The evils of cold

(I had this entry done several days ago and then mysteriously lost it - hopefully it works this time.)


I know, I know - those of you in North America are nodding your heads. Cold is starting to feel evil as your harsh winter continues.


But that is not the kind of evil I am talking about. You see, Moroccans have quite a fear of cold and attribute all kinds of problems to it. Here are some examples:


1. Moroccans do not let their children get cold. Often dressed in 4 or 5 layers - top and bottom half, children waddle off to school barely able to move and are forbidden to shed any layers while there even if they are sweating. Parents are sure getting cold is THE way to get sick.


2. Because of this, we often see long-sleeved shirts and jackets being worn in the middle of summer.


3. And because of that, I often get kindly reprimanded for not having enough clothes on my children even in warm weather.


4. On a warm September day, I did some water experiments outside with a group of children. One of the little girls got her outer layer of sweaters wet. The next day, her mother made it very clear to me that the girl was coughing entirely because I had let her get a little wet. The girl has never been back to our house since.


5. The Moroccan word for "toxin" is the same word for "cold" and Moroccans often take a spoonful of pure honey each day to cleanse their bodies of the "cold."


6. When I was having tummy problems, I went to see the doctor and asked her what she thought the cause was. "It's probably because it's cold outside" she offhandedly answered. I expected such a response from many - but from a doctor?

7. Moroccans are also very concerned about eating anything cold. They keep their refrigerators on high temperatures so that pop, yogurt, milk and meat is nice and lukewarm. Ice in a drink is unheard of and considered ridiculous. A common way to store dairy and meat is to keep items on shelves and not refrigerate them at all. This explains why we often accidentally buy sour milk (only one place in Ifrane regularly refrigerates milk) and is also the reason we avoid all meat in the summer. It is even common for butchers with refrigerators (not all have them ) to turn their fridges off at night in order to save electricity.

8. When our refrigerator was at 53 (12) degrees, we had a terrible time convincing our maintenance guy to replace it. He thought it was perfectly fine!


9. One cold, snowy day the girls were happily eating snow when a woman swooped in, whisked the snow out of their hands, and gave me a five-minute lecture on how eating something cold is dangerous. Luckily I didn't understand most of what she said so I'm not too worried. A mintue later I asked her why she wasn't wearing gloves. "Snow isn't cold for the hands!" she declared as she took off my gloves and dipped my hands into a snowbank to prove her point. I guess frostbite is OK.


10. A year ago, the daughter of a friend of mine had a high fever, was vomitting and had blood in her stool. My friend's family informed her that the sickness was all her fault. Why? Because she had fed her daughter cold grapes!


Interestingly, most Moroccans are not concerned about washing their hands with soap, kissing children in greeting right on the lips, washing dishes in cold and soapless water and sharing glasses. When we go out to eat, the waiter rarely brings us each a glass - it's usually one or two per table. When children come over to play, I hide the girls' cups because inevitably kids come into the kitchen, take a swig of the nearest cup and continue on their jolly way while I helpfully hold out new cups to them - always too late. One day we saw a man drinking a coke. A policeman came up to him, took the coke out of the man's hand, took a gulp and returned it with thanks to the man. Some friends of ours say they carry one water bottle in the open to share with all who ask for a drink, and hide their own bottles in their bags. One day a friend of mine came over to visit. She took a cup out of the cupboard, filled it with water, took a drink, and returned the cup to the cupboard. At least I didn't have to put it away :)


So now you know - stay away from cold grapes. Oh - and before you go - may I have a sip of your coke?