Restaurant review: Those are the days, my friend A banana a day will get you ready to play "I'm late!" "I'm late! I'm late!" -- rings a bell? Well, if you remember your Alice, it should. The panic of catching up with time is probably extending to the large majority of females, as the cold gives way to approaching summer and its incumbent wardrobe transformation. Soon, way too soon, it will be time to reveal those extra kilos gained while we hibernated in the blissful concealment of flesh under thick layers. And when the time comes, you can run, but you can't hide, oh no. Therefore, I sincerely recommend that we all get to work, and at least attempt to greet short sleeves and light skirts with the slightest shred of grace. Forget about food this week -- it is time to minimise that inflated appetite and embark on some necessary dietary changes. Today, we speak of fruit, and the joy of watching it squeezed through wondrous machines into a long tall glass between your hands. I speak not of sugarcane juice. This favourite plant we share with Brazil (though they have come up with many variations we are still to implement in Egypt -- like selling it peeled and cut in small cubes on skewers for chewing while you drive) contains more energy than we can even mention here. Unless you are going to burn this disaster in the gym, stay away. Orange juice is the healthiest, and if combined with grapefruit, you will be offering your body a wonderful treat, which is high on vitamin and low on sugar. Strawberry juice is laden with iron, which is good for your hemoglobin, and will help you build muscle if you are trying a walk down that avenue. Cantaloupe juice, believe it or not, is superbly rich on Vitamin C, high on energy, its mild exotic flavour always refreshing. Banana and milk smoothies are a good substitute for breakfast, as milk is high on calcium and vitamin B complex, while bananas are full of phosphate, magnesium, iron, and omega III (the latter, it is very important to note, also happens to be a superb mood enhancer). If you or anyone you know suffered a stroke, bananas should be an essential part of your daily routine. Carrot juice, though it seems pretty innocent, is actually full of sugar, and should be ordered with care -- one of those huge mugs at Gannet Al-Fawakeh should suffice; do not trick yourself with the "it's just carrot" attitude for, let me say it again, those carrots will come back to haunt you when flimsy blouses return with the summer knocking at the door. The possibilities are innumerable and, as you park in front of that delightful little hole in the wall on Ramsis Street and dictate your order from the car window, remember to think outside of the box. You can ask the guys to create your own juices, and here the sky is your limit. Think of pomegranate with orange, or cantaloupe with banana. Think of mango with strawberry (if you suffer from aneamia) or even sugarcane with mint. This particular fruit juice parlour has been around for years, and has acquired such a reputation it became a pilgrimage spot on hot summer nights. The glasses are always clean, the counter is wiped every few seconds or so, and the juice machines operate almost around the clock, leaving no chance for residue to accumulate. Luckily, we in Egypt continue to underestimate the value of most home-grown establishments, so that you might pay a good LE30 for a silly burger and fries, but it will cost you no more than a couple of pounds for a huge glass of something terribly fresh and healthy. Foreigners are always flabbergasted at the prices listed in juice parlours, as the opposite is true where they come from: natural always costs far more than processed, and "healthy" always requires more money than "unhealthy". If Ramsis is too far from you, or if you are apprehensive about crowded areas, do your own parlour choosing -- the important thing is: greet summer with open arms, without the embarrassment of warbling triceps. Gannet Al-Fawakeh Ramsis Street By Injy El-Kashef
