Why so false, Egypt Treasures?

On my way back from a recent trip to Enger-land, I was handed the newest edition of “Egypt Treasures”. This handy little booklet serves as a pocket guide for tourists coming to Egypt and wondering what to do with their hard earned cash. I think it’s a great idea; a mini-G Mag [is that even possible? Apparently, yes] for the foreigners.

But as I read through it, I came across an outrageous claim. The entry for Abou El Sid claimed that it was “Named by Conde Nast as one of the 50 best restaurants in the world”. Really? It was? Which publication? Conde Nast is a publishing house, and publish magazines like Traveller, Food and Wine and my personal favorite, GQ. I’d like to see that list, because as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, No Conde Nast Publication has ever mentioned Abou El Sid as one of the top 50 restaurants in anything, let alone the world.

Restaurant Magazine, published by another group puts out its annual list of “S. Pellegrino’s Best 50 Restaurants”, has Never mentioned Abou El Sid, let alone any other Egyptian establishment. Let’s go further, and check the past 7 years by heading over to wikipedia. Still no Abou El Sid. The fact of the matter is that Abou el Sid has never been awarded any accolades for their food.

The only award that Abou El Sid seems to have won was for “Tourist Website by the Pan Arab Awards.

What award? Silver. 2nd Best.

Four. Years. Ago. Silver. Let’s put that into context – it’s not an award for food; it’s an award for the website design. For the past two years, McDonald’s has been winning this award; even taking home the Gold. For Website Design.

So what is this about Conde Nast, then? If it were true, you’d think that they’d put it up on their website. But it’s not true. Because I checked.

Of course, I’m sure there is a perfectly good reason. Egypt Treasures is published by the same people who bring you CAMPUS Magazine and G-Mag, and the same people who put up with my rants, raves and recipes I write for them every month. But I gotsta keep it real.

Cooking Time 3 minutes.