Day 168: A Trip to Morocco

On our second day in Epcot, we made reservations at the Moroccan restaurant in the World Showcase. It was an incredibly hot morning, super muggy (as it will be in Orlando in the summer), and I was very cranky. I was beginning to tire of having to sidestep dozens of people everywhere we went, of being nearly run over by strollers, of being clobbered by passers-by without so much as an apology (Ian and I each suffered several blows from strangers who either sideswiped us or elbowed us and didn't even acknowledge it), and I almost asked if we could just go back to the hotel room and cancel our dinner reservation. But, knowing I shouldn't make such decisions while cranky, Ian and I went into the air conditioning and sat down for a while, and of course, my mood improved. We kept our reservation and walked into the restaurant at the appointed time, where a belly dancer performed and all the male staff wore fezzes. Our busboy (who did an amazing job and made up by far for our more surly waiter) even placed his fez on Ian's head and took our picture (see below).

Since we'd spent a few days eating new things and I had yet to venture toward any seafood, I decided to take a risk. I ordered the fish tagine (above). I'd always wanted to try a tagine, and I figured if I didn't like it, I could trade with Ian, who ordered the lamb cous cous. I actually expected his to be the superior dish, but when I got mine, I was blown away. So many spices and olives and vegetables, and the fish was delicious and tender. It definitely tasted like fish, but all the other flavors complemented it so perfectly, no other meat could have been better. Ian ended up being jealous of my order (as he often is), since his dish was lacking in sauce and was literally just a piece of lamb and some plain cous cous. He did, however, order the traditional mint tea that I thought was pretty darn good.

I think this might have been the best meal we had on this trip. Or--the best meal I had. Ian had better. He tends to have bad luck when ordering in restaurants. And somehow, I tend to choose well. One of these days, I'll have to try to make a fish tagine of my own. And it gives me an excuse to buy a tagine, like this one, if only it could be cheaper: