The Chinese Stir-Fry Realization

The other day our cafeteria had “Asian Day” and served up a mediocre stir-fry for lunch. Having been three months without consuming a single bit of cheap Chinese food, I exclaimed excitedly “Crappy Chinese food! It tastes like home!!” Why is it that those silly things, like crappy Chinese food and coffee from City Brew are so much home to us? Therefore, for this entry I will give a contrast of the little things that, to me, both make my home in the states and my home abroad what they are.

Montana:                                                                                           

Cowboy Coffee- In the Big Sky Country, coffee isn’t coffee unless it floats a horse shoe. All coffee espresso-based here, and drip coffee essentially doesn’t exist.

Morocco:

Mint Tea- Ultra-Sweet and packed with fresh mint leaves, sipping this out of glasses slightly bigger than a shot glass is a national hobby. Tea is a ritual and an experience here.

Montana:

Cowboy Boots-‘nuff said

Morocco:

Banana shoes- The proper name is babouche shoes, but I call them banana shoes ‘cause they’re generally bright yellow. The cowboy boots of Morocco, worn by people young and old, with convenient slip-off back for prayer time.  

                                              

Montana:

Church Bells- When I lived in Lewistown, the ring of church bells could be heard every afternoon and on Sundays.

Morocco:

Call to Prayer- Alllllaaah Akbar! The mosque on campus doesn’t give out the call to prayer, but on a clear day I can here the call “God is Great” coming from the mosque  in town. Even the smallest towns here have a tall minaret rising on their skyline. You can listen to the call to prayer on the youtube video. This one is actually a little different than the one given in Morocco, and the mosque they show is definitely not a Moroccan mosque. (I've learned all about the differences in my Islamic Architecture class!) 

Montana:

Driving my pickup- Although it gets an embarrassingly low mpg, driving my ½ ton Dodge pickup was a huge part of my life. I could throw all my crap in the back and take off down the open road… Or move to work in the summer.

Morocco:

Grand Taxis- Large, old Mercedes that always seem on the verge of breaking down (and one actually did break down on us), are the general modes of transportation for getting back to Ifrane. Up to six people cram into these things, making you get to know your fellow travelers (and their sweat) better than you’d like.

Montana:

Costco- The king of warehouse stores, there you can find a year’s supply of everything from toothpaste to taco shells

Morocco:

The Marché- Every town has a small cluster of tiny shops, each specializing in something different. From one man you can buy olives, another vegetables, another fruit. Not for those with weak stomachs, whole goats, heads still on, hang in the butchers shop.

Montana:

Steak and beans- My favorite “Montana” meal, a large tender cut of beef and navy beans with bacon that Mom always does best.

Morocco:

Tajine- Rhymes with D’Jeane, this dish usually contains some sort of ground meat “kefta” with a tomato-based sauce, or chicken “dejaj” with vegetables. The term Tajine refers to the pot rather than what is in the dish itself. There are also the more adventurous tajines, such as those containing sheep brain.  

These Moroccan things, so foreign to me before, are now very much part of my everyday existence. Montana is still my home, comfortable and familiar. There are days when I desperately just want to order Chinese takeout or get in my pickup and drive around. But things in Morocco are now a part of me as well, and when I come home, I predict there will be a time when I want to drink mint tea and take a grand taxi for a weekend of exploring.