I personally enjoy this way of eating--I feel closer to my host family this way. It is one of my favorite cultural dishes that my host mom cooks.
I do not help my host mom cook because as a guest I am not allowed to help in the kitchen – that is considered disrespectful. In fact, helping make food or washing my own dishes might imply that the host does not know how to properly host a guest. Therefore, I have never helped my host mom in the kitchen. However, the Arabic language partners at my school held a cooking class workshop. The main ingredients are the semolina grain and chicken. Then they added zucchini, garbanzo beans, potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and cabbage. The Couscous dish is also full of spices ranging from cumin, to salt, to paprika, and many more spices that I am not familiar with.
Sometimes before the main Couscous course, there are side dishes to snack on while the main course is being prepared or served. Olives are a popular side dish that grows throughout the region and grow in abundance. I am not sure if the vegetables in the Couscous are connected to the local environment, however, the vegetables tend to grow throughout most of the year. Also, the meat in Morocco is halal meat which means that animals are slaughtered in a specific way that adheres to Islamic law. I think of the halal process as one that is respectful towards animals because it is meant to make the animal feel as little pain as possible. In Islam, people are expected to practice respect towards animals and all living creatures which I believe is beautiful.
