A Trip to the country

On the local bus for two hours watching the scenery fly past on a cold wet wintry day was lovely. The journey to Khouribga went so fast but it got colder and colder as we neared the Middle Atlas Mountains. This was Fouzia’s home town or city … it was a huge place. Her parents live in a two story home with a terrace. From the moment we walked in the door we felt the warmth of family. Fouzia has two brothers and one sister. She is the eldest like me. Her mum and dad are very modern parents and don’t seem to have a lot of restrictions on their children. There is no pressure for them to marry or stay home. The furnishings in a typical Moroccan home are comfy long sofas all the way around the room except the door way and the TV. Lots of cushions as well. A throw back to Berber days I think but more up market. Off course ceramic tiles everywhere which makes for a colorful home. The main living area had the usual hexagonal wooden table at above knee height. This table is also the dining table so is covered with a cloth usually plastic. Just like at home it is where all the talking, laughing etc occurs. There was plenty of that especially as Fouzias sister Awatif is a bit of joker. She has a great sense of humour…they all did, but she was the funny one. The kids all speak and understand varying degrees of English which made it easy for us. Arabic was the language spoke in the home. The parents don’t speak French either. Their son Yosef is studying and was also practicing his English. With a lot of sign language and body language and facial expressions her mum and I were on the same wave length about all things to do with mothering. We really clicked and had a lot in common in fact she told Fouzia that night if we could speak the same language we would talk all night. She was right. We both want the same things for our kids and share the joys and sorrows equally. There is a lot of love and respect for each other in that home just like ours. We were treated to an afternoon tea that was like a high tea. All the women are great cooks so we had little patisserie type biscuits and sweets and the most delicious bread she had just made along with the delicious cake. I later discovered the bread is cooked in a huge communal oven that we had the good fortune to go and see the next morning. That was the start of two days of doing nothing but eating and drinking the mint tea. It was a hard two days but someone had to do it. For dinner we had brochettes …diced beef marinated in onion and spices and threaded on skewers which I helped to do then grilled. I hate sitting around while someone else is working. I think it was hard for her mum to let me do it but by lunch time the next day she realized I wanted to learn the way she cooks and prepares her food. We stayed the night and slept like babies…fresh country air I think. It rained all night so in the morning the huge souq that occurs right outside their door every Sunday was slow to get started. It is the largest weekly souq around for fresh food…I mean fresh. Sorry vegetarians reading this…stop now. Live hens were bought, taken to a different area and for a few dirham they were beheaded, plucked, and cleaned and then dressed whole or however you wanted .Pork, beef and lamb all find their way onto Moroccan plates as fresh as… The fruit and vegetable barrows are laden with excellent quality as well. The ground was sodden and fun was had picking our way around the mud in the big Souq. As I mentioned before we visited the town bakery...well the oven., the communal oven. It was narrow and very deep and needed long paddles to reach in to place the large loaves of bread. The woman of that area make the dough, let it rise then flatten then place on a wooden tray with their tea towel on top then one of the family run it to the oven. We were able to watch him put a load in which consisted of 2 per tray and about 10 trays all with their own cloth so he would know whose bread was whose. Great system. Their own kitchens are not large so no room for personal ovens. It is environmentally friendly as it has one heat source that is maintained at a low cost to the environment and one fuel source making the charcoal. The guy stacking the oven gets paid by the tray or loaf. Very interesting morning.
Next on the agenda was the couscous. I asked for lots of vegetables and boy be careful what you ask for. I helped a little to prepare the vegetables and her mum was surprised we had all the same vegetables as they do. Meanwhile as is normal in a Moroccan house the men were sitting in the living area while the woman were cooking .Nick and I decided to teach them how to play 2 handed patience. That created loads of laughs as they were learning then came the next bit of wanting to do a little cheating in a good humoured way. I watched how couscous was made from scratch and believe me it did not involve adding hot water to instant couscous in a packet and then hoping it would be light and fluffy. The work and time involved was well worth the effort as we sat down to the largest quantity of couscous we have seen. My mouth is salivating as I am writing this. The meat and veg was cooked to perfection as well…I think she has done that many times. Traditionally the men eat with a spoon and the women with their right hand. All the time we have been in Morocco when eating tagine etc with our hands I have been eating with my left as I am a leftie. It meant it was a sign of the devil. From now on right handed it is. We left after lunch to tears from the mums hoping to see each other again but both knowing for a moment our lives and cultures touched and that was enough. Fouzia’s dad drove us the two hours back to Casablanca which was great as Awatif came and we were able to find out more about her and wish her well for the future. It was weird coming back to Fouzias home as it felt like ours as well. They gave their beds up for us for the nights we slept there and we really appreciate that girls. It is not the first time. The Moroccans are so thoughtful and accommodating. Thank you girls for your hospitality and the information you gave us about your beliefs and for answering all of our question and we hope you learnt a little about our culture as well. Our greatest wish is that you could visit us in our country.