I've moved...thanks to my amazing man!

So my blog has moved to a new site http://www.lifefromsimplyme.com/.  I originally tried to blog without bugging my husband since he tends to have a never ending list of technological problems to solve.  However, when I finally started to share that I was blogging he took one look at the blog and said, "oh babe, we need to do something here so you can succeed."  So...I now have a gorgeous new blog.  Please visit me there!

Frog catchin'....or sometimes life really does come full circle

I was never really a girlie-girl.  I had stuffed animals and not dolls, I loved blue-green and not pink, and a day of play for me was a day outside, not with barbie.  Before the age where boys were gross I had several childhood friends with whom I would go frog-catching, snake catching...or sometimes even bird and small animal catching.  For my 10th birthday I asked for wading boots so that I could get in the swamp near our house with the boys.  Up until that point I had been stuck on the shore holding the bucket.  I had a large aquarium in the backyard that held the frog colony and several 10 gallon buckets with the snake collection.  I got the boots I asked for, they were black rubber waders with the letters "HS" on the side of them.  When I opened my presents and tried them on my grandma quipped that those must be my "high society boots".  We grew up, the boys got more into sports and I into art and our worlds grew appart.

A little while ago Ahlem started asking me about frogs.  I realized her interested came from a different angle: she had read a lot of books about princesses kissing frogs and she was intrigued.  When we became Ahlem's  legal guardians 2 years ago I fastened my seatbelt for a wild ride.  We hadn't even had our first anniversary yet; suddenly I was mothering a 4 year old.  And this 4 year old knew what she wanted in life.  I just watched an interview with the Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook.  She stated that instead of correcting our daughters for having a strong opinion and telling them they're being too bossy we should affirm that they have "executive leadership skills."  I nearly died laughing, Ahlem is off-the-charts in her executive prowess and I expect great things from her.  She wants pink, she wants her tiara, and she IS the princess.  I walk along side Ahlem as she tries to work through what happened with her birth mother.  Sometimes the brokenness of that relationship affects the way she reacts to me; it is one of those things that is hard at the center of your being.  I feel caught in the in-between of loving her so much and being thrilled that she's in our family to being absolutely broken hearted for her that she couldn't have a happily-every-after with her birth mom.  She is such a brave girl; it hurts to watch her struggle.  I saw this sudden interest in frogs as a much needed connection point after a difficult mothering week, "Do you know when I was little I used to catch frogs?"  "REALLY MOM??? Can we catch some?? Please???"  The frog hunt was on.

So we donned our rubber boots, thankfully rubber boots are now a lot cuter than my old high society pair.  We were both wearing dresses...as you do to catch frogs.  We set out with a small jar in hand and girlie's hopes running high.  The one place I knew we could find frogs was a swanky golf course in our area...the water hazards...and so off we went.  The water hazard was near the tee off for hole 2...um..yeah...we got some looks and honestly we were a sight to be seen.  Wading into water that I don't even want to think about I realized that this was going to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated because Tunisian frogs are BIG...nothing like the little tree frogs I used to catch at home and they're also FAST.  I was feeling that my old skills were long gone and I was also feeling a little like the scene out of Duck Dynasty when the rednecks sneak onto a golf course to catch bull frogs...as people in preppy shirts drove by on their golf carts. We tried everything, we tried sitting still, Ahlem tried singing to the frogs, but they were always just out of reach.  Then we found it, a shallow area with a group of tiny baby frogs and like a flash I scooped them into the jar.  Apparently I haven't lost my touch.  We are now the proud owners of two tiny frogs, "John and Bridget"...don't ask me.  Now what have I gotten myself into?  The princess asked for the frogs to sleep in her room tonight, I just hope she doesn't try to kiss one.  Sometimes I just have to say thank you for a beautiful parenting moment of love, connection, and enjoying the world together.

Fresh Salsa

We can start this post with a little ode to Mexican food: "Mexican food, YUM!".  Mexican food was one of the first things I had to figure out how to make from scratch here in Tunisia.  I'm from the West Coast of the USA and we eat Mexican food a lot (or at least our American version of it...although during my time in Los Angeles I hope I got something close to the real thing).  This recipe is for fresh salsa.  It's super easy to make!  Here's how it goes:

You need a simple list of fresh ingredients: coriander (cilantro), onions, garlic, lemons (if I were in the US I would be using limes but we don't have them in Tunisia...do lemons get the job done, definitely), a hot pepper or two and 2 cans of tomatoes. 

Here are the spices you'll be needing: a few of your garlic cloves, some salt, paprika, and cumin.  At this point in the photo shoot I was hijacked by a future food stylist: 6 year old girlie suddenly put her riff on this picture.

"Now Mom it looks totally gorgeous!".  White walrus stuffed animal couple plugging salsa recipe, why didn't I think of that??

Now around our house we like our salsa on the hot side, so I tend to just chuck the hot pepper in the food processor.  If you don't like spicy you could seed the pepper (carefully protecting your hands by holding the pepper with plastic wrap) or you could just throw in a wee bit of the pepper, it's up to you.

Blend, blend, blend.

Adding the 2 cans of tomatoes, spices, lemon juice.

Voila! This is going to be really yummy on our taco salads tonight!

Walrus couple forms circle of love around salsa, but don't take their word for it, try it!

Here's the recipe:

Fresh Salsa

1 bunch cilantro (coriander)

2-3 garlic cloves

1 onion

1-2 hot peppers

1 lemon juiced (or lime if you're in the West).

2 cans of tomatoes

1 t cumin

1 t paprika

1/2 t salt

1. Wash all your veg.  Put cilantro, garlic cloves, onion and hot pepper (as much as you desire for mild or spicy salsa) in food processor.  Pulse for 1-2 minutes until everything is finely chopped.  Add the canned tomato, lemon juice, and spices.  Pulse again for 1 minute until everything is well blended.   Serve up!

A note on coriander in Tunisia: I love cooking with coriander (cilantro if you're American...if you need to find it in the market in Tunis you'll be looking for the French "coriandre"). Unfortunately it is definitely not one of staple items that you can find in the market everywhere.  You can find it though, places I buy coriander are Carrefour, the La Marsa market, the central market in Tunis, the market near Bab El Khadre in Tunis, and sometimes Monoprix.  It's not something I can find 100 percent of the time, usually the fresh outdoor markets such as the central market and Bab el Khadre are more likely to have it than the grocery stores.  So, I don't plan an important dinner around it...but if I do run into it guarantee we'll be making fresh salsa or Indian food in the next 2 days :).  

Fabric nerd session

So over the past year and a half I took up sewing again...in a massive way.  I sew nearly every day that I get a few free minutes.  I've loved fabrics since I was...actually according to my mom since I was a baby but since that's not my own conscious memory I'll spare you that story.  Anyway, I've re-learned sewing from a few amazing sewing blogs; one of my favorites is by the talented Rachel at Stitched in Color. I took an online class about hand-stitching from Rachel this winter which was super helpful and I loved all the projects we did, I would highly recommend her classes if you're interested in sewing.   Rachel is hosting a contest about warm and cool fabric choices to be "bundled" by one of her fabric shop sponsors.  I had to enter, I am kind of obsessed with warm and cool contrasts and always have been.  As a water color painter using warm and cool was my favorite way of capturing light.  Plus, this fabric mosaic was supposed to feature turquoise which is my "signature color"...yes, most little girls like pink but I've always been in love with anything aqua/turquoise, I'm kind of like a raccoon with shiny objects if something is that color.  So, here's what I've got for my fabric mosaic...we were limited to 12 choices.

Please check out Rachel's blog if you're into fabric creating and if you feel like it, show a little love and vote for me :).  

Strawberry ricotta pizza with reduced balsamic and basil

So I decided to make cooking a regular feature on this blog: more specifically I decided to share recipes that we've come to know and love as a family which can be made in Tunisia.  The deal is that I've heard a ton of stress coming from some of my friends and acquaintances who are new here to Tunisia and from abroad: it is like they are suddenly thrown into the cooking deep-end with no warning or preparation.  To make matters worse, when you google something like "chocolate cake recipes" it seems that the vast majority liste "chocolate cake mix" in the ingredient list.   In Tunisia produce is seasonal and there is almost nothing pre-fab.  Now, this is stressful for us Americans initially but in the end think of it as joining the slow-foods movement stress-free.  You don't have to fight against the current of junkfood, out-of-season forced food, or chain fastfood.  That said, it certainly does increase the time spent at the market or in the kitchen.  Personally, it's not a change I'm sad about.  I once heard a foreigner say that Tunisia was for the rest of her life her "Arab mother" and in many ways I totally agree.  Cooking something my time in Tunisia has taught me.  It will forever now be an interest and hobby to enjoy fresh and creative foods.  So, know that if I share a recipe on this site and you happen to be reading this in Tunisia you will find nothing on the ingredient list that you will see and say "dang, we can't get that here."  If you're joining us from elsewhere of course you will be able to make this, but might I add "neener neener neener...our produce is fresher than yours."  Sorry, just had to gloat for a wee second.  So without further delay, today we enjoyed a strawberry ricotta pizza with reduced balsamic and fresh basil.  Please, please, please stay with me.  Do not freak out about the idea of fruit on pizza...just try this once with me (or try it later on in the season with peaches or nectarines) and you really, really won't be sorry.

Here's a photo representation of what you need (if you're in Tunis that is) minus the basil and random cheese:

The recipe:
Strawberry Ricotta Pizza with Reduced Balsamic and Basil

For the dough: tried and true pizza dough without stress
1 2/3 cup warm water
2 t sugar or honey
1 pack yeast
2 t salt
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 T olive oil

1.  In a small bowl put the warm water, sugar, and yeast...mix them together and then let them sit for about 5 minutes until the mixture is a bit foamy.
2.  In a large bowl mix the flours and the salt.  Note here, you can play with the mix of whole wheat and white flours.  This is a mixture I like, sometimes I use all whole wheat but the texture of the pizza crust isn't quite as good.  Of course you can use all white if you want to.
3.  Mix in the water yeast mixture, now add the olive oil.  Start mixing this with your hands.  You may need to add a bit more flour or a bit more olive oil until you get a nice dough consistency.  This is where most dough recipes would tell you to knead the dough for 10 minutes, I find this isn't necessary. Try to need it for a few minutes until you feel the dough is holding together but beyond that, don't bother.
4.  Cover your dough with plastic wrap or a cloth and let sit.  Ideally you're planning dinner a bit ahead of time and so you can let it sit for 1 hour...on the fly you can cook it right away or even after sitting for 15-20 minutes, of course it's better with the rise time.  Also, supposed to rise in a warm place...see cooking in Tunisia is easy.

The pizza topping:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mixed grated cheeses: I used fresh mozzarella, gruyere, and a smoked cheese.  This is a good way to use up various cheese in your fridge.  PLEASE NOTE: the pre-grated cheese you buy in Tunisia is...well...I'm not sure it's real cheese and it certainly doesn't melt.  If you don't actually have a block of real cheese to grate better to stick to the ricotta and call it good.  The pizza will only be as good as its cheese.
20 strawberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
a few leaves of fresh basil

note: this is enough topping for about two 12 inch pizzas...the dough makes enough dough for 3.  If you're like me the 3rd pizza has tomato sauce and plain cheese on it because there is no way that kiddo is going to try something like this.

1.  After letting dough rise divide it into 3 portions.  Preheat your oven to 400 F or 220 C (oven quality and cook time will vary, please monitor cook time the first time you bake pizzas).
2.  On a sheet of parchment roll out one section of pizza dough very thin till it's about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and 12 inches circumference.
3.  Mix your cheese together and spread 1/2 of the mixture over the dough.  Wash and slice your strawberries and place all over the pizza about 1 inch apart.
4.  Bake for 10-15 minutes until you see the cheese and crust are brown.
5.  In the final 2 minutes of bake time, place the balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan on the stove on medium high heat and begin to cook...about 3-5 minutes until the vinegar reduces (becomes slightly thick).  Please watch your vinegar closely and whisk it around as it goes from runny to reduced to burnt in a matter of 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.
6.  Take your pizza out of the oven.  Drizzle with the reduced vinegar.
7.  Take a few fresh basil leaves, mince them and sprinkle them on top.  Voila!  You're a gourmet!

Victory over the pigeon...aka I was rescued by a woman stronger than myself

So yesterday I had the problem of the pigeon body staring at me from my fridge.  I really thought I was going to have to man-up and gut the pigeon, not looking forward to it because I'm a bit weak in the stomach.  And then this morning inspiration struck...oh yes...Thursday mornings are when our amazing house cleaner Kalthoum is with us.  Kalthoum is a country girl and heart and she LOVES cooking...could it be I was rescued?  Kalthoum arrived and with her usual chipper demeanor asked, "So, what should we cook today?" "Well"...I hesitated..."Do you know what to do with this?" "OOOOOoooooh...pigeon!!!"  She was thrilled, you see Kalthoum really looks out for our daughter Ahlem and she likes to do things that she considers spoiling her.  "I can make the most delicious stuff for Ahlem with this..I can roast it, grill it, or fry it...or make a pasta sauce."  The list just kept getting longer of things you can do with a pigeon.  My rescue had arrived, I was not going to have to gut the pigeon.  

Until this morning I had somehow forgotten one of the keys to successful cross-cultural living which is this: when in doubt, ask for help.  People are more than willing to show you how to do things their way.  In my experience, living cross-culturally is an act of becoming like a child again; it takes humility and letting go to really do it well.  I remember during my initial time in Tunisia one of my friends said, "Learning a new language is like re-learning the whole universe!"  And it is, really.  And it's also relearning how the universe works; cultures exist because we need constructs and rules with which to order our world.  Stepping out of my own construct and coming to another I have to make a choice: will I become an enfant in this culture to learn again or will I exist here but keep operating with my old construct.  I feel like in my case I still move in and out of taking on the humility necessary to do things a new way or just barricading myself in with my own rights.  The beautiful part is seeing myself grow up into a new kind of person, a person who takes on some of both and is forever changed. Anyway, so for today I had to become like a child and let another adult cut up my meat for me.  I'm really glad I did because not only did I learn what to do with a pigeon (if you fry it like we did you need lemon, cumin, garlic and salt to make it tasty), I also got this reaction when little girlie got home from school.

Pigeon...it's what's for dinner

I have a small problem in my fridge.  For the past 24 hours every time I open the fridge door I startle when I see its small body.  I have a dead pigeon in the fridge, and it's what's for dinner.  I think it will be for dinner tomorrow because I didn't have the emotional strength to face it today.  Mike offered to help by looking up instructions on how to clean a pigeon on youtube but he was unwilling to deal with the practicalities of cleavering the pigeon in half and taking out it's pigeon guts. This task will be left to me. So here is how I ended up with the pigeon.

About 9 months ago we bought a lab puppy from a jolly farmer in the countryside surrounding the capital city.  Actually Mike thought he had found his Tunisian BFF because this guy had a dream shop/workspace area and a Toyota 4x4...and he had guns, which is a rare thing in Tunisia.  It turns out that our rolly polly lab pup was rolly polly because our farmer friend hunts wild boars and fed the meat to the pups.  She hit hard times when she came to our house.  Anyway, we have been wanting to go back and visit him on the farm every since so yesterday we jumped in the car and went for a drive.

We had so much fun seeing his family again and all the animals: geese, turkey, and multiple breeds of dogs.  As we were sitting there sipping mint tea one of his farm hands ran up, grabbed a rifle, and ran out.  Ahlem yelled, "Mom!  Is he going to kill someone?"  No...they all laughed, he likes shooting birds.  So sure enough, about 10 minutes later shots were fired and then he came running back in with a dead pigeon.  Ahlem's face grimaced, "Is he dead?"  "Yes." Our farmer friend chuckled as he whisked the bird away.  The problem was Ahelm couldn't leave it alone.  Intrigued by the life and death scene that just played out before her eyes, she kept going and touching the bird.  Finally she said, "I'd like to hold it" and so she picked it up...and then it's head flopped over and she screamed and dropped the bird to the ground.  So our farmer friend decided it was time to teach her the facts of life...he took her by the hand and started plucking the pigeon...in 5 minutes time we had a naked pigeon and a girl with a handful of feathers which she was thrilled about.  Then he proceeded to decapitate the pigeon in front of her...which again to my shock and amazement she watched and asked practical questions about it.  He then wrapped it in plastic wrap and handed it to her.  As we drove home from the farm the plastic-wrapped bird with the bloody stump from the head was in her lap, her prized possession   He told her how to flavor it with spices and she is insisting that she do this herself. This is after mommy gets the courage to cleave the pigeon and clean it....so this is my problem as it stands.  My 6 year old can handle the realities of meat-eating better than I can.  And this goes into the category of "you never know what you will experience today."  All I can remember when looking at the small pink thing in our fridge is my friend saying "Pigeons are just rats with wings."  Yum.

Flower for Hanen

Successful cross-cultural living is essentially a state of mind that I find myself drifting in and out of depending on my own ability to let go and enjoy the ride.  This week I had the privilege of helping an old friend, one of the first people I met when I moved to Tunisia, prepare her wedding "on the fly" meaning they decided the date of the wedding only 20 days or so before the wedding.  I offered to do her flowers....lavender and cala lilies were what she was dreaming of. Lucky me, I just bought a pot of lavender at a local nursery and I knew they had loads and I also have a relationship with a florist who ALWAYS has cala lilies and I knew she would give me a good price.  Easy...in the bag...one stress off the bride's plate and happy to help.  This was 2 weeks before wedding day, the orders were placed at the plant nursery and at the florists and I thought little about it.

The day before the wedding I went to the nursery first to pick up the lavender.  No lavender.  But wait, I argued with the clerk, I placed an order and they promised it would be delivered today.  Sorry she said, maybe later today.  "Look, I need to know now if I can count on this order or not because if not, I have to find another solution, this is for a wedding and it can't wait."  The lady shrugged and finally decided to actually call her supplier.  The supplier informed that there was no lavender and none would be coming today.  I begged the woman "can you find any solution, lavender is the bride's favorite flower in the whole world, and she's picked all her decor based on having lavender in her bouquet."  Now this girl was very creative and I have to give her credit for her solution.  "You know what you do" she says to me, "If you go to the center of town between the grocery store and the bank you will find a giant lavender bush, I just saw in the other day, just cut the lavender from there."  "But who does it belong to?" I asked.  "It belongs to God."  Nice....I guess this is going to go on the list of weird things I've done in Tunisia, stealing bridal flowers from in front of the grocery store.

On to the florist's...who three days before had hundreds of gorgeous cala lilies.  I arrive, no cala lilies   At this point I'm beside myself, "But I placed an order with you!"  "Sorry, we didn't get a delivery."  At this point I am thinking....I have to find a solution, there is no way I'm calling the bride about this and stressing her out when she has so much going on.  What can I do?  Thankfully Dhouha, one of my dearest Tunisian friends, was with me and she thought of an idea; we would travel out of town to a plant nursery she knew of, apparently they supply the other nurseries.  But first to handle the lavender.  Our source had told us that one of us should wait in the car fo a quick get away.  I decided to not involve Dhouha in my crime and so I went alone.  A punk kid with a sideways baseball cap sat on a broken metal chair near the lavender bush.  "Are you the guard of this building?"  I asked him. He answered sarcastically, "Sure, I'm the guard, I'm the guard."  Realizing he probably wasn't the guard but that I would have to go on his permission I asked him if I could cut the lavender...of course, take what you want he said.  So, I jumped the hedge around the lavender and started to cut my bucket full.  Passer-byes started to stare and one man even said, "It's forbidden, it's forbidden."  But I was in the determination zone, I had to get the bride's flowers and I had permission from a random plant seller and this "guard" to do so.  Lavender cut, off on our excursion to the plant farm.

Talk about prehistoric gardens.  We arrived at the nursery and I was in awe of the trees that must  have been thousands of years old.  Everything was in a bit of disarray and although Dhouha assured me she had just purchased flowering cala lilies from this spot there were none to be found.  The sympathetic workman told us they were out but that he could call in an order from a neighboring farm.  He did but we had to wait about 40 minutes for the lilies to be brought over.  By this time I had spent the whole morning I had scheduled to actually make the bouquets running around trying to chase down the materials.  My frustration was running over but then...breathe....we were in this gorgeous garden dating back to who knows when.  It was spring time, Dhouha's 5 year old son was chasing butterflies.  Look where I am...look who I am with... a dear friend who has been with me through ups and downs over the past 10 years and who was willing to spend her day helping me with this situation.  Okay, I can breathe, and this is just a small diversion in a day...what else do I have to do?  Success!  Twenty gorgeous cala plants were delivered and we loaded them up.  Now not only will I be making bouquets, my garden will have calas...for next time.

For those of us from the busy West cross-cultural living is an invitation to discover being not doing.  While I don't know if I will ever completely be able to let go of my own need for efficiency, when I let go just a little and enjoy the journey I discover so much 1. That you can pick flowers from in front of a bank here and no one will bother you and 2. Found the oldest plant supplier in Tunisia....also discovered they filmed a famous Tunisian TV show there which Dhouha was excited about and got tips from the workman about my lawn while waiting.   Didn't expect those lessons to be rolled into my job of doing Hanen's wedding bouquet.

Day with the Olives

One of my favorite things about being a photographer is how we get to see so many things on the inside of Tunisia.  This year we've done a lot of manufacturing photography, we've seen how cars and airplanes are made at least in part, here in Tunisia.  This week we got a really beautiful opportunity to do some photography for Ruspina, a 100 year-old Tunisian olive oil manufacturer.

Every time I get outside the capital city I breathe.  Fresh air and a simpler way of life; I feel people are grounded and know where they stand in their community.  This was no exception.  Our job was to document how olive oil is produced by Ruspina so we started the day with some lovely ladies who pick the olives from the fields.  When we arrived they were having a picnic together under the trees.  They got a huge kick out of being our models: I think several of them had to be in their late 70s, still at work in the fields.

It is the end of the olive season, which starts in October/November so these women are making the final gleanings from the fields.  After the olives are gathered they are transported the the factory about 10 minutes away where they are cleaned and pressed, a still relatively simple process.  

From here it is pressed into the olive oil and then filtered.  The oil is actually really a beautiful thing.  I was so intrigued to watch it bottled.  

It was all prepared and bottled in the same place, just minutes from the field were the olives were picked.  One of the sad things about Tunisian olive oil is the vast majority of it is sold to Italy and Spain in bulk and re-bottled as Spanish or Italian olive oil simply because Tunisian olive oil production is not well known.  Ruspina is unique in that they are working hard to promote Tunisian olive oil as a Tunisian product, tied to the history and tradition of this country.  I know what brand I'll be buying at the grocery store after this lovely day out...I know the smiling faces and the work that is going into each bottle of Ruspina.  

Things I've been making...

Creating with fabric is a new thing for me: 1 1/2 years ago when we suddenly had a 4 year old foster daughter (adoption nearly finalized, can't wait till it's official!) I went on a bit of a nesting drive....I just needed something to get excited about since I was instantly a mother without the 9 month wait of expecting.  In Tunisian children's clothes and decor ridiculously expensive and so I had to get creative. I have two grandmothers who were sewing whizzes but they stopped before I was old enough to get real lessons. I knew how to stitch in a straight line since I was in 4-H as a youngin' but that's about as far as my skill set went.  Even in my 4-H days I think I didn't produce anything that was usable.  Enter pinterest and all the amazing online tutorials these days and I discovered a new love!  Seriously, sewing is so much fun and it's kind of an instant gratification thing because you can produce something useable in just a few hours.  This new finding also tapped into my life-long obsession with fabric and textiles so I was really hooked.

So now the idea I've been kicking around is doing some training for women in the neighborhood who are in need of some extra income to care for their children.  However, I don't really have the start-up cash flow to do this until I kind of see what products they can make that actually sell.  So, I'm in a bit of the research and development stage.  Here are a few examples of the things I'm thinking of offering.

I'm excited about the possibilities and nervous at the same time.  I get so excited about this and then filled with doubt...how will anyone find us or will they even want to purchase from us with the millions of products out there?  It seems overwhelming but I know two things I have to stay true to are my desire to make a difference in the community and my passion to be a create.  As a product test I just launched an etsy store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyMeHandmade

Please pay us a visit and please let me know any comments you might have about products you would like to see, what's good and what's not!

Central Market Stop

I'm pretty much open-air market obsessed.  Drop me any place in the world and I want to see the fruit and vegetable market.  The colors, the smell, the bustle.  You find a small portal into the way life works; what does it take to get the basic task of feeding family done?  What goods and products are available?  Today I had to go downtown Tunis so I decided to do my shopping at my all-time favorit, the central market.  I will probably write more on the central market at a later date, but suffice it to say the produce is the freshest and cheapest you'll find anywhere and it's beautiful.

Added bonus today is I met a new friend who is the one who should be writing this blog post!

Hamza told us that he is a fellow photographer.  He greeted us with a warm smile and offered us some of his bouquet of daffodils.  I bought a pound of lemons and some fresh garlic from him for the equivalent of a dollar.  He then gave me his real treasure...he has been photographing the central market for quite some time with a small camera.  His speciality was photos of people napping in the market (indeed, on exit I saw an old man napping holding plastic sacks, on his shoulder was a sign "150 millimes for my sacks...I guess it's self-service).   The photos made me smile, the personality and warmth he conveyed about his market where evident in each one.  I snapped a shot of a few of his photos on his lemons, I would like to credit that the photos within this photo are taken by Hamza Ayari.    

I didn't have that long to spend today, just enough time to pick up some asparagus, mushrooms, mandarins  and fresh cheese.

Definitely the highlight of the day was meeting Hamza.  I will have to come back and see his entire series of the central market...he photographed us as we were leaving so I think we're part of the story now!

When I got home and was cooking lunch I had to have a little fun with all the pretty things I bought.

Okay, I'm a nerd, I get it.  Thanks central market for the beautiful morning!