Sidebar: We returned to our house and electricity(!) on Saturday and commenced warming up the house with a space heater. Sunday our pellet stove was fixed (again!) and we began to settle in...Sunday evening, 8:30ish, the lights went out, all over our neighborhood. We packed our bag to go back to the hotel. Our neighbor, Laura, came by to tell us the electric company had explained: the return of electricity was generator-induced, not a permanent fix. And the generator is run by gas. And the generator ran out of gas...RAN OUT OF GAS...someone didn't calculate correctly and the GENERATOR RAN OUT OF GAS....soooo, we went to Laura and Silvano's for a candlelight dinner, and after dinner, before leaving for the hotel, miraculously, the electricity was back on!! So far, no further problems....either the fix is permanent, or someone has learned to calculate.
THE PEOPLE OF MOROCCO (locals and visitors alike)
* Most authentic exchange with a local: We met Mohammed, a former fighter pilot with the Moroccan military, and now an air traffic controller, on the 8 hour train trip to Fez from Marrakech. Mohammed is a gentle, intelligent, outspoken, well-informed Muslim man. He weaves his religious beliefs into everything he does... he told us Muslims use prayer to control stress, deal with problems, and find peace, if they pray with focus and honesty. He candidly answered all my questions...for example: why was the Call to Prayer at different times every day? (the first Call to Prayer happens at sunrise, the last an hour and a half after sunset.) Is his 14-year-old daughter unduly influenced by Western culture-films, tv, music-and how does he handle it? (He is concerned, however, he trusts in the Muslim teachings and his daughter to adhere to them.) Does his wife wear a head scarf and how does he feel about it? (He said if she wants to wear a head scarf, she wears one, if she doesn't, she doesn't. It is her decision.) Why do I only see men go to the Mosques at Call to Prayer? Are women allowed? expected? (Women may go to the Mosque to pray, but traditionally, women take care of the home and aren't able to attend Prayer because so many things need to be done at the home. The quality of prayer is the important factor in the Muslim religion, not the place nor the frequency of prayer.) Mohammed is a lovely man and we were fortunate to meet him and exchange cultural ideas...ultimately, once again it became clear, people are people, and mostly, they're good and kind.
* Most international group: in Fez at the Dar El Menia, Graham, the proprietor is British, his assistant, Jamal, is Moroccan, and the guests were American, New Zealanders, Canadian, and Italian....a wonderfully lively, intelligent group of people---breakfast was fun!
L to R: My Gary, Julie and Ginge from New Zealand, 3 bright young women from the U of Toronto,
lovely brunette whose name is gone from my head (sooo sorry), Stacy and Patty, Federica and David, Rome
* Livliest Group: In Fez we took a cooking class at the Cafe Clock with 3 other Americans and the chef, Souad, a vital, modern, opinionated Muslim woman-married to an artist! We made couscous--the correct way, thank you very much--. with lamb and vegetables, a spicey soup, dessert of baked filo (hand-made filo!) stuffed with a date paste.
L to R, moi, Abby, studying @ U of Indiana, Chef Souad, Adele, studying in Paris her senior year, Sarah, librarian in Olympia, Washington
Which leads me, naturally, to FOOD...did you know they use no refrigeration in Morocco? Everything is right out of the ground and onto your plate, or freshly butchered and cooked, then put onto your plate.
Did you know the desire for lamb's head is a sign of pregnancy? It is said if a woman wakes up in the morning and craves lamb's head, she's pregnant. This is lovely the first few times, but, the birth rate is very high in Morocco, so the 5th or 7th or 10th time might give pause. (Our friend, Mohammed, has an uncle who has TWENTY-FIVE children and, oh yeah, 3 wives....)
Did you know that food is so strongly imbedded into the culture that if you visit a home, WHAT is being served indicates what is going on...a wedding, a funeral, a birth....
FOOD CONTINUED IN VOLUME #3....
THE PEOPLE OF MOROCCO (locals and visitors alike)
* Most authentic exchange with a local: We met Mohammed, a former fighter pilot with the Moroccan military, and now an air traffic controller, on the 8 hour train trip to Fez from Marrakech. Mohammed is a gentle, intelligent, outspoken, well-informed Muslim man. He weaves his religious beliefs into everything he does... he told us Muslims use prayer to control stress, deal with problems, and find peace, if they pray with focus and honesty. He candidly answered all my questions...for example: why was the Call to Prayer at different times every day? (the first Call to Prayer happens at sunrise, the last an hour and a half after sunset.) Is his 14-year-old daughter unduly influenced by Western culture-films, tv, music-and how does he handle it? (He is concerned, however, he trusts in the Muslim teachings and his daughter to adhere to them.) Does his wife wear a head scarf and how does he feel about it? (He said if she wants to wear a head scarf, she wears one, if she doesn't, she doesn't. It is her decision.) Why do I only see men go to the Mosques at Call to Prayer? Are women allowed? expected? (Women may go to the Mosque to pray, but traditionally, women take care of the home and aren't able to attend Prayer because so many things need to be done at the home. The quality of prayer is the important factor in the Muslim religion, not the place nor the frequency of prayer.) Mohammed is a lovely man and we were fortunate to meet him and exchange cultural ideas...ultimately, once again it became clear, people are people, and mostly, they're good and kind.
* Most international group: in Fez at the Dar El Menia, Graham, the proprietor is British, his assistant, Jamal, is Moroccan, and the guests were American, New Zealanders, Canadian, and Italian....a wonderfully lively, intelligent group of people---breakfast was fun!
lovely brunette whose name is gone from my head (sooo sorry), Stacy and Patty, Federica and David, Rome
* Livliest Group: In Fez we took a cooking class at the Cafe Clock with 3 other Americans and the chef, Souad, a vital, modern, opinionated Muslim woman-married to an artist! We made couscous--the correct way, thank you very much--. with lamb and vegetables, a spicey soup, dessert of baked filo (hand-made filo!) stuffed with a date paste.
L to R, moi, Abby, studying @ U of Indiana, Chef Souad, Adele, studying in Paris her senior year, Sarah, librarian in Olympia, Washington
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| Chef Souad, Cafe Clock, Fez, Morocco |
Did you know the desire for lamb's head is a sign of pregnancy? It is said if a woman wakes up in the morning and craves lamb's head, she's pregnant. This is lovely the first few times, but, the birth rate is very high in Morocco, so the 5th or 7th or 10th time might give pause. (Our friend, Mohammed, has an uncle who has TWENTY-FIVE children and, oh yeah, 3 wives....)
Did you know that food is so strongly imbedded into the culture that if you visit a home, WHAT is being served indicates what is going on...a wedding, a funeral, a birth....
Did you know there are also no ovens in most of the homes, so women make the bread (oh yeah, by hand) and take the bread to communal ovens? To the left is one such oven...the baker knows every person and which bread belongs to which person!!
Did you know each spice, each food serves a function? i.e. the foam of snails serves to cleanse your body of toxins.FOOD CONTINUED IN VOLUME #3....
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