Eid Follow Up

Overall-it was a good holiday. We had including us 14 people in the apartment. We bought a small lamb for $250 at a secret location under a bridge in Brooklyn. Gosh, I love this town! It started out ok but I had some reservations. This is SIL's 1st holiday away from the family and their was going to be another Moroccan woman here as well and I knew that I was going to get blocked out of my own kitchen but I was determined not to let this happen.

I had meant to say something to Habibi about my fears based on previous experience but I was like, let him see for himself what is going to happen. So I think he must have known that those 2 were going to collaborate so he invited me to collaborate on a meal with him. I felt really special and so relieved that he already knew what was going to happen.

SO I had decided to dress up just a bit for Eid. SIL had given my a beautifully tourquoise-colored camis - it's essentially a nightgown. The women in Morocco wear them around the house, usually for cooking or cleaning. I decided since it was such a pretty color to wear it with white linen pants and matching tourquoise jewlery. I knew we were going to be cooking, plus we had pieces of animal carcass all over the place so it was comfortable and I was too worried if it got dirty.

About 1/2 way through the celebration, I realize that my SIL has disappeared for about a good 30 minutes. Earlier she had been upset because she wasn;t going to be with her family for the holiday, so I thought she might be in her room crying or on the phone with them, my mistake. She came out decked out to the nines in a Moroccan takshaka--essentially her wedding dress! Hair up, full makeup and her wedding jewlery (which BTW I never got) and she was in this heavily embrodiered pink dress with small pearls sewn on. Seriously, the only thing she was missing was her tiara. Everyone else had jeans or their pjs on. It was like showing up to a poker party dressed like you were going to the Oscars. But she insisted on wearing it and cooking. My eyebrow just went up and I looked at him and we both shrugged at the same time. I walked over to him and before I can say anything he goes, "now see, you could have beaten her at her own game if you had put your dress on first." I said to him, "it ain't that kind of party."

But I will always remember this as the Eid that Issame almost killed us all with carbon monoxide. We did the wholoe BBQ thing and at first it was outside and then he told me g=he was going to move it closer to the door because it was so cold outside. Next thing I know the carbon monoxide alarm is going off because someone has decided its better to cook inside the foyer that put a coat on. Everyone was ok after I opened a few windows but he had a massive headache. I could have killed him!

So originally the newlyweds were going to go to NJ for the rest of the weekend but because of the Blizzard. There here with us! I'll try to survive.