Monday, July 13, 2009

Wednesday - Tarif / Morocco

I saw Africa in the distance. That was enough for me. I am crazy, so I
am the only one of us willing to drive on these crazy roads. I needed
a rest from driving and sight seeing. The ferry and tour cost €65.
The gorgeous Mediterranean beach with a nice thatch umbrella was free.
I figured that I could simulate free Coke refills by just reordering a
lot, given my savings on the ferry. But then I recalled the scarce
bathroom situation and recanted on the soda fiesta. The girls enjoyed
the tour, but as a developing country, the big M is known to cause
intestinal distress. It did not disappoint (even though they were
careful to eat at the right places). I had an Alfredo pizza not at all
like an American Alfredo with on on unexpected but good egg on top.
We will eventually post pictures of the girls on camels and more.
On the way home, we drove through a large park without many cities or
exits. We finally found a large restaurant-somewhat classy yet
deserted with a couple of junked cars
in the front lot.
"Where are you from?" the waiter asked. USA, we replied. "Very many
kilometers from America." I guess Americans don't frequent this part
of the Mediterranean. We pulled out the translator book to decipher
the menu. Bull meat, no. Iberian secreto, okay, embrace the mysterious
adventure (could be unicorn ribs, who knows?). Venison, why not? The
waiter wants to make sure we understand, so he says, "Is Bambi. No,
Bambi's mother." Okay, we say. Deer kill a lot of people in car
accidents each year, so despite their cuteness I am not particularly
fond of them. It was decent and tender, but cuteness and texture
couldn't make up for the sauce. The Secreto, however, was outstanding.
Dana's Ag knowledge revealed the secreto to be a thinly sliced pan
fried pork chop. Maybe it was marinated in unicorn salsa to make it
secreto .
We got home at about 1 am. I kept awake as the driver, but I was tired
enough that my contacts were drying out and threatening to leap from
my eyes. There's some sort of special magic when a car is packed with
four women, all with heads back and mouths dropped open. This magic
was the view in my rearview mirror as you drove in the dark listened
to American songs punctuated by Spanish songs and commercials. I guess
you can't expect scintillating conversation every minute of a road
trip (exception: the foodcation to Williamsburg / Richmond circa
2006). A good time was had by all, and the late night was worth it.

2 comments:

  1. Ahh, the foodcation. I seem to remember "This American Life" being an integral part of the driving enjoyment. Do you think there might be an "Esta Vida EspaƱola” to stall your driving sleepies? Maybe try checking for it on any radio stations you think I wouldn’t listen to… (or at least not admit I listen to…).

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  2. I love that they referenced Bambi when describing your dinner!

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