The American Baker - an interview with Sonja Hart

I was raised in Austin, TX, where I learned a great deal about Mexican food. After highschool, I moved to Morocco for a year and learned how to make many different kinds of new food. I then decided to attend New England Culinary Institute (NECI), located in Essex Junction, Vermont. I took courses in Culinary Arts, or the "savory side" of cooking (meats, soups, etc). I have been ServSafe certified, which means I took training in sanitation.
Afterwards, I worked in the Bakery at NECI under Chef Mathew Zimmerman for a over a year, learning how to make bread, muffins, cookies, cakes, bars, etc. Now, I have come to Fes, Morocco to spread some home-style American baking around, and provide it to other foriegners who cannot obtain it here.

American Bakery in Fez!

Got a craving for some home-made goodies? Then you have come to the right place!

Sonja Hart offers all kinds of delicious, all-natural, real butter, American-style, home baked treats such as brownies and pies.

If you ever get the need for a taste of home, or wish to try something new, let someone professionally trained in Baking and Pastry handle it. She also makes delectable desserts for the Holidays such as Pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.

Please contact Sonja Hart at: ameribake@yahoo.com Tel.No - 051-566117

50 Reasons to Stop Using Plastic Bags

When I first came to Morocco and traveled from Casablanca to Fez on the train, what I saw from the window were hundreds of black plastic bags littering the landscape. They were stuck to the scrub brush, blowing around the fields and even flying high in the air. It looked like somebody had dropped a bomb of bags on the countryside.

You can't go to a store anywhere that a plastic bag isn't offered or your purchase isn't squirreled away in the plastic folds before you can say no. Not all efforts to refuse the bag are successful.

So, sometimes you come across an article that's just too timely not to share. Plastic bags are a blight on the whole planet, not just Morocco, and it's time we thought seriously about a better way to transport our goods. Maybe it's time to bring back the straw basket? And those canvas bags are good for more than library books and beachwear. We have 50 reasons why we should start thinking in a new direction.

To Buy a Car?

I am finally seriously considering buying a car. I say finally because I have thought about it many times, but have always been discouraged by the driving conditions in the city. Traffic congestion, limited main throughfares and lack of parking make the competitive conditions of city driving a bit intimidating for those of us used to wide streets and relaxed cruising across town.

Fez is more akin to driving in a demolition derby and I am always amazed there aren't more accidents. Taxi drivers are the worst - I will say it again - and the morning commute in the back seat of an out-of-control Fiat Uno is a big part of my desire for a car.

The problem is whether or not I will be out of the fray, or just become a part of it?

Hot, Hot Weather in Fez

After an unusually long and pleasant spring/early summer period, the hot weather has hit Fez with a vengeance. The weekend of June 20th I was in Merzouga, hiking sand dunes no less, and it was not as hot as Fez is right now. Temperatures have been hitting in excess of 100 F. Walking just about anywhere after 1o or 11 in the morning in completely miserable and akin to walking too close to fire. This is the time of year when people move down to the ground floor of the house where it's generally cooler and some people sleep on the rooftops.

When the weather gets this hot there are a few precautions needed to stay healthy. Drink water! That should go without saying but in a dry climate you don't always realize just how thirsty you are. If you are new to Morocco, make that bottled water. Beware of melons and other soft fruits. Do not eat them on the street no matter how tempting it may seem and make sure when you take them home to refrigerate them well before eating. Bacteria builds up quickly on the moist surface of the fruit and can lead to nasty stomach problems. Westerners are used to air-conditioned spaces, but the truth is, A/C is not healthy in heavy doses and rushing in and out from cold to extreme hot to cold is not good for you either. Don't forget the sunscreen because in sun this hot and this bright, sunburn can happen before you even realize you forgot the sunscreen.

Heatstroke from standing in direct sun or from exercising during the hottest parts of the day is another risk. It is best to find some shade while waiting for that bus or taxi and reschedule your exercise periods to cooler early mornings or move indoors. One young woman told me she ignored friendly warnings not to go running and spent two days trying to get her equilibrium back.

And don't forget your pets - give them fresh water several times daily and make sure they either have a shady resting place or can spend the hottest part of the day inside the house.

One of the odd things about spending the whole year in Morocco is that when the hotspell passes and the cold winter weather returns and we find ourselves bundled and huddled around a heater inside the house, it hard to believe it could ever get this hot.