At the market

Posted on by greenbee

I live in a part of town called L’Ocean and there is an outdoor market just a couple blocks away, where the street is semi-closed to traffic.

People here, unlike Tunisia, really seem to purposely not stare or say hello randomly. One vendor, however, always smiles and waves and was kind enough to let me take her photo.

The first time I stopped by her stand, I held up one carrot and asked “How much?” She said 4 dirhams. After I’d filled up a basket with carrots, turnips, and beautiful sweet red peppers, she said, “4 dirhams,” but she also made a bit of a funny face and said something to her husband. I worried I’d misunderstood something and she hadn’t charged me enough (you know me, a worrywort). Later, of course, I realized that the price was 4 dirhams per kilo and I probably had about that much (~2 lbs). Her funny face and comment were probably from the look of surprise on my face. 4 Moroccan dirhams is about 45 US cents.

Some things here are about the same or even more expensive than the US. Rent is about the same as in Greensboro, for example, but vegetables when in season, are very little. Tea, if I go to a fancy cafe is about 10 or 12 dirhams (~$1.25) but from a tiny shop with just one or two chairs, only 2 dirhams ($0.23).

The beautiful tramway with free wi-fi is 6 dirhams ($0.70) per ride.

21 thoughts on “At the market”

  1. Great to hear from you, and vicariously share your adventures. Absolute best concert of Barred owls (4!) I’ve ever been privileged to witness, just outside my room at 0300. Shenandoah National Park, as always, almost heaven.

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    1. I’m jealous!!! Visited a neat site south of you that had a native honeysuckle I’d never. Posted to iNat. Unusual geology at that site. Pileated was working hard that day. hugs

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    1. I’ll try to get a photo of one of the butchers. Plenty of meat, just no pork…Live roosters and hens in the market, plus fish. I keep looking for kebobs, but only finding chicken and ground beef, but am guessing that will vary quite a bit regionally.

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  5. Ibn Kaldoun! Wow, one of my favorite early travelers!
    So you live in the hotel? Can run on the beach and is it warm enoungh to swim? We are, here in the pond, now.
    xox

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    1. I’m in an apartment. I have not yet run down to the water, but along the sidewalk and park areas above the water. It’s ALL men either fishing or swimming (lots of women and families in parks and walkway, but only 2 young women so far out of hundreds of men in fishing or diving from the rocks). There is a beach with lots of families about 20 minutes walk. Even there, MOSTLY men. It’s where the main river flows and some folks worry about pollution there. Still, I want to get down to the rocky areas and see what life is in the shallows at low tide. Along the cliff there are lots of plants and bees (honey bees and others) on the flowers.

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  7. “All men” sounds the same as Tunisia, years ago! So glad you are finding good fresh veggies. How are you doing with the language?

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    1. Yes, similar to Tunisia, but much laid-back. It’s a lot more different from Tunisian Arabic than I expected, but doing fine with greetings and thank yous. Downloaded an app and need to redownload the Peace Corps language book for Morocco!

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  8. So much fun to be traveling with you, Nancy. What great adventures we will all have. The coast line is very different from the one I grew up along: the Texas Gulf Coast. I’ve had a rather humorous wood bee experience recently. A friend made several carpenter bee traps and I hung one up in an area where I’d seen a bee attacking the cross board on my fairly new fence. We’re now 13 bees later. I hope this tale is not politically incorrect to real pollinator bee people. Looking forward to more adventures.

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    1. Hmm, just a bummer. Were they all carpenter bees? I’d like to know who ended up in the trap. I’ve always wondered what by-catch they might have. Dr. Elsa Youngsteadt is doing research on carpenter bees. Since they are territorial, I’ve always wondered if you couldn’t provide a nice soft piece of wood and if the male of the family who inhabits it would then keep other bees from the area. In Mexico, they provide wood to house them for passionfruit pollination.

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  9. Nancy, thanks for sharing, it looks like a real adventure. To follow up with the comments from Lynne, for the carpenter bees on my deck, I’m trying a wood block to collect them and take it to the woods in November, also trying citrus oil too discourage them, which is probably more wishful thinking.. I can’t wait to hear now your projects are going.
    Anthony

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    1. That sounds like a nice plan, Anthony!! Keep me posted, please. I know Ray and Kelly would welcome more photos of your meadow—and I’d love to see them, too!!

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  10. I’m loving this blog, Nancy. Be sure to let us know about any unusual fruits or vegetables at the market. Regardless, this blog makes me want to travel more!

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