OK, so first of all I need to explain how it came to be that I ended up in Morocco. I wasn't planning to come here at all, in fact I was planning to go back to Australia. One grim, cold fateful day in England I went online for a little look on the overseas jobs section of the gumtree website. It was there I saw the add, ‘chef wanted for Moroccan surf and yoga retreat’. This seems interesting I thought to myself. I read on... As the title suggested these guys were looking for a chef to cater for there yoga and surf retreats. With the discipline of yoga usually comes a vegetarian diet so basically they were looking for a chef experienced in preparing vegetarian food mostly for their yoga retreats. Another prerequisite was that you must love surfing because their isn’t much else to do in this town. Am I reading this right? Holy shit, I knew this was my job and I applied for it straight away. I felt pretty confident. 2 days later after some emailing and a chat on the phone I had been offered the job. 12 days later I’m on a flight to Morocco paid for by these guys. My flight arrived just as the sun was going down but the plane banked right over the Atlas mountains and there was just enough light to see how incredible the landscape is. I have never seen a mountain range like it, massive, red and dry scattered with a few trees and a dusting of snow. We landed. Yiieeww. I’m in Africa!
was greeted by a Moroccan dude that didn’t speak English but he had a surf maroc (the mob I work for) sign with my name and a few others. Two other guys that were on my flight were heading to the same place one guy to surf and another to do a yoga teaching course (for whom I ended up cooking for, for 2 weeks). The next day it all begins. People from the 2 week yoga teaching course are arriving and the current chef is leaving in 2 days. I’m thrown right in the deep end head first. Its Saturday which is shopping day. Its not only food shopping at the market but driving into Agadir to the big catering supermarkets for supplies for all 3 accomodations that we run. So everything from toilet paper to hundreds of bottles of water, huge shop. Companies that usually deliver this kinda stuff to restaurant and hotels don’t exist here. I’m asked to drive... shit... I’ve driven a manual car 3 times in my life and I’m in Morocco. After dodging cyclists, goats, donkeys and other cars I managed to not crash the car but did get pulled over by police. He wanted my passport which I didn’t have on me and then tried to fine me for no reason. We got out of it without paying a fine but they will usually try and get money from you somehow. I saw a cop moving a speed limit sign the other day to catch people unaware. It’s crazy. Oh and I did my first hill start in front of a cop at a round a bout the other day. Didn’t stall the car! So learning to drive a manual was pretty easy in the end I’m pro now.
The work side of things is going really well. It’s just me and a Moroccan bloke in the kitchen. He is really cool and good at French deserts so that’s sweet (pun intended). Speaks decent English as well which is a bonus. They have been loving my menu so I’m pretty stoked. I’ve been surfing quite a bit. I can surf every day if I want because my work hours are usually 8-12, 4 hours off then 4-10. Friday off. It’s pretty damn good. I’ve been working hard but I’m not really tired or stressed. Everybody is really chilled out and it’s cool to be surrounded by people like that. Sometimes a bit too chilled. Yesterday I needed the car to drive to work but it wasn’t back on time because the surf was good. The local people are really kind and gentle and super friendly as well. This one bloke that is like the caretaker/guardian of the place I work is amazing. He lives in this little concrete shoebox of a home about the size of my bedroom and he just wanders around gardening, keeping the place in check and being awesome. He is so calm and content. It’s amazing how happy people are here and from a financial point of view they are so poor but there lives are still rich I would say. Will update this as often as possible. Cheers. Shakran.
villa mandela sunset - this is where I work.
some dudes helping me load produce into my car at the market
where I shop
tommy the tortoise hangs out in the kitchen, I feed him lettuce
OK, so first of all I need to explain how it came to be that I ended up in Morocco. I wasn't planning to come here at all, in fact I was planning to go back to Australia. One grim, cold fateful day in England I went online for a little look on the overseas jobs section of the gumtree website. It was there I saw the add, ‘chef wanted for Moroccan surf and yoga retreat’. This seems interesting I thought to myself. I read on... As the title suggested these guys were looking for a chef to cater for there yoga and surf retreats. With the discipline of yoga usually comes a vegetarian diet so basically they were looking for a chef experienced in preparing vegetarian food mostly for their yoga retreats. Another prerequisite was that you must love surfing because their isn’t much else to do in this town. Am I reading this right? Holy shit, I knew this was my job and I applied for it straight away. I felt pretty confident. 2 days later after some emailing and a chat on the phone I had been offered the job. 12 days later I’m on a flight to Morocco paid for by these guys.
ReplyDeleteMy flight arrived just as the sun was going down but the plane banked right over the Atlas mountains and there was just enough light to see how incredible the landscape is. I have never seen a mountain range like it, massive, red and dry scattered with a few trees and a dusting of snow. We landed. Yiieeww. I’m in Africa!
was greeted by a Moroccan dude that didn’t speak English but he had a surf maroc (the mob I work for) sign with my name and a few others. Two other guys that were on my flight were heading to the same place one guy to surf and another to do a yoga teaching course (for whom I ended up cooking for, for 2 weeks).
ReplyDeleteThe next day it all begins. People from the 2 week yoga teaching course are arriving and the current chef is leaving in 2 days. I’m thrown right in the deep end head first. Its Saturday which is shopping day. Its not only food shopping at the market but driving into Agadir to the big catering supermarkets for supplies for all 3 accomodations that we run. So everything from toilet paper to hundreds of bottles of water, huge shop. Companies that usually deliver this kinda stuff to restaurant and hotels don’t exist here. I’m asked to drive... shit... I’ve driven a manual car 3 times in my life and I’m in Morocco. After dodging cyclists, goats, donkeys and other cars I managed to not crash the car but did get pulled over by police. He wanted my passport which I didn’t have on me and then tried to fine me for no reason. We got out of it without paying a fine but they will usually try and get money from you somehow. I saw a cop moving a speed limit sign the other day to catch people unaware. It’s crazy. Oh and I did my first hill start in front of a cop at a round a bout the other day. Didn’t stall the car! So learning to drive a manual was pretty easy in the end I’m pro now.
The work side of things is going really well. It’s just me and a Moroccan bloke in the kitchen. He is really cool and good at French deserts so that’s sweet (pun intended). Speaks decent English as well which is a bonus. They have been loving my menu so I’m pretty stoked. I’ve been surfing quite a bit. I can surf every day if I want because my work hours are usually 8-12, 4 hours off then 4-10. Friday off. It’s pretty damn good. I’ve been working hard but I’m not really tired or stressed. Everybody is really chilled out and it’s cool to be surrounded by people like that. Sometimes a bit too chilled. Yesterday I needed the car to drive to work but it wasn’t back on time because the surf was good. The local people are really kind and gentle and super friendly as well. This one bloke that is like the caretaker/guardian of the place I work is amazing. He lives in this little concrete shoebox of a home about the size of my bedroom and he just wanders around gardening, keeping the place in check and being awesome. He is so calm and content. It’s amazing how happy people are here and from a financial point of view they are so poor but there lives are still rich I would say. Will update this as often as possible. Cheers. Shakran.
ReplyDelete