On the train, one of the women told us “Casablanca, it is nothing”, with a flick of her wrist as one would do to shoo a fly. “Fes is the real Morocco.” Keep that in the back of your mind and let’s see what unfolds.
I mentioned there were four women in our compartment. All young women. In their twenties or maybe early thirties. Two were in traditional dress, jellabas with head scarves, not veiled. One clearly a student. She kept her head down and nose in a book. Peering over, I glimpsed diagrams of what looked like gaming consoles. The text was in French, which many here speak fluently. Why French? I’ll do a separate short post on that. Unless Grubb mentions it first.
The other traditionally dressed young woman in the compartment attempted to read but gave up, jammed a baseball cap over her head covering, stuck pods in her ears and dialed into the music. The remaining two women were in western style dress. Jeans. Casual but modest tops.
So far, we have seen perhaps half the women dress in traditional jellabas, many with head coverings, some not. Rarely do we see one fully veiled. For the men, the majority wear jeans or khakis with a western style polo or tshirt, sometimes a more traditional shirt. In every shop, it is a woman in a jellaba who is in charge of the money.
Oh, I forgot to mention the tower. As the train rumbled through Rabat, a huge tower loomed amidst a bleak landscape. Looked more like a rocket than a building. I stole these pics and description from a website.
“ The imposing Mohammed VI Tower is located on a site occupying over 100,000 m2 near the Bouregreg river. Following its completion later this year, the 55-story new-build will house commercial premises, apartments, a luxury hotel, and a viewing platform. The Tower’s construction is the culmination of a general development project for the Bouregreg valley. The project also encompasses the Rabat Grand Theater, which is being built to a design by Zaha Hadid close to the Mohammed VI Tower.
The 250-meter-plus skyscraper has to meet specific requirements. Among other things, it must be able to withstand possible flooding from the neighboring Bouregreg river, underground chemical exposure, strong winds, and seismic events. Other specifications include a 100-year service life plus compliance with stringent environmental standards (LEED Gold and HQE). “
Now let’s get off the train and back to our Riad because, you know, food. We dined on the terrace. We both had chicken tajine. The chicken was smothered in a lemon pepper sauce. To start, there were four appetizers: something similar to baba ganouche, lentils, something made from an orange squash that tasted a lot like our sweet potatoes, and a mix of roasted tomatoes and peppers. Finally, a rich, dense, chocolate cake for desert.
Turmeric, cumin and chili are the predominant spices. A mellow flavor with a little kick from the chili.
the morrocan women don’t seem to have discovered freedom
Some have. And women seem to be the boss of the money. The king, reportedly, has a progressive view of women. No more multiple wives allowed. If you want a second wife, you have to get the signature of the first wife. I guess that’s progress.