Moroccan Health Question

[Donna A 4]

well my husband is a doctor and he never says cold drinks are bad for u. he drinks them cold. as for me i do like things at room temp because of sensitivity of teeth.

i always take my shoes off at anyones house and go barefoot. my sister in law was like...wheres ur shoes in what little english she can speak. so i guess its just a mena thing about the shoes. my husband never took his shoes off at his parents house but he takes them off in ours. strange.

[hollyw 0]

It always seems weird in Morocco when people die that no one really knows why, and they never find out what happened. Hicham told me about his friend's Mom dying and I asked what happened and he said "she ate something that was in the microwave for too long". I just say, "oh that's too bad" even though that sounds like the most ridiculous reason ever. Do people go to the emergency room there? Everytime someone passes away that I have heard in Morocco it's in their home, and the family doesn't ever really find out how they died. Oh well.

I've noticed this too, although I've never heard a reason as ridiculous as someone died because something was left in the microwave too long. Although I'd believe if someone died because meat and dairy were left out in the heat too long. When I was in Algeria, I was constantly asking my husband if stuff should be put in the fridge rather than left in the oven overnight...

When we were there last summer and my husband's aunt was sick they just tucked her into bed. They had NO IDEA what was wrong with her, she was just sick - it was a mystery. Now I guess they had brought her to a clinic, but the doctor couldn't find out what was wrong, so they just went home. She was sick for like 4 or 5 months. I could never understand this... if one person couldn't tell you what was wrong, why wouldn't you go to the next person?? I don't know.

On the other hand his aunt's son got hit in the eye with something and was almost blind. They dragged him all over North Africa and Europe to get that fixed. And his other aunt goes to France when she's pregnant to have the babies because it's more comfortable.

I think there's definitely the idea that some things can be helped and some can't, whereas here I think we're more likely (at least from what I've experienced) to go to the hospital because we have better medical care - something that can be treated here can't necessarily be treated there and why not get comfortable in your own home if things are gonna get really bad, ya know?

[ya falaha! 0]

Ugh they did that in Egypt, too. I saw my MIL pulling meat out of the oven that had been in the oven over night. She was gonna reheat it for lunch. Guess who didn't eat lunch that day I told my husband that it grossed me out so he made his mom and sisters put leftovers in the fridge after that.

When I was in Algeria, I was constantly asking my husband if stuff should be put in the fridge rather than left in the oven overnight...

Question...does anyone else have to deal with this?....no matter what sickness someone has it's called a cold. Cold in the head, cold in the chest, cold in the stomach, cold in the back...every illness is a cold. That kinda drives me nuts.

Edited July 13, 2007 by moody

[yassmine2878 1]

oh and a spoonful of cumin fixes everything! LOL

Thank you for that. Now Ive got that damn song stuck in my head, only with slightly different lyrics.

~ Just a spoonful of cumin helps the medicine go down, medicine go down, medicine go down..... in the most delightful wayyyyyyyyyyy!~

ARRGGGGHH *whacks side of head* out! out! out!

But don't get me started on Moroccans and their obsession with avoiding coldness of any sort (cold feet, taking too many baths, sleeping with two thick blankets in the summer, cold bones, etc.). It's basically the cause of every known human illness!

Maybe we've got it wrong. It's the same thing in Italy - must avoid all that bad air (ie. any open window), flip-flops in May - oh the horror!

flip flops should be avoided everyplace except the bathroom

What is it with the ol' floppers? My husband is so religous about wearing them that he often steals mine! I cant remember how many times Ive gone hunting for my favorite pair of fuzzy pink FF, only to look under the desk and see them on his feet!

Its nice to know Im not the only one with a 'Dr. Sunday' husband LOL

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

~ Just a spoonful of cumin helps the medicine go down, medicine go down, medicine go down..... in the most delightful wayyyyyyyyyyy!~

i'm so gonna have to sing that to nessa

[morocco4ever 63]

This entire thread cracks me up! From the cold drinks, the sickness, the shoes....I have seen it all.

Their beliefs are so funky, but if you say anything about it they get pissed off.

For instance, my husband is a firm believer that soaking chicken in lemon juice will kill all of the bacteria. Maybe I am screwy, but since when does lemon juice kill bacteria? When he gets the stomach flu or diarrhea he blames it on this. Strange how I don't get it too.

One other funny thing I have heard....peeing after you have sex will kill the sperm....

I do believe a lot of their beliefs have to do with the fact that they don't go to the doctor often, and some lunatic makes up some bogus reason for sickness and death and since they don't have the same medical care that we do they just believe it since there seems to be no other explanation.

Luckily my husband wasn't so adament about the iced drinks as some of yours, and yes, he has now enjoys it in his drink as well. He never pushes the shoes in the house thing either. I love being bare foot.

[maryandatif 0]

My in-laws served cold COKE with dinner lol

I don't know about drinking cold beverages being bad, however I can say that while I was there and drinking hot tea all the time with Atif's grandmother I didn't feel the heat as much. Who knows??

Mary K.

[sereia 0]

oh how could i forget this weird one my fiance did recently! he had a knee injury last year sometime but never went to the doctor for it (probably needs surgery). instead he goes to some moroccan witch doctor who heats up a metal prod and lightly brands it with the heat. not enough to leave a permanent scar but to impose some kind of pain. somehow thats supposed to help. sounds like it helps transfer one pain to another!!!!!!!!

he also has a jar of some dark green slop that he eats a tablespoon a day of. he said its a mixture of ground up scorpion, different plants, honey, and the eggs of "a large flying bird!" lol i don't know what bird he's talking about, but apparently there's a large flying bird in the mountains of essaouira that has medicinal properties in its eggs.

Edited July 13, 2007 by abdounjen

[sereia 0]

it was a good thing you didn't eat that food left in the oven all night, moody!

anything left for 4+ hours between 41-140 degrees f has a big possibility of developing big problems for your health! its better to be safe than sorry if something has been left in those conditions.

[ya falaha! 0]

Last night we had pizza for dinner. There was a piece left and we forgot to put it in the fridge so it was still on the counter in the morning. In our phone conversation a few minutes ago Moh says, hey I finished the pizza. Ugh! I don't understand how anyone could eat something after it's been left out all night.

it was a good thing you didn't eat that food left in the oven all night, moody!

anything left for 4+ hours between 41-140 degrees f has a big possibility of developing big problems for your health! its better to be safe than sorry if something has been left in those conditions.

[Jenn! 918]

Last night we had pizza for dinner. There was a piece left and we forgot to put it in the fridge so it was still on the counter in the morning. In our phone conversation a few minutes ago Moh says, hey I finished the pizza. Ugh! I don't understand how anyone could eat something after it's been left out all night.

it was a good thing you didn't eat that food left in the oven all night, moody!

anything left for 4+ hours between 41-140 degrees f has a big possibility of developing big problems for your health! its better to be safe than sorry if something has been left in those conditions.

Well, it seems they do it all the time in Morocco, so I would imagine that you build up resistance. Personally, I think Americans are a little bit too ####### about that sort of stuff. I ate stuff that was out all night when I was in Morocco and never got sick. Wadi does it all the time here, and I'll do it on occasion as well as I've never experienced any negative reaction.

Famous last words, I know. I'll probably get food poisoning now since I've jinxed myself.

[ya falaha! 0]

I know I probably ate stuff that sat out all night in Egypt too and never got sick. I used to eat stuff that was out all night here when I was younger (mostly pizza) and didn't get sick. I guess the older I get the more ####### I get.

[sereia 0]

well the thing is, its not a definite that you will get sick if its been left out. its just that in those temperatures, it has the chance to grow the bacteria to get you sick, if refridgerated and reheated above 140, you have a much lower (if at all) chance of getting sick. and if it was cheese or veggie pizza you left out, its highly unlikely he'd get sick. my mom always leaves out stuff and eats it the next day too.

[doodlebug 3]

Question...does anyone else have to deal with this?....no matter what sickness someone has it's called a cold. Cold in the head, cold in the chest, cold in the stomach, cold in the back...every illness is a cold. That kinda drives me nuts.

ALWAYS!!! EVERYTHING is a cold!!!

[StupidJourney 0]

I didn't learn until my MIL was in the U.S. that they leave food out overnight too. (I guess it was due to my being kicked out of the kitchen in Morocco!) Every time I saw it happen here, I was suddenly not hungry, or had an intense pregnancy craving for something else! Oh, and I am left wondering about maybe my GI problems in Morocco stemming from this issue.

Oh and my husband has the green goop stuff too. His has a picture of a ginger root on it!