Although both were settled by people related to each other and both have the root “Moor” in their names, there are many differences between the two neighboring countries in Africa where I have lived. This is part one of a semi-regular series in which I will choose a topic at random and natter on about it for hours. Today’s topic: Sharks
Mauritania is an isolated, conservative country. I have never seen a Mauritanian woman in public who wasn’t wearing a muluffa–never once, in 6 years. Mauritanians don’t really go to the beach, and when they do, it’s a treat to see them fully clothed, dipping just one toe in the water, reminiscent of photos of Victorian-era Americans strolling on the beach in button-up boots. Once, at a beach close to town, Donn spotted a Frenchman in a Speedo chatting with two Mauritanian men whose long, pale blue robes swept to the sand. Another time, we were on vacation in Senegal. Some Senegalese sported swimsuits; those who couldn‘t afford them simply stripped down to their underwear and plunged into the waves. We spotted two Mauritanian women in mulaffas on the beach, who had rolled up their mulaffas to their shoulders and obviously felt very bold and near-nude, showing off their upper arms like that!
Swimming is not something that has arrived in this desert land, and I’ve heard of kids growing up along the Atlantic coast or on the banks of the Senegal River who never learn, and who have fallen in and drowned. This seems incredible to me but I have it on good evidence.
In the 6 years we lived in Mauritania, we went to the beach nearly weekly. We would drive about 15 km out of town, north of the fishing village, and far enough out for privacy. There are no laws in Mauritania that would prohibit a Western woman wearing a swimsuit at the beach, but I don’t know many women who enjoy the feeling of being on display. Sometimes, fishermen would come across our little bathing party, and they were usually fascinated. Once, two young men sat down on a dune with huge smiles on their faces and stared at us. You could see them thinking that this was even better than television! We sent Donn to send them away.
But I’m getting off my topic, which is sharks.
Mauritania was until recently home to the world’s richest fishing grounds, although they’re being over-fished at a startling rate. Nonetheless, it’s not unusual to walk along the beach and see squid, dolphin, sting-rays, blowfish, cuttlefish, and more–washed up on shore, or flung out as useless from some local fisherman’s net.
We didn’t see too many sharks on all those beach visits, and for that I was thankful. I don’t like sharks in the water with me, because their teeth are sharper than mine, for one, and their eyesight is better. I feel at a disadvantage in spite of my superior intelligence and ability to type very quickly and play Pathwords on Facebook. But one memorable day, we did see, and photograph, a shark. It was very small and quite dead. And, my sister-in-law reassured me that this kind eat crabs, not people, which wasn’t as comforting as she apparently felt it to be–according to Donn’s research, most sharks chomp an arm or leg to see what you are, then spit you out. You then either bleed to death or your blood incites them to a frenzy and they eat you anyway. Yeah.
Here in Rabat, those weekly beach visits haven’t happened. First of all, we don’t have a car yet. Second of all, this winter was cold and rainy, enough to discourage even my fanatical husband (he grew up in California and Hawaii, which explains a lot, actually). We have only been to the beach as a family one time in the past 8 months, although he’s made several surfing trips with friends. It was a beautiful beach, complete with out-of-control horses and prickly dark purple sea urchins, their dried shells fun to crunch underneath a sandaled foot but live ones not so fun for Donn, who managed to get a few prickles embedded in his feet.
I saw my first Moroccan shark the other day at Marjane, carefully arranged on ice. Marjane is another difference between these two countries. Mauritania has nothing even close to Marjane, which is this enormous “hypermarche”–a store that sells groceries, toys, clothes, appliances, and dishes. Like France’s Carrefour, Marjane is always located with a little mini-mall, and, at least in Rabat, always has a Pizza Hut near it. Mmmm, Pizza Hut. I hadn’t eaten at one since high school until we moved to Morocco, and I’ve eaten at one here 3 times in the past 8 months. Obviously my resistance to fast food, or whiny children, is weakening. Also, in my own defense, we don’t have Vincente’s or Flying Pie here, and non-American pizza seems to come only with a cardstock-thin crust.
Mauritania has no chain stores at all unless you count Orca, which I believe also has a location in Dakar. A place with no copyright laws, it boasts a “McDonalds”–a basic hole-in-the-wall storefront in one of Nouakchott’s slums, which I’m betting is the world’s only McDonald’s that serves chebojen (fish and rice) but no hamburgers. It also has a “Pizza Hot” and several other knock-offs, my personal favorite being the Michelin man.
Rabat, especially, is like a different world than Nouakchott. (Although, to be honest, it’s Nouakchott that’s the different world. That’s where the name of my blog comes from) Here, streets are paved, there are green spaces, and it is possible to acquire power and water at your house on the same day they were requested (that is not urban myth. It happened to us). In Nouakchott, I hear that more and more streets are being paved, but it wasn’t unusual for the phone company to perform a pre-emptive strike and cut off power before our bill was even due.
I miss our beach visits, but I prefer my sharks on ice.
Also, whatever these appetizing things are.
And these.
Bon appetit!
So, to sum up: In Mauritania, we saw sharks on the beach. Here, we see sharks on ice. Viva la difference!
13 comments
April 23, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Nancy R.
I believe you need your own show on PBS.
“fish heads/fish heads/roly-poly fish heads…”
April 23, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Antique Mommy
Yes, I do believe I prefer my sharks on ice as well. “Sharks on Ice!” – the next new Ice Capades show!
Love the way you took your time in telling the story, winding through the side streets! Fun and colorful. Also love the composition of that last photo, all those red fish head sticking up!
April 23, 2009 at 11:36 pm
carole Lawrence
WHAT WOULD PEOPE DO WITH THE SHARK HEAD?
April 24, 2009 at 5:26 am
Linda
I hope you never see a live shark in the ocean with you. I’m always sort of afraid to get into the water because I can’t see what’s there.
April 24, 2009 at 11:54 am
ladyfi
Vive la difference!
When I lived in Fiji as a teenager we often used to snorkel even when there were sharks in the area. Just bop them on the nose, was the advice we got from the Fijians – who worship the shark god to protect them from bites…
I was more comforted by the fact that the sharks wouldn’t dare venture onto the shallow water above the sharp coral reefs…
April 24, 2009 at 2:38 pm
LIB
People REALLY EAT those sharks?
April 24, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Mary Witzl
We’re told that there are no sharks here, in our part of the Mediterranean. I fervently hope that is true — especially when I’m swimming and I can’t see what’s tickling my feet.
There are a lot of West Africans at our university, and they too are not fond of swimming in the sea. They have my shark phobia with a vengeance, but on top of that, they just don’t have the swimming tradition. I’m betting that the summer heat will break their resistance down. Especially if it turns out that there really aren’t any sharks here…
April 25, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Beck
I’ve eaten shark, I believe. But not the head. I’m always horrified to see fish for sale WITH THEIR HEADS ON. Ick!
The idea of swimming where sharks are terrifies me – but I walk cheerfully enough where black bears are, which shows, I guess, that we can justify anything.
April 27, 2009 at 5:31 am
Michelle at Scribbit
Love the pictures. I could also see in my minds all those crazy fish you mentioned–
I’m trying to think what on earth shark (or eel) would taste like.
April 27, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Carrie
I agree, I prefer seeing sharks on ice. I think I’ve eaten one of those red fish before, in Maur., and it was good.
And, I have to say, your mention of Pizza Hot reminded me of my favorite pizza there–the “Mexican” pizza, with chicken. Not too bad!
I am still craving a greasy schwarma from Le Prince, however!
May 6, 2009 at 11:10 pm
LG
Me too. I have eaten shark. Steven caught one when he was in grade 3, and so of course we had to eat it. It seems like we had to marinate it in lemon juice overnight for some reason….
May 22, 2009 at 2:30 pm
King of the Road « Planet Nomad
[…] May 22, 2009 in I pontificate, culture, culture shock, life in the big city Although both were settled by people related to each other and both have the root “Moor” in their names, there are many differences between the two neighboring countries in Africa where I have lived. This is part two of a semi-regular series in which I will choose a topic at random and natter on about it for hours. Today’s topic: Driving (read part one: Sharks here) […]
September 16, 2009 at 4:03 am
Surfing Morocco
people really do eat them??