One of my favorite commenters, Aimee, is a great help to me – whenever I feel stumped for subject material for a post, she always mentions something that would require a post worthy answer.
So, what you see above is an empty bottle of Sidi Harazem. Empty because it’s the best water in Morocco, and all you Sidi Ali fans can stuff it. You see, Aimee, people who are not Sidi Harazem fans like to claim that it’s “too salty.” Enough people repeated this to me in Morocco that I came to realize it was the same type of commonly held “belief” as reported by Jill over at Morocco Report – “If you drink chilled water you’ll catch a cold!” Yeah, right. I’ll be over here drinking my tasty Sidi Harazem, reveling in my good health, while all the rest of you drink that bilge they call Sidi Ali and visit the pharmacy for anteebeeoghteeks for the tiniest sniffle.
Jill
January 27, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I drink neither, rather, I prefer my tasty Meknassi tap water, which only sometimes has too much silt to drink (and always enough silt to clog my hot water heater).
Despite whatever the folks at The View from Fez say about my robinet habits, I’ll keep on.
(thanks for the mention!)
Felix
January 27, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Heh, funny you say that – when I’m in the Gorge, I drink the water from the spring in front of the hotel – but the big city water scares me. I’ll have to try Meknassi water sometime…
Aimee
January 28, 2007 at 12:42 am
Out of curiosity, am I a favorite because I’m so ill-informed? Anyway, here’s my “city” water story.
When we arrived in Marrakech, it was late and we were hungry. The adorable man (name withheld) who worked in our riad walked us to the Jemaa el-Fna from the Kasbah so we wouldn’t get lost (we passed a lot of places to eat along the way and still don’t know why we walked all the way to the square — I digress). After a lull in the conversation, I was tired and seriously lacking other topics. So, I inquired about the going rate for a bottle of water. He told me about 5 dh noting that “you know, you can drink the water from the tap here in Marrakech.” Of course, later he warned me never to drink the juice from the street vendors because the ice could be tainted. Apparently the ice only comes from the non-potable taps. Go figure.
Don Veto
January 28, 2007 at 1:54 am
Sidi Ali oo bas.
Jill
January 28, 2007 at 7:33 am
Aimee,
God, the things Moroccans say. I’ve been drinking that OJ for three years and I’m still alive. Moroccans always say Djemaa al Fna food/OJ is unsafe, and I suspect that it’s because they find the methods primitive or something – but city Moroccans will always tend to prefer nicer, “upscale” places, not open-area seating. I wonder if it’s a secret plot to sabotage.
Casa water is too salty, but the other cities don’t bother me.
Gaouri
January 28, 2007 at 12:37 pm
The mooshkiel i have with Sidi Harazem is that people go to Sidi Harazem/Moulay Yacoub to bathe…AND then they bottle the water. Hschuma to waste good water. As far as Sidi Robinet, the problem i have with it is the taste…too much javel(as in Essaouira), too much cacl (essaouira) and sometimes just bad taste. In the bled it is always wise to know what is upstream…
Felix
January 28, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Aimee – No, that’s not the reason you’re one of my favorite commenters.
I’ve drunk the juice in the Djemma el Fna many times, but that’s when I was visiting long-term – I think anyone who’s just there on holiday should be slightly more cautious, depending on how strong their stomach is of course.
Gaouri – I went to Moulay Yacoub, but that water was really sulphuric – I didn’t know it was from the same source as Sidi Harazem. It does seem a shame to use quality water for bathing.