“What’s Egyptian food?”

Strangely enough, "Moulin Rouge" is a really good film. I was admittedly skeptical, especially when I heard that not only was Nicole Kidman going to be singing, but that all the songs were medleys of modern pop songs. Oh, I know what you’re thinking … but what I didn’t know was that Ewan McGregor also sings (this being a musical, I should’ve figured), and he’s spectacular! Not just good, or amazing, but Spectacular Spectacular! John Leguizamo also shines as the lovable little Toulouse-Lautrec.
(Sigh), when will I learn that people are not always interested in the same things I am, nor are they necessarily interested in trying anything new? Twice today, I got some friends to try new kinds of food and they were less than pleased with the selection. Oh, they were nice and polite about it, but I feel like I goofed. It was just like being in a sitcom:
ME: "What, you never had Egyptian food before?"
EVERYONE ELSE: "Uh, no", "Egypt?", "What kind of food?"
ME: "You know, Falafel, Shawarmas, Shish-Kebabs?"
EVERYONE ELSE: "Oh, Yeah, sure sure…"
ME: "So, you ever had any of that stuff?"
EVERYONE ELSE: "Uh, no", "What’s in it?", "Can you order for me?"
Needless to say, for some folks, it didn’t go over well. Better luck next time. Maybe we’ll try Jewish Ethiopian… and there’s this great Tibetan place I know which serves the best Butter Tea…