Reminiscing on Morocco…
It has already been more than a month since I’ve returned from my amazing journey in Marrakesh.
The sounds and smells are growing fainter in my memory and I am settling in with some Moroccan spiced coffee, a Gnawa playlist on shuffle and some freshly-lit incense to desperately conjure back as much of the experience as I physically can. A handful of the other Mektoub attendees have been able to find Moroccan oranges at a certain chain grocery store here in the US. Ours here in Nebraska came from Chile. Nothing against Chilean citrus, but DANGIT! I’m trying to relive my best Moroccan memories, here! I digress…
Of course, it was my intention to immediately sit down and share with you as much of this as I can, but as you know this last month has been hectic with my move back to a solo practice and settling into the new studio and summer schedule. My May books are completely booked and settling into a fresh henna season is feeling *amazing*. Thanks again to those of you who are riding this wave with me!
I feel as though I am hoarding a wealth of information and culture that I simply cannot wait to dive in and share with you. In fact it’s so much information that the idea of where to start and how to begin has been a little overwhelming. So… about Mektoub- can you believe that they’re already talking about NEXT YEAR?! That’s right, by the time you read this, I may very well already be registered to go again!!
So let’s talk more about a few of the reasons why I am just DYING to go back, shall we?! I’ve been going back-and-forth about how and where to begin to share the experience with you, and since I’m a woman known to lead with my stomach- we’re going to start with the food.
I mean, after ALL that travel and scrambling from flight to flight with only the in-flight meals to get me by- it was naturally the first thing I could think about! Luckily, I was traveling with Cassandra and George (also from Nebraska!) and those two are seriously down for anything. We navigated our way to our beautiful Airbnb for the night, regrouped, and headed back out into the medina in search of a late dinner. We ended up climbing up a couple narrow flights of stairs and found a lovely spot- painted all blue, complete with candlelight and live music. I could tell the whole trip would be magick right then. Of course, the only photo that I took of my meal that night was dimly lit and completely blurry- I was clearly in a hurry to eat-
and it was delicious.
The next day, the official Mektoub journey began for real.
Jenpa met us nearby and led us to the beautiful Riad Farah where I stayed and most of the henna classes were held. We were greeted by our hosts with warm hugs and smiles… and an entire spread of spiced almonds and herbed olives and the most incredible pastries!
My favorite were the Kaab el Ghazal which literally translates from Moroccan Arabic as "gazelle ankles”. They’re called “gazelle horns” by most people that I know and they’re made with orange blossom water and almond paste and they’re simply amazing. I tried recreating them at home and I think I’ll need a heartier food processor before I can get almond paste that heavenly myself. It was totally worth the shot though.
My first lunch out was around the corner from the riad at an adorable cafe where I had the opportunity to dine with soon-to-be henna Family; Neeshie, Connie, and Debbie who you saw pictured in my last blog post. This little cafe was another suggestion of host Jenpa and it did not disappoint!
Honestly, none of the restaurants that our fabulous hosts found for us was anything short of unique and incredible, and I *wish* I was the type of globe-trotting travel-blogging foodie that could document every meal that I ate with mouth-watering detail, but alas… This blog is just going to have to suffice as a digital “amuse-bouche” of sorts while I work on building that set of skills for next year, eh? Aaaanyway- we’re still only talking about the first day- a Friday!
which brings me to…
Couscous
If you weren’t aware, couscous on Friday is a big deal in Morocco. One of my favorite meal memories: Our huge family-style couscous dinner. It was home-cooked in a *tiny* kitchen and, just like real Moroccans, we ate it with our fingers.
I was lucky enough to sit next to Khadijah, one of the local henna artists, for this meal and she showed us how to mash carrots and potatoes with bites of chicken and couscous into little balls and toss them into our mouths. It was so much fun! As you might imagine, it was a little messy so I couldn’t capture the moment for you, but like I said, it was among my favorites and I hope never to forget it.
Wow.
It seems insane that we’re still only on the FIRST DAY of the Mektoub experience AND I’m only talking about the food so far.
Clearly there’s so much more to come, but this seems like a good spot to pause for now… I hope I’ve got your appetite going for next time! Stay tuned for and unforgettable river-side tajine lunch in the Ourika valley, fancy French-inspired saffron shortbread AND a strangely midwestern brunch moment in Essaouria- complete with a recipe!
Are you as excited as I am?! I sure hope so.
Thanks for reading & see you soon!
