Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Gratitude
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie
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| Today I am grateful for being able to enjoy a sit down breakfast with my family ~ on a weekday! manakeesh bi zaatar, olives, tomatoes and tea. |
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Birthday Boy
A year ago today the stars aligned, the universe conspired and God gave his word: I was to have a son! Not another girl as the maternal fetal medicine doctor had written on that piece of paper she gave Jeff. Not another girl as Jeff later told his late grandfather. Not another girl as I later would come to know. Not a sister for JR. Not Josephine Ramez as Jeff and I decided to name her. Not Josie as JR got used to calling her. Not a third female to outnumber Jeff. But a boy. The son I had always wanted. The son I thought I was going to have during my first pregnancy. The son I most probably lost during the second and third pregnancies. The boy who would carry the name onward. A brother to JR. Another man in the house to hold it together, to balance it out, to make it whole. A year ago today we received the news and were left speechless. To this day, still, I often find myself much of the same ~ I wake up and amaze at the boy laying next to me; the son I always wanted never thought I would have.
Happy birthday Yousef. You have been a miracle, a blessing, a gift.
Happy birthday Yousef. You have been a miracle, a blessing, a gift.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Eat well; Spend little ~ Ifrane
What would you expect to pay for a three-course home-cooked meal out? 8$? 10$? 15$? 20$ How about the equivalent of 3$!
On Monday, the kids and I met Jeff downtown to take care of an issue at the bank. I had thought that the matter would take a few minutes and so I left the apartment unequipped with snacks for the kids. Unfortunately, minutes turned into an hour and before you know it the kids were hungry and I was left wondering what to feed them. There were few options to pick from in the vicinity where we were, unless we wanted to leave the establishment smelling like cigarette smoke, or overpaying for a less-than-average tasting pizza. We decided to see if we could find a cab that would drive all four of us together; apparently there is a rule that a taxi can only take three passengers at one time, although many drivers decide to break that rule as they see fit. Luckily we found one that agreed to cab us all back to the compound where an apartment turned restaurant was located.
We had heard about the Faculty Club as soon as we arrived in Ifrane. However, we had always preferred to dine at the snack bars and faculty restaurant on campus rather than eat at the one down the street. For one, we were never sure about its hours of operation, it was a hassle to juggle the bus schedule with office hours and work requirements and finally I had always wanted to get away from the monotony of my immediate surroundings. Lately, however, and considering the weather, proximity and a desire to try new things have been prompting us to seek pleasures close by. We thus marked our first visit to the Faculty Club which left us hungry for more (no pun intended!)!
We were greeted by the owner of the place, who also serves as the waiter, the cashier and the bus boy. All the tables were beautifully set with red tablecloth, cloth and disposable napkins, water glasses, forks, spoons, and knives; missing were the disposable place mats and kids coloring mats, this was a fancy affair. A water bottle refilled from the tap sat in the center of the table and around it stood upholstered chairs on one side and comfortable cushiony couches complete with throw pillows on the other; there were no high chairs or boosters for the little ones. A television broadcasting the news in Arabic filled the air along with the voices of other diners speaking in Korean, English, Darija and French.
Once seated the food was immediately served; missing were the six-page colored coded, finely described, attractively photographed menus. The ladies in the back cook whatever is fresh that day over an open gas flame in a huge pot and serve it hot and aromatic. There is no prep work, no reheating, no waiting for orders to be issued for food to be cooked. Everything is ready and served on a first-come first-served basis; just like at grandma's house. A hearty soup, or salad, followed by the main course, then fruits and yogurt. Finally a steaming hot glass of Moroccan mint tea with so much sugar it puts sodas to shame to wash it all down. Moroccan bread is laid out alongside the food with which to clean off the plates. The menu is fixed and so is the price: meat one price, chicken another. That is all the choice you get in the matter, and that is all the choice you need!
Oh! I forgot to mention: no tip was necessary, or expected!
On Monday, the kids and I met Jeff downtown to take care of an issue at the bank. I had thought that the matter would take a few minutes and so I left the apartment unequipped with snacks for the kids. Unfortunately, minutes turned into an hour and before you know it the kids were hungry and I was left wondering what to feed them. There were few options to pick from in the vicinity where we were, unless we wanted to leave the establishment smelling like cigarette smoke, or overpaying for a less-than-average tasting pizza. We decided to see if we could find a cab that would drive all four of us together; apparently there is a rule that a taxi can only take three passengers at one time, although many drivers decide to break that rule as they see fit. Luckily we found one that agreed to cab us all back to the compound where an apartment turned restaurant was located.
We had heard about the Faculty Club as soon as we arrived in Ifrane. However, we had always preferred to dine at the snack bars and faculty restaurant on campus rather than eat at the one down the street. For one, we were never sure about its hours of operation, it was a hassle to juggle the bus schedule with office hours and work requirements and finally I had always wanted to get away from the monotony of my immediate surroundings. Lately, however, and considering the weather, proximity and a desire to try new things have been prompting us to seek pleasures close by. We thus marked our first visit to the Faculty Club which left us hungry for more (no pun intended!)!
We were greeted by the owner of the place, who also serves as the waiter, the cashier and the bus boy. All the tables were beautifully set with red tablecloth, cloth and disposable napkins, water glasses, forks, spoons, and knives; missing were the disposable place mats and kids coloring mats, this was a fancy affair. A water bottle refilled from the tap sat in the center of the table and around it stood upholstered chairs on one side and comfortable cushiony couches complete with throw pillows on the other; there were no high chairs or boosters for the little ones. A television broadcasting the news in Arabic filled the air along with the voices of other diners speaking in Korean, English, Darija and French.
Once seated the food was immediately served; missing were the six-page colored coded, finely described, attractively photographed menus. The ladies in the back cook whatever is fresh that day over an open gas flame in a huge pot and serve it hot and aromatic. There is no prep work, no reheating, no waiting for orders to be issued for food to be cooked. Everything is ready and served on a first-come first-served basis; just like at grandma's house. A hearty soup, or salad, followed by the main course, then fruits and yogurt. Finally a steaming hot glass of Moroccan mint tea with so much sugar it puts sodas to shame to wash it all down. Moroccan bread is laid out alongside the food with which to clean off the plates. The menu is fixed and so is the price: meat one price, chicken another. That is all the choice you get in the matter, and that is all the choice you need!
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| we had split pea soup, and beef, bone-in tagine with preserved lemons, green olives, and potatoes. |
Oh! I forgot to mention: no tip was necessary, or expected!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Ten Dollars of Produce in Ifrane
While we do not typically buy our fruits and vegetable at the marché, lately, and because of the cold weather, we have found ourselves choosing convenience and speed over price and variety. We found a grocer we connect with who usually stocks up on fresh produce over the weekend, who cuts us a good price and who bags the best of what he has for us rather than giving us the day-olds. He is gentle and kind with the kids and usually offers them a pear, a banana or an apple at the end of the transaction; one for each! At one time he even offered us what lemons he had left at no cost.
Last Saturday we went on our usual fruit and veggie restocking trip and returned home loaded with purples, yellows, reds, oranges and greens ~ both in edibles and cash; all we had spent was 80 MAD.
Here is what the equivalent of 10$ bought us:
~ 1/2 kilo of strawberries
~ 1 kilo of grapefruit
~ 1 kilo of mandarins
~ 1 kilo of navel oranges
~ 1 kilo of pears
~ 1 kilo of potatoes
~ 1.5 kilos of onions
~ 1 kilo of tomatoes
~ 1/2 kilo of fresh green peas, hulled
~ 1 kilo of lemons
and we even rounded up the cost to the advantage of the grocer!
* 1 kilo equals 2.2 pounds
Monday, February 17, 2014
The Journey
“The journey was never meant to lead to some new and improved version of me; that it has always been about coming home to who I already am.”
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