My Asilah Journal: The Shopping Scene

What makes grocery shopping difficult in Asilah isn't just that the stores are small or that we're on foot. What's hard is that we have to rely on communication. Goods are behind a counter, or stacked on high shelves, or in bulk, or in unfamiliar packaging, and so we have to ask for what we want, hoping we can come up with the correct word in French and that it will be understood. Like many activities in Morocco, shopping is social, which makes it uncomfortable for outsiders like us who don't speak Moroccan Arabic.


Our grocery store

We shop at one of the larger grocery stores in town, where we buy milk, nuts, dried fruit, yogurt, eggs, paper goods--the basic stuff. We like this store because it's well-stocked, it's usually open, the shop owner is pleasant, and we can get change here for a 200 dirham note (less than $25). Elsewhere those bills can create a fiasco--the shopkeeper or a helper might run off for five or ten minutes looking for change.

For bottled water we go to the medina "hanouts," smaller shops about the size of a large pantry.

Hanouts are handy if you live in the medina.

Prices aren't usually marked in any of the stores; we depend on the honesty and math skills of the shopkeeper.

When Mark first arrived in Asilah and optimistically went looking for the supermarket, people kept directing him to this covered market, where there are separate stands for produce, olives, chicken, meat, bread, and packaged goods all under one roof. We buy most of our vegetables here.

Covered market: produce

Covered market: the poultry section

Most stores in Asilah are loosely specialized: shoes and clothing, hardware, electronics, plastic goods, blankets and mattresses, teapots and trays, sports bags, kitchen sinks... Sometimes the collections seem random, like sports clothing paired with brass knick-knacks. Spaces are small and inventories are small. Often the items are second-hand.

A cushion, braid, and tassel store

A wedding rental store

A men's clothing"boutique"

There are fewer clothing stores for women than for men, perhaps because more women than men dress in traditional, tailor-made djellabas. The clothing stores with western styles for women tend to be located discreetly on side streets. What you see for women on the main street are bathrobes and lounge wear, leggings, shoes, scarves, and fabric.

Pajama sidewalk sale. You can wear whatever you want under your djellaba.

Tailor-made clothing for women

A scarf store

Shoe store, temporarily closed, as signaled by the broomstick.

Just about everything that's sold in shops can also be found in informal sales on the street. Along the main streets of town small-scale vendors set up fresh and dried fruit carts, and many sellers line the streets with small quantities of fruits and vegetables, herbs, breads, goat cheese wrapped in palm leaves, butter, eggs, and fish.

Oranges and bananas are staples.

Street fish

Strings of dried figs

It seems like anyone with something to sell can pick a spot to lay out their wares. The main street of town is a farmer's market/flea market/street fair, every day of the week.