Went to see the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaoahs" exhibit at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute Science Museum. If you haven't been, you really should get tickets soon. (Go after 4 p.m. through Labor Day and the exhibit and IMAX film about mummies is $25.) The show ends Sept. 30. The IMAX film is pretty good, though a little cheesy. I was hoping it would be more of a documentary, but it has some goofy reenactments. The actress playing Queen Nefretiti reminded me of a showgirl that you'd see at the Luxor in Vegas.
While I don't think the exhibit rivals the Egyptian antiquities in London's British Museum, the collection in Philadelphia is still amazing. One thing, however: Even though the famous "death mask" of Tut is shown in all the posters advertising the show, it is NOT a part of this exhibit. (I think that's misleading.) Nor is Tut's sarcophagus - though there is another sarcoghagus that is fascinating. (The photo above is an alabaster sculpture of King Tutankhamun (1332 to 1323 B.C); it is included in the exhibit.)
Still, I got chill bumps seeing Tut's tiny throne and the solid gold miniature coffin, similar to the sarcophagus, that held his liver. You'll learn all kinds of "hey, did you know" facts such as before a body was mummified, the brains were removed by inserting a long rod with a hooked end through the nostrils. (Hope you weren't eating just then.) I also got a kick out the Shabti figurines included in Tut's tomb. When called upon, these statues - some which looked like ancient Barbie dolls - could magically act as his servants in the afterlife. Some days, I wish I had my own Shabit to do my work.
Make sure you get the audio tour. Omar Sharif is the narrator.
We thought about having an Egyptian dinner after the show, but I couldn't think of an Egyptian restaurant in Philly. And, to be honest, I'm not exactly sure what Egyptian cuisine is. The museum does have a cafe, but we didn't want to eat there.
Instead, we headed to South Philly and ate at Mezza Luna, a little Italian restaurant at Eighth and Catherine streets. I had a terrific pasta made with fresh tomatoes, crab meat, basil and olive oil. The night's special appetizer was eggplant involtini - grilled eggplant rolled with ricotta cheese and basil. It was wonderful.
All through dinner, we talked about the exhibit - just not the brain removal technique.
5 comments:
The meal sounds to die for, especially the "fresh" part.
My husband and I went to Buckley's Tavern in Greenville Friday night and had what tasted like old calamari. We usually have great experiences there. I mentioned to our waitress that the fried calamari did not taste fresh, and her response: "It's impossible to get fresh calamari in Delaware." We were appalled that they would serve something that was not fresh. My husband surmised that the server was just young and inexperienced.
Is the waitress' statement accurate?
What she should have said is that it's impossible to make frozen breaded calamari taste fresh. After being spoiled from living in Spain for a few years, I haven't found comparible Calamari in the US.
I had calamari at Buckley's about a month ago. It was mediocre at best, pretty much like all their food. The worst part of the entire evening was 2 of us had to leave the group early because of umm, how should I say it..."gastrointestinal pains"! I won't be going back there anytime soon!
OMG, i felt that too. i figured it was something i had earlier in the day.
I have always thought Buckley's to overrated - for food and (snooty) service. I have eaten there 5 times (business lunches/dinners) and every, single, time (!) I barely made it home with Monteczuma's Revenge!!! "Somebody" in that kitchen is not washing their hands. Disgusting.
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