Cooking Like a Local

Not only are there a lot of different styles and tastes of food around the world, but there are also a wide variety of cooking styles. It isn’t always easy to find the proper cooking utensils or replicate the cooking techniques, but we try our best. We also look for opportunities to buy local cookware while we are traveling, if possible. When we were in Morocco, we looked for and found a tajine in the markets. There were definitely plenty to choose from and it is as decorative as it is functional. We would have loved to have purchased a set of dishes while we were there as well, but it is hard to bring that much home with you on such a long trip.  On that same trip, we had a day layover in Zurich, Switzerland, and went out for an authentic fondue meal and came close to buying a fondue pot from the restaurant since they sold them, but decided that we could get that at home. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is Dishes, Pots, Pans, Silverware, so here are a couple of photos from the market in Morocco.

Tajines and Dishes for Sale in Morocco
Tagines
View of the Market

Finally, here is a photo from our dinner in Zurich.

Fondue in Zurich

Tangiers Morocco- A World of its Own

View of the Port

One of our favorite travel memories was when we went to Tangiers for a day while staying in southern Spain.  We remember being a little nervous about going because we weren’t sure about the cultural differences.  Having spent time in India helped calm some of the nerves and the more that we read about it, the more we knew it would be a highlight of our trip.  Tangiers is truly a melting pot as it is the crossroad between Europe and Africa.  Centuries of people travelling through Tangiers to bring goods for sale has made it one of the most tolerant cities in all of northern Africa.

Looking Up Towards the Neighborhoods
Market Stall with Plenty of Nuts
Entrance to the Medina
Walking in the Medina
Fish Market
Harbor

Walking through the streets of the medina (old city) is definitely an amazing experience.  The varied architecture was extremely interesting to see and at the highest point was the Kasbah (fortress) with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean.  Unlike some of the other medina that we’ve read about, we were not accosted by beggars or people trying to sell us trinkets.  We definitely enjoyed the markets and came home with some wonderful  saffron.  We came close to buying a hand-made rug from one of the shopkeepers, but ended up deciding not to.  After eating an incredible meal in a tiny family owned restaurant, we purchased a tagine from one of the nearby shops.

View of the Ocean
Spice Shop
Ceramics for Sale
View from the Kasbah
Streets of the Medina

We did stop to watch a snake charmer at one point, which a little touristy, but still created a wonderful memory.  Tangiers is more than just the old city, the heart of the city is quite modern and is home to a lot of ex-pats.  There are also plenty of hotels to choose from if you want to spend several days there, but we were there for just one day. Hopefully we’ll return one day to see more of Morocco as the people were extremely friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed what time we did have there.

Bustling Downtown
Snake Charmer
It was an Interactive Show
Vegetable Market
Tagines
Walking the Streets

 

Words of Wisdom

We have been fortunate to have had many great mentors throughout our lives who have imparted words of wisdom to us that have molded our thoughts and actions.  Most of the best advice that we’ve received apply to all parts of our lives, whether with family, work, or travelling.  Usually they are amazingly simple and yet very powerful when applied consistently.  With this week’s Discover Challenge – Piece of Advice, we decided not to share a single piece of advice that we’ve received, but instead we’ve listed our top five words of wisdom and specifically how they’ve related to our travels.  Hopefully you’ll find them to be as useful over time as we have found them to be.

  1. Treat others as you want to be treated (the golden rule) – Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we treated EVERYONE that we met in the same manner that we hope and expect to be treated.  Sure, we learned this rule as children, but it is probably the most important piece of advice that hopefully all people can learn.  Whenever we travel someplace, anyplace, we want to learn about the customs and traditions of the locals.  We respect their religions, beliefs, and social expectations.  Having an understanding and respect does not mean that you have agree with or do things that conflict with your own personal beliefs, but you must have empathy and understand where they are coming from.  You would be surprised how much better your experience will be if you are friendly and honestly express your desire to understand the culture of the place that you are visiting.

    Talking to an Old Woman in Bolivia
  2. Make decisions quickly and act upon them – This doesn’t mean that you don’t do your due diligence and get as many facts as possible before making a decision, but too often people become paralyzed by fear of making a mistake or spend so much time thinking about the decision that the opportunity passes them by.  We have a lot of military in our family and the motto for an officer on the battlefield is that the only bad decision is no decision, this is surprisingly true of life in general.  Will this lead to some mistakes?  Sure, but you don’t grow and learn without making a few mistakes.  More often than not, just deciding to go someplace and making it happen has led to some of our best experiences.  If you wait for all of the stars to align and the moment to be perfect, you’re likely to miss out on some of the best experiences of your life.

    Our First Trip to Europe was Planned in a Few Weeks
  3. Never stop learning – Learning is growth and the moment that you stop learning new and interesting things is the moment that you stop truly living.  Obviously it is hard to go through life and not continue to learn new things, but don’t just learn through osmosis, actively seek out and find new things to learn that might interest you.  Pick a country that you’ve never heard about and learn as much as you can and then go visit there.  Understand the history of a place, what has influenced its culture, the leaders of the past and the regional forces that shape their current beliefs and society.  Learn as much of the language as possible and use it when you visit.

    We’ve Learned to be Better Travelers
  4. Strive for continuous improvement – None of us are perfect and those people who think that they are should be avoided like the plague.  In all aspects of life, we periodically seriously reflect on our current state and consider how we can improve in our relationships, work positions, health (mental and physical), as well as our travel goals and expectations.  Even during our travels, we will ask ourselves if we’re seeing the most relevant and interesting sights that mean the most to us or are we just following a list from a guidebook?  Are we talking to the locals and getting the best advice on places to see and food to eat?  We’ll come home from a trip and talk about our experiences and what things we could have done better and use that information on our next trip.

    Lunch at a Moroccan Restaurant
  5. Step out of your comfort zone – It is easy to get complacent and accept the normal routine, whether at work or in your personal life, but some of the most rewarding opportunities come from pushing your limits.  That might mean doing an activity that makes you uncomfortable, like zip-lining, parachuting, or just spending the night in a forest.  We’re not suggesting that you pursue dangerous activities, but just that you try something that perhaps you’ve never previously considered.  It might be going to a country that makes you uncomfortable, but it could be as simple as trying food that you’ve never heard of.  Growth comes from new experiences that most likely reset your image of what you’re capable of doing or achieving.

    India Definitely Stretched Our Boundaries

There isn’t anything earth shattering here, just simple concepts that, when followed consistently, will improve your life and our case, our travels as well.