the way in...

is through the stomach!

Food and culture are so interconnected that I realized my posts about my travels in Morocco and Moroccan history and culture are incomplete without some explanations of their cuisine. Feel free to indulge!

1. Escargot- The first time I came to Morocco, I had escargot on the beach of Tangier and it was absolutely wonderful. It's cooked in a hot broth with spices, and can be found nearly everywhere... on street corners, by the beach, and in medinas.




2. The national dish of tagine, a dish of meat (can be chicken, lamb or fish) with vegetables (can be chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, etc.) in the recognizable tagine bowl:


3. Here's a cheap and delicious of fried fish with Moroccan salad and fried aubergine (eggplant). Moroccan salad is similar to a Mexican salsa fresca- crushed tomatoes with some onion and cilantro. However, cumin is what makes it Moroccan.


A close-up of Moroccan salad


4. Very very fresh seafood in Essaouira


5. Sheep brain... one of the famous dishes in Jamaa el Fnaa in Marrakesh


6. Mint tea, the national drink (aka Moroccan whiskey)


7. One of my favorite discoveries (after Moroccan salad) was the avocado milkshake


8. The ubiquitous fava bean soup (served with a dollop of olive oil, and paprika and cumin sprinkled on top) and lentil soup




9. Finally, any discussion of Moroccan cuisine with no mention of the bread is incomplete. It's eaten with every meal and every dish. Because Moroccans eat with their hands, the bread is essentially what they use to pick up vegetables and mop of soups.

Valencia with my mom

Here are some of the quite touristy and typically Valencia (yet fun!) places I've taken my mom:

Flamenco at Café del Duende (very passionate and elegant, and full of duende!):




City of Arts and Sciences at sunset:



Paella in El Palmar, a town in L'Albufera with plenty of canals and rice fields. (L'Albufera is also where paella was born!) We had arroz negro and arroz con mariscos... I thought that Chinese took rice seriously, but it is a really big deal for Valencianos! Also for those of you who don't know, paella is traditionally has rabbit, chicken, and vegetables. The rice with seafood is not technically paella in Valencia and because of that there are lots of dishes like arroz con mariscos, arroz a banda, arroz mixta, etc.






Alicante, a coastal city 2 hours south of Valencia:




Orange groves are everywhere! (It was all I could do to prevent my mother from jumping out of the train to see and eat them)


Benidorm, known as the most touristy place in Spain because of the hordes of English tourists that visit for the beach:

Rotary Valencia Centro

Yesterday I spoke at Rotary Valencia Centro, the biggest Rotary club in Spain. It was certainly the meeting most similar to the American meetings that I've attended... they were more down to business and organized in their agenda, and used multimedia (twice!). I learned about one of their annual projects- visiting a elderly persons' home on the Día de los Reyes Magos, armed with costumes, gifts and, of course, a giant paella. There were also quite a few guests- friends of Rotarians as well as a visiting Rotarian from Sao Paulo.

Finally, we also heard a presentation from a Rotary Youth Exchange participant who just returned from his year living in Texas. Let me say, it was quite interesting to hear a 17 year old Spanish boy's take on American high schools... some things that he seemed to emphasize were how big a role sports have in high schools, as well as how big and elaborate the actual school itself seemed (he said it looked like a university to him rather than a high school, and actually I agree... superficially, the high school did in fact have everything that UPV has). The Rotarians were curious about everything from the level of education and religion to the relationship he had with his host family to the Rotary clubs in Texas. Anyways, what a wonderful opportunity it was that Rotary gave him!

Moroccan amigos

Somewhat related to my last post about all the people I met in Morocco, I wanted to write about Said and Haashida, a Moroccan-Spanish couple from Ceuta.

It all started when my mom and I stopped at a juice bar/cafe in Meknes... I was getting my daily fix of avocado smoothie and she her daily fix of raib (Moroccan homemade yogurt). Immediately we bonded with Said and Haashida through our common language - Spanish! (What a relief it was to be able to actually communicate well... my attempts at understanding French were enough to get by but really not doing anything at all.)

Said's family history really epitomizes the close relationship that Morocco and Spain have shared over the centuries. First he explained that he and his wife were Spanish and they live in Ceuta, which is the tiny area on the tip of Morocco that is part of Spain. Yet it was obvious that they were much more Moroccan than Spanish... after living in Spain for 3 months, I really couldn't associate any part of their culture from their accents to eating habits with Spain at all. Later Said explained that one of his ancestors (something like his abuelo's abuelo) was part of the Spanish army that went to northern Morocco. Yet given the fact that Muslim Arabs had lived in Spain for hundreds of years until the Reconquista, this means that Said is likely descended Muslim Arabs who settled in Spain as well as Spainards who settled in Morocco. Kinda complicated, huh? Anyways, it was really interesting yet hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Said and Haashida were so Arab-Moroccan yet also so proud to be Spanish citizens and call themselves Spanish.

Hearing Said's complaints about Morocco were quite entertaining and a constant reminder of this cultural paradox... whether it was "They don't know how to work here!" or "I could cook better than this" or "Men here go to bars and spend their money there, and leave their wives at home with empty bellies", he always had something to say about the Moroccan way.

Anyhow, this was only one example of the influences of Spain in Morocco. I could go on and on about this, just as I could on the Arab-Moroccan influences in Spain which are everywhere as well. I just find it a shame that my lack of French prevented me from digging out stories and learning more about the Moroccan way.

"Welcome!" to Morocco

There's a million things I'd like to write about Morocco, but here are some of the experiences that really stuck out for me personally.

Moroccan hospitality: "Welcome!" is one of the phrases I heard the most in Morocco, and I certainly did feel welcome. Especially outside the touristic places, Moroccans were extremely warm and hospitable. There's so many instances I can think of where virtual strangers invited us to eat, to visit them in their homes, etc. Once, we met a family outside the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca and they invited us to their home in Meknes (although we didn't end up making it). Another time, a group of nursing students from Agadir invited us there and taught us about some of their traditional music instruments. In the Rabat medina, my mom was befriended by an Algerian girl and through half French and half English she managed to tell me that she was in Morocco doing biochemical research in spirulina (a type of algae) and how it can be combined with dates to produce nutritional pills. Without us knowing, she even paid for our dinner! While walking through Moulay Idriss, a very very small town in the middle of many olive farms, my mom and I stumbled across an olive press. There was one man (I guess the manager?) sitting near the door, and 2 others working the press. They were very enthusiastic about inviting us in, showing us the press, and even gave us a bowl of olive oil! That was certainly the freshest olive oil that I'll ever have in my life. In Rabat, my mom and I took a small boat across the river to Salé, another town. However after arriving we thought we were a bit far from the actual medina, so we spontaneously decided to hitchhike. A guy (in a very clean and new Renault) stopped for us, and I actually managed to understand that he works for the Red Cross and was working on a HIV conference in Morocco. (On a different note, the actual Red Cross in Morocco is named Croissant Rouge, or Red Crescent.)

Another interesting thing is that oftentimes, after one of the above occurred, my acquaintance (and new friend, why not?) would ask for my contact information (and ask specifically if I had facebook). They were always the ones to ask me, I realized, and I was always happy to give it to them. For example, this happened with the Algerian phD student, one of the girls from Agadir, and also another girl who showed us the way to the train station. However enthusiastic they were at the time, I haven't been contacted by any of them! I'm not disappointed or anything; after all, I lose touch with people I've known for years and close friends, so it's really not a big deal if a stranger doesn't keep in contact with me. It's just funny to me that at the time, they were quite insistent in trading contact information, making sure they gave me their emails as well, and saying things like "Don't forget me!" etc. Who knows... maybe in 10 years I'll receive an email from a Moroccan friend!

So I should also mention the unfortunate but frequent occurrence of meeting "fake guides." These are people who take advantage of the friendly and open nature of Moroccans and either lead tourists astray, spin a sob story and ask for money, or more commonly "guide" tourists to some location and ask for money. It happens most often in the extremely confusing medinas; they'll spot some travelers looking lost, and immediately come and offer to guide the way, often even emphasizing that they're not fake guides and won't ask for money. It's particularly unfortunate because if this happens enough (which it did), you wind up being afraid to make any unnecessary contact with local people from the fear of winding up in an uncomfortable situation or with a fake guide, and this is not a good way to travel and learn about another culture.






Learning about Berber culture from Mohamed, our couchsurfing host. Mohamed was very proud of his heritage and told us so much about the history of the Berbers. Even though they are completely integrated in Moroccan culture, the Berbers still maintain their culture and language. A big issue currently is fact that the Arab leaders of the country had tried for years to suppress Berber culture; they tried to follow a French example, and Berber culture was seen as "backward." However, strides have been made in recognizing Berber culture as an important part of Morocco and Berber as a language was declared an official language (in 2003). Mohamed told us that in his education, he was taught almost nothing about Berber history and culture even though it is so much integrated with Morocco's. He speaks the language, because of his parents, and everything he knows about the history was through Wikipedia!

Anyways, the Berbers have a very rich culture and one part that I found particularly fascinating was the marriage rituals. Mohamed said that they generally marry within their tribe, and once every year (in the summer) the tribe holds a huge wedding ceremony to celebrate the marriages that take place in the tribe (which happens to be around 8-15 every year). When the bride is "delivered" to her husband's house, five of the men who are closest to the bride must arrange for a particular time with the husband's family; otherwise, there are "bandits" who will come and try to steal the bride and prevent her safe delivery. There's a complicated procedure that is still performed where each time a firework is set off, it represents the number of steps one can make, etc. I didn't understand all the details, but very important is the fact that if the bride's family allows the bandits to prevent them from safely taking her to the groom's house, it will bring shame upon the family. If that happened, the men of her family would have to wear women's clothing in shame and not be able to hold their heads up high for a long time. Even though Mohamed's younger sister was recently married a non-Berber, they still performed the ritual; of course, he was one of the five family members to send her off, and of course they did so successfully.

American history in Tangier

In my trip to Tangier, I had the opportunity to visit a very significant location in U.S. history: the American Legation Museum or as it’s now known, the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). This is the only U.S. National Historic Landmark outside of the U.S., and will probably remain so. A Rotarian from Tangier Detroit, Jerry Loftus, is the director of TALIM and provided a tour of TALIM. This was a very educational experience that I'll certainly try to share with as many people as possible, especially Americans.

The relationship with Morocco was very significant in the U.S. independence movement, as the Sultan of Morocco was the first to recognize the U.S. as an independent country in 1777. If things are put in historical context, in 1777 the U.S. was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War and the very question of U.S. independence was still undecided. Moroccan-American relations are marked by the first Legation to be sent overseas to establish diplomatic relations (which was sent to Tangier) as well as the longest unbroken treaty in American history, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship. After learning all of this, and much more, I think it is very important that other Americans appreciate this relationship and are aware of the significance of this landmark.

TALIM seems quite simple and cozy, yet it hosts a research library, much artwork relevant to Tangier and Moroccan history, as well as cultural and community events. They also hold Arabic language classes for illiterate adult females- Jerry mentioned that an 81 year old woman recently enrolled! What an inspiration for the new year, that the human mind is also yearning for more.

Visiting Rotary Tanger Détroit

Later in my trip, I attended a Rotary Tanger Detroit meeting. Something interesting I should bring up is that in total I contacted 15 Rotary clubs in Morocco, in the various cities that I knew that I'd visit, yet Tanger Detroit is the only one that responded to my email! Some Rotary clubs have embraced technology with open arms and utilize it to their every need, but I think others have little need for keeping an updated website or email.

This club is one of two in the city of Tanger (also known as Tangier or Tangiers), and true to the unique history of Tangier the club was diverse in the nationality of the members as there were members present from Morocco, Britain, France, and the U.S. The entire meeting was conducted in French, but several of the English-speaking members provided translation for me and my mom. President Azeddine Bousfiha first gave a summary of the projects in 2011 that Rotary Tangier Detroit funded, which are:
a kitchen that serves thousands (a partnership with the Ceuta club)
raincoat donations to children who walk in the rain to attend primary school
a deaf society's sign language conference that provided resources and training to both deaf people and their families
an association for single mothers in Morocco to help them find jobs and keep their babies

All very relevant and, I'm sure, deserving causes. Next I gave my presentation (also with translation into French provided by the American Rotarian, Jerry Loftus) and presented Azeddine with the Westwood Village Rotary Club banner.


After this, the meeting proceeded with discussion about the creation of a Rotaract club in Tangier, and the upcoming District Conference.

Compared to the Casablanca Al Manar club, Tangier Detroit was much more traditional; although women members are allowed, they do not currently have any. The other Tangier Rotary club apparently still does not allow women, which came as quite a surprise to me. A controversial topic that has come up is the creation of a third Rotary club in Tangier that would be limited to females. On one hand, Moroccan women may not be entirely comfortable in a male-dominated club especially as the stereotype of Rotary as an all-male smoking club persists, and an all-female club could be geared toward their needs and causes. On the other hand this negative stereotype of Rotary needs to be changed as it affects the perception of Rotary worldwide, and it will never be changed if there remain clubs separated by gender. Furthermore, if the slogan of Rotary is 'Service above Self', gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation are certainly a part of 'Self' and should not be a determination for membership. This is the power of Rotary- uniting unique and different individuals by their passion for service.

Rotary Club Casablanca Al Manar

Feliz año nuevo to all!

I'm back in Valencia, but I'll be posting periodically about my trip to Morocco. There's so much I want to share!

I'll start with my experience with Rotary Club Casablanca Al Manar.

Before I left for Morocco, I contacted Rotary clubs in the cities that I would be visiting to see if I could be a guest at their meetings, and I was able to meet with Rotarians in both Casablanca and Tangier. Because some clubs did not provide an email and only a phone number, I also called a few clubs after arriving in Morocco. Luckily, Anouar Zyne responded kindly to my phone call (and extremely broken French), and he and Najat Buchmann Kamal of the Casablanca Al Manar club offered to meet with my mom and me despite the fact that there was no official meeting because of the holiday.

There are quite a few Rotary clubs in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco, and Al Manar (which means lighthouse in Arabic) is the newest club, just having been accepted in December 2011. Al Manar is quite a modern club than the typical; about half of the members are women and most of the Rotarians are middle-aged, under 50 years old. Also true to Rotarian tradition friendship and famous Moroccan hospitality, Anouar and Najat were great hosts. Even though Rotary almost always operates in French in Morocco, Anouar and Najat were kind enough to do their best with communicating in English. They spoke proudly of their city but also offered a cosmopolitan worldview. I could definitely sense an enthusiasm that Anouar and Najat exuded for the first year of their club and what they planned to accomplish, and there's no doubt in my mind that Rotary Club Al Manar will succeed in lighting the way in Casablanca!