Dogs and Bread in Cairo

In Cairo, dogs are everywhere and pita bread is everywhere. I visited in August, when rain is far in the future or the past so all the dogs have a thick coat of dust and sand. They appear to be well cared for and many have tags in their ear, showing that they have had their vaccinations and have no plans to reproduce. They are docile and dignified, leading monk-like existences. You are welcome to make a donation of food if you’d like, but these dogs will keep you in their prayers even if you don’t. 

People are selling bread everywhere. Almost all of it is the same pita bread, baked continuously, continuously fresh, stacked in small piles and sold quickly. It comes off a conveyor belt from an oven and looks more like someone is printing money than baking bread. Bread is background, present on every street, like the dogs.  I’m convinced the dogs, who socialize while hardly exchanging a bark, are holding everything together, moving between all of our dropped stitches, deftly joining streets.