Vittles: Part 1

Eating is a joy in Morocco, whether dining in or out. The food is unbelievable, fresh, and cheap. Although I eat a very Mediterranean diet normally (lots of yogurt, dates, fruits & veggies, lentils, and nuts) those foods are readily available and cost a fraction of what they do in the U.S. of A. Purchasing groceries is always a fun, ultra time-consuming task involving at least four stops.

1) Acima (ah-SEEM-uh): (0.5 mile walk round-trip)
This is a neighborhood supermarché like your basic Kroger or Randall's but not as big. The guy in bulk foods department loves me. He always speaks to me in Arabic and is usually shocked when I cannot communicate sufficiently with him. The produce is not anything to write home about (except the watermelon!), but they did carry a decent selection of other food items (particularly cheese and pastries) and appliances (washing machines, DVD players, cameras). Acima is around the corner from school so it is perfect when I am in a bind. Also, the café in front of the store sells out-of-this-world fresh-squeezed orange juice.

2) Marjane (mar-ZHAWN): (15 minute taxi ride one-way)
Super-Walmart selection with Super-Walmart prices. I regularly partake of Marjane's wonderful selection of bulk foods, including lentils, dates on the branch, almonds, pistachios, olives. Especially magnificent are the fresh-baked pita bread, halva, and two aisles devoted to yogurt. Pistachio, honey, pomegranate, date, pineapple, coconut, mango, and banana are among my favorite flavors.

OTHER ITEMS UNIQUE TO MARJANE:
Moroccan tea glasses- a splendid assortment
Cake mixes (Betty Crocker)
Arabic alphabet books- the ones that you trace the letters in
Peanut butter- the hydrogenated kind that I don't like
Moroccan music
Elmer's glue- can't find this anywhere else
The aforementioned, all-important, laundry stirring stick

3) THE Produce stand: (4.0 mile walk round-trip)
Morocco has amazing fruits and vegetables (much tastier and juicier than anything I've ever had in the States), particularly on the street. I procure my fruits and vegetables from one such street vendor, operated by a man and his son. They both seem to enjoy our twice-weekly shopping exploits there, teaching us all kinds of Arabic vocabulary words and phrases. It is one of my favorite places to visit each week. Although he weighs and writes receipts for the produce, I suspect that we are given discounts because each time I go, I buy more and more and pay less than the time before. ALL of this costs less than $3:

3 avocados
3 tomatoes
1 onion
2 cucumbers
1 head of garlic
3 zucchini
4 oranges
5 peaches
5 yellow plums
1 bunch of grapes or cherries

4) The butcher: (4.0 mile walk round-trip)
Across the alley from the produce stand is my butcher. All kind of delectable carcasses hang up in the little shop. I buy my lamb very cheaply here: ~1 lb. meat= $2-3. Around the corner from the butcher is a wonderful food stall selling roasted chickens and Moroccan cuisine for dine-in on the patio or to-go.