Cooking adventures

I recently not only had the chance to cook rabbit for the first time, but was blessed with fabulous company to eat it with. A Dutch friend of ours who lives in town wanted to get rid of some rabbits she had. I do not want pets. However, always wanting to try new things in the kitchen, I said that I would love to cook rabbit. A few days later I was invited to come cook three of them for her and her Moroccan husband, another volunteer and her host mother. I was a little nervous that there would be people waiting hungrily for the results of my first attempt at rabbit. I ended up cooking them in a tajine, Moroccan style, then serving them with tagliatelle (which I found in town!). I will say for myself that they were pretty tasty.

The best part of the meal, however, was the amazing mix of language and culture at the dinner table. Among the 5 of us we had 5 different first languages (Dutch, English, Japanese, Arabic, Tashelhit). Conversation among myself, the volunteer and our Dutch friend happen in English; between the volunteer and her host mother in Tashelhit; between our Dutch friend and her husband in French; between myself and her husband in Arabic; between myself and the volunteer’s host mother in mixed Tashelhit and Arabic; between her host mother and our friend’s husband in Arabic. It’s a bit complicated keeping track of who can understand what others are saying in what language, but in the end everyone was understood.

We also made ice tea, which was a hilarious first for my friend’s host mother. We were brought small tea glasses, and then we put ice in the glasses and poured the tea. She just laughed and laughed. Tea is critical to Moroccan culture but to put it on ice is unheard of. (It seems a bit surprising in a place that has probably been over 100 degrees for the last 5 weeks). It wasn’t sweet like Moroccan tea, but I think she liked it nevertheless.

I got invited back have a go at a duck too.