Moroccan Culture Series
Hospitality

Moroccans are extremely friendly and hospitable, and I think that they are the most generous people I've ever met. It's not uncommon to get invited to dinner upon meeting and chatting with a Moroccan for ten minutes. We've met people on trains, in restaurants, and even in the street who have given us their phone numbers and insisted that we visit them for dinner.

My husband's boss invited us to ftor during Ramadan for our first taste (no pun intended) of Moroccan hospitality. The huge meal was wonderful, and his wife went out of her way to make several vegetarian dishes especially for me, as most Moroccan dishes have meat in them.

Aside from the food, there are two things that stick out in my mind. First, the seating was quite awkward. Rather than sitting at the dining room table, we sat on couches and chairs at a knee-high round coffee table. While this was very cozy, it was somewhat uncomfortable, especially for the taller guests. Second, our hosts disappeared at least twice for extended periods of time (the two-part meal lasted a total of 5 hours), leaving us alone in the living room, which seemed very strange to me. Although they obviously meant it when they said to make ourselves at home, it was odd to be in their home without them.

John, a colleague of my husband's, was befriended by a student named Saïd shortly after arriving in Morocco. Saïd regularly takes John out or home to dinner, shopping, and other places, and he has twice invited us along. The first time, we were invited to dinner at Saïd and his wife's home, and it was very similar to the ftor experience described above: special veggie dishes, awkward seating, and disappearing hosts.

The second time, they invited us to spend the day at their country home, about 20 km from Casablanca. This was a particularly lovely occasion. There were 9 of us: the Moroccan couple and their 4 young children, plus John, my husband, and me. We walked around the farm, had a wonderful 2-hour lunch, and then spread rugs out in the grass in order to relax and chat. We spent the entire day with them, from 10am to 8pm, and they were nothing but generous the entire time. As we were getting ready to leave, they packed two shopping bags full of oranges and lemons for us to take home.

We have also befriended some local shopkeepers, who often offer us things when we see them: a cookie at the bakery, a glass of tea at the tailor, a hunk of bread or some medicinal herbs at the dry cleaner. The dry cleaner is a man of at least 60 who is particularly delighted when we speak a few words of Arabic with him. I once happened by and saw him joyfully playing with one of those silly toys that you throw at the window and it crawls down. After chatting for a few minutes, he gave me the toy.

Two sisters that we regularly spend time with recently invited us on a picnic. They told me specifically that we would each bring out own meal, so my husband and I brought simple sandwiches for ourselves, plus some fruit and cheese. When we arrived at the picnic spot, they unpacked mini pizzas (including two veggie ones especially for me), a large dish of Lebanese salad, and other treats, all for sharing with us. I was embarassed by our own humble offerings, but I distinctly remember them saying that we were to bring our own lunches, so this was yet another glimpse of the legendary Moroccan generosity - we'll share with you, but you don't need to worry about sharing with us.

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