I went with a family here to see other family members who live in the countryside. Their home is about 2 hours outside of Marrakech. We were going to take a bus, but the busses were crowded, the rates had gone up, and we ended up taking a taxi for about the same price.
The trip on the highway was nice. Hills in the background. Flat farmland in the foreground. The occasional flock of sheep. Finally we turned off the highway onto a white gravel road that was bordered on both sides by fields of low greenery and followed it about a mile or two to its end. There was a single story modern building with lots of window and a low wall to our right--an elementary school. To our left was a single story adobe style compound . The wall around it extended down to the edge of the road. Sitting on the ground were grandparents and a great-grand mother. They had just been sitting there, waiting for us to arrive. Hugs and kisses all around.
Inside the walls were several adobe buildings. One was the outhouse, which was in a corner and faced the rear wall of the compound. It will never be mentioned again. But there was a light, so you could go at night. Enough of that. There were two corral areas. The small one was for the chickens, rooster, and one very large turkey. Next to that was a much larger corral for the donkey. There were a couple of cats.
There were three buildings, one was a store that belonged to an uncle. One was just a large room, long and narrow--about 8 ft by 20 ft. The third was about 7ft by 30 ft. and was divided into 2 rooms with two separate entrances. The left side was the kitchen that measured about 7ft by 12 ft. The right side of building was the living area. In both the living room and the other large room, which was used to sleep guests, the floors were carpeted and the the walls were lined with cushions, blankets and pillows for seating. The living room also had a low table for eating and a televison with great reception in the corner.
First we had the traditional tea, bread, and cookies. This little meal is not to be dismissed. They don't begin cooking the evening meal until after the guests arrive. They would never insult anyone with leftovers or cold food. That means it will be a long while before dinner with every element prepared from scratch. So the tea service is an important little meal.
Dinner was chicken with lentils served over a bed of thin breads that had been rolled, flatened, layered, cooked, then torn into shreds and tasted like dumplings. Four women helped prepare the dumplings. One to roll, one to cook, one or two to separate and tear. One of the woman also cooked the chicken and lentils. We ate with two tables at either end of the living room, one for grandfather and uncles, one near the tv for the women. The food was delicious. We also had large bowls of fruit--apples, bananas, oranges.
After dinner, the men left and the women had the tv. It was Saturday night and a variety music/comedy show came on. We danced playfully making fun of each other's style, or in my case, the lack thereof. Everyone was dying laughing. I had just got going with an old fashioned, one-leg-up-in-the-air Chubby Checker twist when the grandmother and great grandmothers, practically on their sides laughing now, asked me to stop. I can't imagine why.
The trip on the highway was nice. Hills in the background. Flat farmland in the foreground. The occasional flock of sheep. Finally we turned off the highway onto a white gravel road that was bordered on both sides by fields of low greenery and followed it about a mile or two to its end. There was a single story modern building with lots of window and a low wall to our right--an elementary school. To our left was a single story adobe style compound . The wall around it extended down to the edge of the road. Sitting on the ground were grandparents and a great-grand mother. They had just been sitting there, waiting for us to arrive. Hugs and kisses all around.
Inside the walls were several adobe buildings. One was the outhouse, which was in a corner and faced the rear wall of the compound. It will never be mentioned again. But there was a light, so you could go at night. Enough of that. There were two corral areas. The small one was for the chickens, rooster, and one very large turkey. Next to that was a much larger corral for the donkey. There were a couple of cats.
There were three buildings, one was a store that belonged to an uncle. One was just a large room, long and narrow--about 8 ft by 20 ft. The third was about 7ft by 30 ft. and was divided into 2 rooms with two separate entrances. The left side was the kitchen that measured about 7ft by 12 ft. The right side of building was the living area. In both the living room and the other large room, which was used to sleep guests, the floors were carpeted and the the walls were lined with cushions, blankets and pillows for seating. The living room also had a low table for eating and a televison with great reception in the corner.
First we had the traditional tea, bread, and cookies. This little meal is not to be dismissed. They don't begin cooking the evening meal until after the guests arrive. They would never insult anyone with leftovers or cold food. That means it will be a long while before dinner with every element prepared from scratch. So the tea service is an important little meal.
Dinner was chicken with lentils served over a bed of thin breads that had been rolled, flatened, layered, cooked, then torn into shreds and tasted like dumplings. Four women helped prepare the dumplings. One to roll, one to cook, one or two to separate and tear. One of the woman also cooked the chicken and lentils. We ate with two tables at either end of the living room, one for grandfather and uncles, one near the tv for the women. The food was delicious. We also had large bowls of fruit--apples, bananas, oranges.
After dinner, the men left and the women had the tv. It was Saturday night and a variety music/comedy show came on. We danced playfully making fun of each other's style, or in my case, the lack thereof. Everyone was dying laughing. I had just got going with an old fashioned, one-leg-up-in-the-air Chubby Checker twist when the grandmother and great grandmothers, practically on their sides laughing now, asked me to stop. I can't imagine why.
