24 Mar Spring News and Views from the palais amani
Don’t worry, this is not another ‘it’s been a year look back’ post. There have been too many of those in the last couple of weeks, and yes, Covid-19 is still a world pandemic, and yes travel is still slow, (but happening, finally!) and yes this time last year no one would have believed that we would still be in this situation, but it is and we are.
So rather than do a recap on the past 12 months, how about looking at all the reasons we have to celebrate? Celebrate now and in the near future.
Celebrate now.
If one thing is certain, (and no I promise you I am not doing a ‘what have we learnt from the world pandemic’.) Spring is most certainly here at Palais Amani.
The days getting longer and the explosion of blooms on our rooftop and in our garden mirror the bouquet of excuses we have in the next few weeks for celebrations.
Once again this year, Passover, Easter and Ramadan follow in close pursuit, and food, that universal declaration of love, once again brings us all together.
Loubna, our wonderful Experience Coordinator at Fez Cooking School, recently said that one of the best things about her job was the feeling of belonging to a community that wasn’t condemned by geographical boundaries. The community she/we is/are part of is the universal community of food.
Thanks to the opportunity of sharing the secrets of Moroccan cuisine with people from all over the world, the Fez Cooking School does its bit to bring people together, to erase geographical boundaries and celebrate cultural diversity.
The sharing has been slower in the last 12 months with less people face to face, but thanks to our online cooking, we are continuing to come together and travel, through food at least, despite the pandemic.
So if you are still not able to physically get to us, quite just yet, celebrate now! Please join us online and do what so many of us enjoy the most.
Life is rhythmed by dates that allow communities to come to together and remember the trials of the past.
As I said Passover, Easter and Ramadan follow this year again in quick succession. And whether we are finding our way out of the desert, or trying to understand the workings of losing a savior, or practicing restraint and reconnecting with a more spiritual path, each has the particularity of facing challenges, and of working through them, together.
In Morocco for generations, Muslim families would prepare sweetmeats for their Jewish neighbors ready for the Mimouna celebration at the end of Passover knowing that it was impossible to for their friends to touch flour during this time.
Here is a selection of dishes that you can learn in our Cooking workshops. If you are celebrating Passover, Easter or getting ready for Ramadan, why not try them out, with us, or if you can’t make one of the online classes, then try them at home and join us in the community of kitchens all over the world.
Celebrate Soon
I don’t know if you feel it, but along with the sprouting and the blossoming, Spring this year is also blowing a wind of optimism, and as the vaccination program progresses all over the world, we think once more of reuniting with those we haven’t been able to see for so long.
After a long and disorientating period of being tested as we have been in the last twelve months, where better to reunite than in the majestic haven that is the Palais Amani? Come and celebrate soon and let us work our magic. With flexible conditions, you can start planning now and ensure you have the moment of a lifetime.
Celebrate together.
Passover, Easter and Ramadan, share the realization that things are much tougher alone, they recognize that we need the help of others, that sharing makes us stronger and that the unexplainable requires a great leap of faith (pun intended).
This Springtime, wherever you happen to be and whatever you decide to do, please celebrate. Passover, Easter, Ramadan. Celebrate our traditions, celebrate the sun and the rise in energy, celebrate our friendships and the resilience that we have found within ourselves to ride this through.
We can’t wait to welcome you all again, soon, someday really soon.
Jemima Mann-Baha,
Co-Owner, Palais Amani