I feel as though I haven't made good use of the past three weeks. We were settling in, that's for sure, but perhaps didn't realize how short our time here really is. Today is our half-way point in Morocco before moving to Oman, and I had only been in the Medina yesterday and today (and am apparently going back tomorrow).
Let's start with yesterday. Louis, a representative from our school, came to town to discuss options for Oman and Dubai. He treated us to a dinner at the most posh hotel in town--the one the Saudi princes stay at when they visit Fes. Cost is not the end all and be all of an experience; we all like to be spoiled at times and we all like to get a good bargain. This was a bit of the spoiling experience... our dinner (not included wine) was 400 dirhams each.
To put this in perspective, my typical lunch is a plate of b'sarra, addis, or hummus that costs approximately 8 dh. Yikes! It's nice to be treated, especially when you're on a student budget with a spouse.
I finally had pastille, which I’ve been itching to try. It’s a phyllo dough creation, filled with chicken and chickpeas, dusted with confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon. It’s a sweet meat pastry from heaven. It was rather large and, portion-wise, would have been a full meal on any other evening, but it was the night to be spoiled so it was just the appetizer.
Afterwards, a tajine of lamb and quince filled us up. During the main course, a belly dancer accompanied by musicians danced for us, showing us the most skin (and cleavage) that we’ve seen in a while. Not even in Southern California over the holidays had I seen that much, and this is home of the cami, mini, and bikini. For dessert, we were a might bit disappointed by three slices of orange and half a date. But we drank well, topped it off with Moroccan tea and caught petit taxis home.
Today, Aaron and I are both sick, but he definitely takes the cake. His ear is hurting (possibly infected) and has a terrible sinus cold. I'm on the mend, but developed a serious headache this afternoon. Regardless, we needed dinner and don't have enough on hand to cook something, nor wanted the standard fare (which is either sandwich or beans). We decided to go to Café Clock.
First, the taxi system is cockamamie. Petit taxis hold three people and, if a current passenger is willing, you can get one that already holds somebody else. When we were going to the fancy hotel, we had nine people, which would be 3 empty cabs, but we were going at rush hour. If we were able to get a cab to stop, it already had a person in it. Mind you, there is a large round-about a couple blocks away where four boulevards meet. There is a taxi stand at the McDonald’s, but it’s ludicrous to try to get a cab there most of the day. As a result, we would plant ourselves on various streets and flag down taxis and hope that they would be somewhat empty, that they would actually stop, and finally that they would take us where we wanted to go. The most infuriating thing is to get a cab to stop and refuse to take you somewhere!
On our posh hotel night, we managed to get 4 cabs with Matt illegally hiding in the backseat between Jacob and Anne. I was the only one who knew what to say to the drivers, so I kept getting cabs and giving them to other people—it seemed like the most logical thing to do. The exception was that we went before Jacob, Anne, and Matt got one. The following night to Café Clock, we easily got the first cab and Hannah and Matt took off. But getting another taxi, for three people, was impossible. We were able to get a couple to stop and refuse to take us, we had one stop that only had room for two, and while it made sense to me that Aaron travel by himself and the remaining women to go together, he was not down for that. Walking back the way we came, where I was convinced we would find a cab, a man ran across the street from a café (the more common Moroccan-French-style café) and spoke to us in perfect English asking if we wanted a cab ride. Suspicious, I asked if he had a petit taxi and he said he had a tourist taxi. We “negotiated” a price (he said one—10 dirhams—and I took it because it was great) and we piled into his very comfortable van, replete with pillows and small kilims on the floor. I was willing to see what this guy was going to do and while it was clear that Aaron and Leigh both did not know what to make of this stranger’s proposition, I thought, “What the hell, let’s just adventurize.” Turns out, the guy has his own service driving and doing tours. He has a binder full of recommendations from past clients and was eager for us to contact him if we wanted to go to Chefchaouen, the Middle Atlas, or the Sahara. We didn’t get a good look at his prices, but he mentioned that we should split them between six people, so he might be a bit pricey. But the guy was great, it was a clever way for him to help us, advertise himself, and a comfortable way for us to get down to the Medina. I will definitely consider using him if we set-up a trip.
We finally arrived to Bab Bou Jeloud, and proceeded to wander into the Medina. We were arguing about how to go, between Aaron who had been there, and myself who was following Laura’s directions. As we were battling it out, some local teens said in perfect English, “Café Clock is that way.” Ha! We passed another place where we heard someone guess we were American, and twice Aaron heard, “Hello, Ali Baba, hello!” We’re not sure if that has something to do with his luxuriant beard, or is just something commonly said to Americans. The café is behind a twelfth century water clock, the oldest existing one in the world. It is at the house of Jewish philosopher Maimonedes, but I cannot confirm that he actually invented the clock. The legend goes that he created the clock, because philosophers back in the day were Renaissance men, and the constant sound of water caused his wife to miscarry. The grief drove him slightly mad so he disabled the clock and no one has yet figured out how to make it work. A guide for the restaurant was standing in the alley to give us the history lesson and show us back to the restaurant. He was rather good looking and charming, so I may try to live vicariously through some of the single ladies here.
Café Clock was created by a Brit or American, and it’s a very hip place in the Medina, but let’s just say it’s not exactly immersing yourself in a local café. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time and want to go back, but I feel it’s important to explain the difference between this café and most.
Most cafes are run by Moroccans and cater to Moroccans. There’s a lovely place a block away called Jawhara Café that has sumptuous décor and is a place for middle/upper-middle class Moroccans to enjoy with a group of men or go on dates too. I don’t know if they are courting or if it’s a “married date,” but it is nice to see couples get-together. Broadway Café, which is also a block away, serves crepes and has co-ed pool tables in a very upscale atmosphere. These cafes are classier than most I’ve seen in the Ville Nouvelle. Cafes are mostly French-influenced, with acres of chairs and tables outside, serving coffee and espresso with the occasional pastry. All these cafes are very inexpensive, about $1 for a drink, maybe $4 for a panini. My favorite place on Hassanthani has a coffee and a pastry for $1.
To contrast, we spent about $20 at Café Clock yesterday for two meals and two drinks. The café itself is quite beautiful and atmospheric, but I think it caters to tourists because Fassis are not going to pay $10 for a meal at a café. I did see a couple Moroccans, but most everyone was a foreigner and the Moroccans were just using the wi-fi. There was intricate woodworking, calligraphy on the walls, lovely handicrafts and evocative music. It is the number-one-rated restaurant on tripadvisor.com in Fes, which once again plays to the tourist and not the resident/expat.
I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and want to try their famous camel burger, but I cannot afford to jaunt down there every night (especially because we have to pay cab fare there and back). The café has loads of live music; cooking, calligraphy, culture, and music classes; and will show American movies or big events such as the Inauguration. I can see how Fes can appear strange, dirty, unhospitable, dangerous, and confusing, but I really like it here. Those are all things I’ve heard from tourists, but it may just require time or perhaps removing expectations about Morocco. It is very vibrant and you have to go without fear while putting trust that strangers will help you if you need it, and then you’ll see what a nice place it is. But what can I say, I'm biased. Check out the café’s website if you’d like: http://cafeclock.com/
