Marrakesh!

Doesn’t just the name make you feel like you are going somewhere special? Exotic? Maybe a little bit dangerous? Well, it’s a Moroccan restaurant in Portland and our dear daughter (DD) has wanted to return there with all of her friends for a long time now, so she invited everyone she knows to join her and her DH at the Marrakesh Moroccan Restaurant on NW 21st in Portland.

It turns out that 14 people is A LOT to put around two little tables about 4 ft. across when you are all sitting around on cushions about the size of a small footstool! Ok, I didn’t sit on one of those because it would be a disaster of the highest proportions …. Probably meaning a trip to the ER. So, luckily they had these tables, two remember, against the wall where there was a padded “bench” for those who felt unlikely to live through sitting on the floor for a couple of hours.

My poor DH was NOT one of the lucky ones. We all pushed him and several others aside to get to the bench first! He told me later that he was in quite a bit of pain the ENTIRE time that he was at the restaurant. Oops … better not tell DD. It was funny watching some try to sit down and roll off of the cushions! One of her friends was practically sitting on the cushion of the lady behind him (whom he did not know) and they sort of put their backs together in order not to fall over.

It was also my “sort of son’s” birthday … Monte used to stay with us when he was still in college and working for the police department here in town. We sort of adopted him and he, us. Now he has two beautiful little girls and a gorgeous wife whom we love too! Monte has the longest legs you’ve ever seen. So, I KNEW he would never make it … he tried but it just wasn’t possible … so I shoved him in between his mother-in-law and I. (He loves his mother-in-law btw). The two little girls were shoved in between the two tables because they were the only ones who would fit! [Our BB (baby boy) Dominic was at a babysitters as we didn’t think an almost two-year-old could handle it.]

We all decided to try the “Royal Feast” as it is known because that way we could just try a whole bunch of dishes .. Forgot we were eating with our hands and we would be sharing everything … ha It was really quite an interesting experience! The chicken with honey and prunes was my absolute favorite and if you ever go, you MUST try it! But it started out with a hand-washing … everyone over a metal pot of some sort, pointing your hands down so the water wouldn’t run down your arms and the waiter pours warm to hot water over all … Did I tell you I was short? I didn’t get to wash very well, but no, it didn’t run down my arms … I didn’t get enough water .. it barely touched my finger tips! The Marrakesh salad was DELICIOUS … but you had to eat it with a piece of bread or your fingers … I was ravenous by the time we got it because I hadn’t eaten lunch that day in preparation for my feast! My son in law (DSIL) was looking at me with that look in his eye … eek but I didn’t care, it was so good!

Soon, a beautiful belly dancer came out and Monte whispered to me that he was so glad he was stuck where he was … Sure enough, she invited people to join her, including the two little girls which is a memory they won’t forget soon. They jumped right up, ready to go as girls that age will do. Later, after we had pretty much stuffed ourselves with every kind of meat except fish and cous cous … and bread (that was our only utensils!) we were served their Moroccan mint tea … the waiter poured it in all the glasses at once (yes, hot tea in glasses!) from high above the table … It was another beautiful Moroccan ritual to enjoy. They washed our hands again … Oh, everyone is given a fluffy white towel at the beginning which comes in VERY HANDY as you can imagine!

Again it was hilarious watching everyone try to get up off the cushions … heh …

It was an interesting and fun way to celebrate our DD’s birthday and maybe some day we will go back …if I KNOW I can get the bench.