Lunch at Fatima's house

When Adnan, our driver, asked if we might like to have lunch in a Berber family home instead of a restaurant, we jumped at the chance. In a small southern Moroccan town, he pulled off the road and drove down some dirt lanes between mud-brick homes to find the home of Fatima, a warm outgoing Berber woman who had invited us to lunch. Knowing of George’s gluten allergy, she was preparing corn couscous instead of the more common bulgur. She had a big pot on her propane stove that had been simmering beef and vegetables in Moroccan spices for hours, with a separate pot that set on top of the first, and caught the flavorful steam to cook the couscous. Every half-hour or so, she would stir and break up the couscous with her hands. After we arrived, everything was spread out on the kitchen floor for final assembly. Of course we were welcomed with traditional Moroccan mint tea (and Fatima's careful instructions on the proper way to prepare it). Then we feasted on the couscous and beef with turnips, carrots, two kinds of squash, fava beans, and a few hot peppers, as we got to know this charming woman a bit and learn about her life. (Fortunately our driver speaks Amazigh.) We also got to meet her parents and one of her brothers, and after lunch, also met the family cow, goats, and sheep that live in their compound.