Eating, shopping, laughing, taking lots of pictures of ourselves: it was a "girlfriend weekend"! This is my friend Hanane. We met in DC last summer when we both took part in the orientation for this Fulbright award. She spent this past fall semester in Bloomington Indiana researching and visiting schools. This weekend, we got together in Casablanca where she lives. It's a very easy train ride from Rabat, just about an hour. She took such great care of me and really welcomed me to her hometown! We started with a Moroccan brunch. Inside that tajine, there are eggs scrambled with a salty dried meat. It was delish! Fresh squeezed juice, fruits, and 4 different breads. In the small bowls under the bread there are some oils and spreads. In one yellow dish is olive oil; in the other is-- Argan oil!! Not just for skin care here in Morocco, it's often eaten with bread. Next stop: Hassan II Mosque. It is a giant complex, really reminding me of the size of St Peters Square at the Vatican. It was built recently, in the last 30 years, and the building materials came from all over Morocco. As you can tell from my hair, it was a windy day, and it was really misty too. The Mosque sits directly on the coast-- in fact, there is part of the floor inside where you can look down at the sea below you. Hassan II is unbelievably big, and is the only mosque in Morocco where non-Muslims can enter. There are several guided tours every day. We missed the morning tours, and decided that we would spend the afternoon inside Morocco Mall instead. (Also a large, new, and impressive building sitting directly on the beach.) Inside the Morocco Mall were several American brand stores, including American Eagle Outfitters and Ralph Lauren, as well as the eateries and drinkeries that you might imagine. There are fancy stores, too, like this and Louis Vuitton, and Fendi, and an indoor souk that felt just a little bit like Epcot Center's Morocco. And there was this: an indoor aquarium. Hanane says there is a mermaid show every once in a while in the aquarium, and I may have to go back for that. There is a cafe area for relaxing and it overlooks a lake with a "dancing waters" fountain, which is directly on the beach. As you can see, it was not a pleasant day for dancing waters or beach strolling, but it was a great day to be indoors! The store where I actually bought stuff was Marjane, Morocco's Target. "They have everything at Marjane," I was told when I arrived, and indeed, that's where I've gotten sheets and towels, cleaning products, and socks, and on this Saturday, the cutting board and knife I need to make my own tajine at home! They also have a grocery store, and this was the seafood section. Those of you paying close attention will note that there was a shark in the aquarium shot, and a shark in this shot. Coincidence?? Sunday was a much sunnier day! Clear skies, and a great day for photographing some of the architecture of the city. (Check out more of the shots of architecture if you want on the soon-to-be-created Casablanca page in the drop-down menu.) Notice that on this day, I am wearing a cool new leather jacket. That is because after the Morocco Mall on Saturday, Hanane took me to the for-real souk in Casa, and we visited some of the leather shops. And here is a great thing about shopping with a local girlfriend: she helped me find a super quality jacket at a very fair price. Whoo-hoo! Here are some sunnier shots of the Hassan II Mosque; There was couscous, too! We stopped by Hanane's brother-in-law's business. Besides being a high school English teacher, Saad runs a private language center. We stopped in Saturday for mint tea and were invited to come back for lunch on Sunday. Here are some of the center staff with tea and with couscous, which is usually accompanied by buttermilk. Everyone at the center was very friendly, even though they were apparently amused by my (not-yet-fully-comprehensible) Darjia. Finally, with Hanane's help, I was finally able to conquer the challenge of finding the right spices in the souk to buy for tajine at home. She took me to the right part of the market for quality spices, and we talked to this man (who looks like a doctor or lab researcher more than a spice guy, doesn't he?) and he prepared little sacks of spices from the jars on the shelves. I bought black pepper, red pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and cucurmin (which may be turmeric) and my total charge was $1.00. I think this is the basic combo that makes Moroccan cooking "moroccan". I'll let you know how it turns out!
1 Comment
Ahlam
3/7/2017 02:13:17 am
Wow, I am glad you spent a wonderful weekend in Casa! You look great with your new leather jacket! "Besseha" :) That is the Moroccan word said when someone buy/wear something new. It means in English "with health" :)
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Marcie StutzmanTeacher, Researcher, Adventurer, Explorer; Maybe crazy; Possibly too old for this Archives
October 2018
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