A bit about Moroccan culture

It's been fascinating to be here during Ramadan and be able to experience it with a Moslem family.  The fast lasts for a month, and the month changes each year. June, having more hours from sunrise to sunset,has been a particularly difficult time.  Fast, by law, is from 3:30 am until sunset,and since the sun sets here about 7:30 pm, that makes the fast from all food and water last 16 hours.  Virtually everyone here fasts.  The only ones excused are children under 7, pregnant women, the sick and the elderly.  

So here's the way it works.  Businesses change their working hours to accommodate customers and personnel by opening in the late afternoon or early evening and closing around midnight.  Everyone stays awake until around 3:30 am, then they go to bed and try to sleep for the better part of the day, in effect, turning night and day around.  The beginning and ending of the fast is announced from the top of all the mosques in town, so it's not guesswork.  As the end of the fast approaches, everyone hurries home to get a drink of water in them as soon as possible.  The fast is traditionally broken with milk and dates, followed by other light foods - sort of like our breakfast.  Then, the main meal is at around 11:30 pm, and it's a big one!  The food is served around a big round table, with the main dish set in the middle, surrounded by many small dishes of marinated veggies, and lots of different kinds of breads.  There are no place settings, although there are napkins.  Everyone uses their right hands to dip into the main dish and eats from their hands, using the bread to scoop up stuff.  The last dish served is a big platter of all kinds of melons.  Then there's a ritual hand washing and a special bowl & pitcher to do it with! Usually silver and very ornate.  It's taken from one person to the next, with water poured over the hands into the bowl, and small towels are offered.  The last meal of the fast if a light "supper" taken about 3 am.  Then it's off to bed for the rest of the night and half of the next day.  Needless to say, my days and nights got turned around a bit.  The breaking of the fast is a family affair - we were invited to several of Khadifa's sisters homes to enjoy it with them, so I was able to meet the extended family while I was there.

I maybe should have described the Moroccan home before the meal.  Besides a typical kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms, the houses have two large open rooms, the formal living room and the dining room.  Both are furnished with a bank of single bed width benches all around the walls.  These are extremely comfortable, with mattresses and ample pillows for lounging around.  This is part of the hospitality culture of the desert countries - guests are always welcome to stay overnight and they just sleep on these.  The only piece of furniture in both rooms is a round table on wheels which serves as a dining table and is just rolled over to one of the corners of the benches.  Folding stools are brought out to be used on the open area of the table.  Mealtimes are very social occasions.