Evening star., 1942-12-24
Tea Fight Gathers
Fury in Cairo as
War Sweeps West
CosmopoIites Employ
WHY Tactics to Goin
Hotel Terrace Seots
BY CLYDE A. FARNSWORTH.

CAIRO. Dec. 24-With the war
now out of her own front yard Cairo
seems to have wiped the chill sweat
from her brow-if worried she ever
waS-and is now relaxing for a
prosperous winter season. The bat
tie Of the Egyptian desert is ended;
the battle for the sunny terrace
tables at Shepherds or the Con-
tinental-SaVoy has begun in earnest
In this theater one must proceed
with the decisive opportunism of
the master tactician if he is to win
Judgement on the wicker chair front.
The rivalry is keen among officers
here and the reward of q we'll
planned maneuver on the hotel ter
races along Sharia Ibrahim Pasha
is an hour or two of relaxation,
liquid refreShment and a chance to
participate in Cairo's principal
pastime-rumor- -mongering.
The zero hour in the battle of the
terraces strikes daily at 1890 pm.
when military regulations permit
the first alcoholic beverages to be
sold. A sluggard eampaigner may
easily be cut off and surrounded by
filled tables and chairs before he
realizes his plight Unless he wants
to drink standing his best tactic is
to stroll about. waiting for some one
to be called to the telephone or
something.
Some Drink Tea.
The favorite beverage on the
wicker front is gin-lime, lime Juice
being highly considered as a for
tification against tropical ailments.
One gin-lim is considered adequate
for even an hour of rumor swapping.
although minority of extremists
lean to different ratios and some
actually get along on lime juice and
water tea or cafe au lait.
For example, new-found
acquaintance of mine, working only
on lime juice and water, heard that
Spain was being occupied by the
Germans and Portugal invaded in
an Allied counterstroke.
Gossip, however. is not exclusively
war-related In fact many a gin
lime has been expended without a
mention Of the var. An acouaint-
ance tells the classic example of a
friend who injured his hand while
closing an automobile door He had
to have it bandaged Before bar
closing time that night the trivial
matter had been distorted into
story of fiSticuffs in defense of a
Woman's honor.
1t IS aCademlcally interesting to
speculate on the state of affairs if
military regulations were relaxed
and gin-limes sanctioned through
out the day and night instead OF the
present 1890 to 2:3O pm. and $50
to 10 pm.
Peace May Bring Depression.
Cairo'S hotels are crowded; the
whole town is doing rushing busi-
ness. A friend reporting fluctua-
ton downward in the local stock
exchange readily credited it to the
fact that the war news that day was
excellent for the Allies The end of
the war may well be followed by a
depression here.
The terraces offer a kaleidoscope
Of uniforms of the United Nations,
the British naturally predominating.
Ofticers sit about, looking Surpris-
ingly like the pictures of them in the
smart mems magazines. what with
their muStacheS and lean. tWeedlv
outdoor look Here and there one
spots the dusty battle dress of a man
fresh from the desert.
Women are a distinct minority on
the terraces. but those appearing
achieve considerable chic, consider
ing the wars effect on feminine
styles. Women in uniform also are
rather a common sight.
Some observers, here for months.
insist Cairo's outlook has not been
changed. Others insist however,
that there have been perceptible
signs of relief since the night of