We’re thrilled that Ham El-Waylly will join us for this year’s Opus & Olives in support of The Friends and libraries. In preparation for the big event, we asked Ham a few questions to help fans get to know him better. This is an #opusexclusive.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
I hate hard-boiled eggs. Genuinely, actively hate them. It all goes back to Egyptian summers. There was this one spot we would go to for a classic Egyptian breakfast of fava beans, crisp vegetables, cheese, warm bread (all of which is delicious, I know), and these hard-boiled eggs that had clearly been sitting in boiling water for 12 hours. The yolks have already gone past powdery and into grey and green tones. It scarred me for life, and to this day I am unable to tackle a hard-boiled egg without thinking of those mutant atrocities.
What is one thing about your book you are proud of and why?
I’m proud that I wrote this book top to bottom. I wanted the storytelling to be just as memorable as the recipes because they were so intertwined. I wanted the jokes to sound like I was telling them. It makes my day when people tell me that they enjoy the stories as much as the recipes.
Tell us what you love about libraries.
I’ve been an avid reader my whole life. Especially when I was a kid and spending days in hospitals. Books were the one thing that would get me out of the hospital bed when my body was stuck there. That’s what a library still represents to me: a safe space where you can walk in feeling stuck or lost, and you leave having traveled somewhere else, or learned something you didn’t know you needed, or got lost in a story for a few hours. A library offers up doors to get out of wherever you currently are, and that is invaluable no matter what stage of life you are in.
Meet Ham and the rest of our bestselling lineup on October 11 at the RiverCentre in downtown Saint Paul!
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