Visual Dictionary

• What does Aziz do in his spare time?

  Aziz's job is never a fancy job but a reliable source of income for him. His job as a Moroccan teaman is to pour the Moroccan mint tea for many patrons of the restaurant he works in. The tea, or "atay b'naanaa," must be prepared and served in a special way, and he is the master of atay b'naanaa preparation. Boiling water, dried green tea leaves, fresh mint leaves, and sugar. It seems like basic ingredients, but the secret is in the brewing time, and after that, it is in the mixing process before the final pouring of the tea.
  
  In his spare time, Aziz reads books, especially English books, and writes short stories mainly about the people of Morocco. Sometimes, in his notebook, he writes essays and summarizes radio conversations. Aziz's little secret is that he hates anything that is French, including the language. It reminds him of the killing of his parents in Morocco and how he was orphaned at 9. One day, Aziz will publish a book about his parents' deaths, but for now he is enjoying the English reading and writing in his free time.

  

  A teaman

  

  Tea leaves

  

  Essays

• The Sunday Souk

  During the weekdays, the place is an empty space filled with nothing but earth, litter, and street dogs. Yet, on the weekend, it is a magical marketplace called the Sunday Souk in the city of Mohammedia. Peddlers come from faraway places to peddle their things, trying to sell them and make some profits, but the competition is always very tough. In order to compete in the Sunday Souk, peddlers need to well advertise their products. In fact, with the use of portable megaphone speakers, vendors can advertise their products all day long by playing an exciting recorded voice ad that loops over and over again, informing customers, for instance, about product prices or detailed recipes of how to get rid of flies or the steps of how to use a kitchen machine. Though a portable megaphone speaker is used basically for advertising goods, it can also be used to find a kid who lost his mother in the crowds of the souk.

  

  Place

  

  Marketplace

  

  Peddlers

• A Tough Job

  Shopping carts in the Sunday souk may sound odd, but they do actually exist. Moroccans call it "Mol Karussa," which means a shopping cart man or the man who pulls a two-wheeled cart offering to carry shoppers' bags to a bus stop, a parking lot, or another transportation place near the souk. Basically, carrying people's purchases is a service that has been offered for many years in Morocco and is appreciated by the vast majority of the souk buyers. The shopping-cart man's job is not an easy job. He starts his day in the early hours of the morning and stays until the sun disappears. Many shopping cart men work the entire day without break time and nourishing meals. When they are roaming the earthy aisles of the souk looking continually for customers, they aren't getting paid, and it may take longer before getting a customer. When a customer uses the service, they pay little money, whatever they want. The service cost could be between three and ten dirhams. Add to that, the increased competition makes the shopping cart job tougher.
  
  Will the government regulate this job in the future, or will the job, itself, disappear as the thinkers of Morocco may close the Sunday souk of the city of Mohammedia, taking away food from many families' tables? What do you think?

  

  Mol Karussa

  

  A parking lot

  

  A buyer

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