Souk-bound

Here I am, ready to head out to the Saturday/Sunday souk (farmer's market). The scarf and gloves are needed in the cold open-air setting and the boots are to navigate through the huge mud holes after rain or snow. And this is about the only time I wear the Moroccan jellaba as it is worn by most of the women at the souk.

A few entries ago, I forgot to note a major difference between Morocco and Pakistan - expatriates in Pakistan often wear the local clothing and light head scarf. Here, it is rare and stare-worthy unless you are at a place like the souk or in a village. And to wear a head-covering here means you have converted to Islam unless it's cold and you are just preventing your ears from falling off. I don't much mind not wearing the jellaba since I feel like a blob of amoeba in the outfit - as my Mom would say, "All size fits all - fits none!" The advantages are that you can be wearing your pajamas underneath and no one will ever know, and that you can instanly gain 300 lbs simply by putting it on (this, however, is only an advantage if you are trying to gain 300 lbs).

I bought the equivalent of 33 pounds of vegetables and fruits at the souk a few weeks ago mostly for our family and also for a man who stopped me on the way and asked me to get some for his family. Any guesses as to how much it cost?