It happened in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Walking down an aroma filled neighborhood to find a place to eat, I was attracted to the large rotating lamb and beef shwarmas on gas flames in front of a small restaurant. But what caught my eye were the little clear glasses filled with bright green leaves that most of the customers were drinking out of. Curious, I ordered “one of those”.
They called it “Moroccan whiskey”—mint leaves, boiling water with lots of sugar. It was so sweet it melted my teeth. But it was also extremely addictive—taking me back to my mother’s womb where the only thought was to suckle and nothing else. In time, I learned that for each serving of tea you need two glasses. One was used to agitate the sugared water by pouring it repeatedly back into the teapot. The other was for drinking. This social drink brings people together and I think you can talk about anything when the tongue is sweetened.
Photo by themoroccandream.blogspot.com
