One day, I was standing at a koshari restaurant called “Sayed Hanafy.” Right next to it was a large branch of “Seoudi” a supermarket often associated with wealthier customers.

A worker from Seoudi came to buy a koshari meal. The bloodstains on his clothes suggested that he worked in the meat department.

While waiting for his turn, one of the restaurant workers asked him:

“How much is meat today?”

The man replied immediately:

“Ours or theirs?”

He meant: the meat bought by workers and ordinary people like them, or the meat sold to wealthier customers.

What struck me was that no explanation was needed.

The koshari worker simply replied:

“Ours.”

And the conversation continued as if the distinction was already understood.

That brief exchange stayed with me. Sometimes a single sentence reveals that people may live side by side, yet inhabit very different worlds.

O Allah, provide for every person in need.