Moroccan cafés

This has been the week of cafés for me. For the first time since I've been here, I ventured out into the world of cafés, both times with foreign women, to sample the delicious strong coffee and marzipan cookies. It seems to be acknowledged in Moroccan society that the cafés are the domain of men, and that women "rule the roost" at home, but as a foreigner in the capital city, I'm able to do cross some boundaries that local women aren't.

That's not to say that in big international cities like Rabat, it's impossible to find women in cafés. That's absolutely not true. If the woman is Moroccan, she's generally with a man, and they're seated indoors. Foreign women are afforded, from what I can tell, many of the same luxuries as the men of Morocco, and are able to go to cafés by themselves. Outside of Rabat, though, I don't know that folks would be quite as indulgent with a Western woman's transgression of Moroccan social norms.

Until this point, I haven’t ventured into a café by myself, but other than the occasional trip to Panera to break the monotony, I wouldn’t be likely to go to a café alone in the U.S. either. I’m thrilled, however, that this week I had the chance to go out for coffee twice, and am pleased to report that both times it was divine. Good coffee, good food, and good conversation -- what more can one want?