaving my mobile at home to free myself of any distractions.

The club was filled with many elders who went there in the early mornings to overcome their loneliness. I found an empty table, sat there and ordered coffee. It was just perfect, the sun was shining brightly and there was a light breeze in the air and everyone around me were practically whispering.

So I just closed my eyes and thought of nothing. My thoughts were roaming around in peace not focusing on any event in particular. I just wanted to avoid any disturbing thoughts that might trigger the mood I was in.

I opened my eyes occasionally to have a sip of coffee and enjoy the scenery then I went back to my inner world. I did not notice the group that sat next to my table until my ears caught their conversation. They seemed to be in their late 20’s, early 30’s and from their choice of clothes and accessories it was obvious they came from the upper social class, but the major disappointment was the topic they were discussing.

Many times, I did not bother with what was being said, but their talk was so loud and frustrating that it was impossible for me to disregard it, plus the triviality of the conversation was just unbearable. I never realized that there were still people in this face of the earth who thought the way they did. It was just amazingly and surprisingly sad.

For almost half an hour, all they talked about was whether certain common Egyptian foods like eggs or fool (beans) were better off eaten by bread or by fork. Yes! That was the discussion, bread or fork. Who cared if you even ate them with your own bare hands!

How trivial and superficial can some get? People were dying because they did not have bread in their cupboard and others were jailed for defending their land, and those people next to me were arguing about the usage of fork and bread. And to top that off, one of the couples commented that they could never eat anything with bread because it was too “balady!”

To those who are not familiar with the term, it is another way of saying it is not classy. Food is food and you eat it any way you want. There is no classical way of eating basic standard foods. I really did not know how I was able to control my anger and stop myself from screaming at their faces.

Moreover, telling them if they thought that eating food with bread was balady then go give it to the poor who are dying because they cannot even afford to buy a loaf of bread. Instead, I just gathered my things and left home to my ultimate sanctuary.