One Job I Don't Want

Today, Hamilton Park in front of Yancey's apartment is a muddy pit. Henry the Ford Taurus (whose birthday is coming up in a week) sits cleaned and rain-bathed in front of the door. But yesterday, the weather turned spring-like—as it should, since it's spring.

I've set up my desk by the window so that I can watch what happens in the park. Yancey tells me this won't be as much fun once the leaves grow in, but yesterday I saw a badminton game, a game of catch, two cricket games, and my friend Denise taking her kid to buy components for "goo." (Apparently Borax is a key ingredient.)

The weather inspired me to go and fetch several more loads of my junk from my garage. (Well, that and my interest in further procrastinating the 350 words I have due at Rough Guides UK on Kuwait camel racing.)

"Why did I grab this?" I wondered as I lugged my iron and mini-ironing board up the four flights of stairs. Not the most essential item for someone who isn't even so good at using it.

Then my mind went back to something Craig had said in Cairo.

"There were people in Cairo who used to iron with their feet. There's only one left as far as I know."

Foot-ironing for a living! I thought I had it bad when I had to turn on the electric hand iron once every 18 months. Some people actually CHOOSE to iron using their feet. Apparently the results last longer. I, of course, would not know the difference, but discerning clothes-wearers come from all over Cairo to the old quarter to have their laundry foot-ironed.

An article in Cairo's Daily Star stated that the foot-iron "has to be heated on a gas stove for half an hour and then maintains its heat for an additional 30 minutes."

Here's what the foot-iron man, said about foot-ironing in the article:

“They come from all parts of Cairo, from as far as Giza, Maadi, Dar Al-Salam just to iron their clothes. They know what true laundering is about,” says Hanafi wistfully. But what makes your tool different, Hanafi?

“It’s big, heavy and flat,” he explains. “It’s enough to press one side of the garment to get it smoothed; you don’t have to turn the piece several times on each and every side. It’s also worth its value, for when you do it with a foot-iron, the garment can remain in good shape for two months,” informs Hanafi, as he mocks his children for the laundry that gets sent back to them.

“They send it to a workshop adjacent to our house in Maadi. I look at it and laugh. Today’s workers have no idea about laundering. The foot-iron belongs to the age of royals, pashas and palaces. It is the original,” he enthused.