Tunisian Culture, what shocked you ?

[Jillimom]

Ha, scotty, so true. How about the one cup put out for like 10 people at a gathering beside the water bottle?

 

[ROULLA]

Eating spaghetti from a giant bowl everyone at the same time.

Hi Scotty _bambam, Hope that you are well!
I remember this one quite well, I however cannot eat from anyone's plate so they'd cater for me using a different plate and I'd hear them say the Gaoria..Foreigner
I've actually been invited to a Moroccan house where they had a massive plate of couscous and they would eat with their HANDS

 

[ROULLA]

I believe in the evil eye, after all I grew around them as they were everywhere in the house.
I'm a bit weird when it comes to buying evil eyes, but i just love them and have them in all shapes and sizes.

I did find it a bit strange when I first saw a skeleton of a fish hanging on the front door whilst in Tunisia.. I was told that it worked in the same way as the evil eye does.
People also place garlic around the house.
I'm sure even I have some somewhere
I've also seen people place the black seeds what you see on bread. This is either scattered in the house or in your pocket.

Another thing that I didn't find weird was when the ladies use the canone and place a lit charcoal with some pouire inside and bless the house or they place it over your head.

 

[sass]

Hi Scotty _bambam, Hope that you are well!
I remember this one quite well, I however cannot eat from anyone's plate so they'd cater for me using a different plate and I'd hear them say the Gaoria..Foreigner
I've actually been invited to a Moroccan house where they had a massive plate of couscous and they would eat with their HANDS

I actually love this, I was married to to a Moroccan for many years, I find it very sociable and enjoyable, I miss this in Tunisia

 

[scotty_bambam]

I actually love this, I was married to to a Moroccan for many years, I find it very sociable and enjoyable, I miss this in Tunisia

Ha ha.I worry about other peoples germs.x

 

[ROULLA]

Ha ha.I worry about other peoples germs.x

I have to admit I like eating on my own plate however, I wouldn't have a problem with sharing a plate with my husband.

 

[scotty_bambam]

I have to admit I like eating on my own plate however, I wouldn't have a problem with sharing a plate with my husband.

When in Tunisian cafes my husband and I always shared a plate of spaghetti and a plate of fries,as I can't stand food waste,and the portions were large.but six other people round the same bowl churned my stomach.

 

[ROULLA]

When in Tunisian cafes my husband and I always shared a plate of spaghetti and a plate of fries,as I can't stand food waste,and the portions were large.but six other people round the same bowl churned my stomach.

Hi Scotty-Bambam, Hope all is well!
I must be a snob then as I do prefer my own plate, if there wasn't a plate around I'd rather eat in the palms of my hands than share a plate with strangers

 

[Essem]

Not much shocked me apart from eating hedgehogs for their medicinal properties

 

[Jane BM]

Not much shocked me apart from eating hedgehogs for their medicinal properties

 

[ROULLA]

Not much shocked me apart from eating hedgehogs for their medicinal properties

Hi Essem, I thought that I'd heard it all but I obviously haven't....Yuckkkkkk

 

[Aslemma]

Hedgehogs used to be eaten by the Romany and I''m sure many other country people in the UK, and for all I know probably still are. They were covered in mud/clay then roasted in an open fire. When cooked the clay was removed, taking the spines with it. It's strange how so many of us say 'Yuck' about something we've never tried. I think our problem is we associate some animals with Beatrix Potter and Mrs Tiggywinkle etc.

 

[ROULLA]

Hedgehogs used to be eaten by the Romany and I''m sure many other country people in the UK, and for all I know probably still are. They were covered in mud/clay then roasted in an open fire. When cooked the clay was removed, taking the spines with it. It's strange how so many of us say 'Yuck' about something we've never tried. I think our problem is we associate some animals with Beatrix Potter and Mrs Tiggywinkle etc.

Hi Aslemma, Hope that you are well! With me I think it's the fact that it's meaty and I don't eat meat. I know loads of people that like eating testicles and that makes my stomach churn.

 

[gem15]

Hi Aslemma, Hope that you are well! With me I think it's the fact that it's meaty and I don't eat meat. I know loads of people that like eating testicles and that makes my stomach churn.

I recently went to a friends restaurant and thought I was trying a dish that was meant to be with meatballs only upon arrival it turns out to be cows heel. Apparently the chef took it upon himself to tinker with the normal recipe. That was bad enough but to eat hedgehog is awful :-(

 

[Aslemma]

But why Gem? What's so much worse about eating an animal which has lived a life outdoors rather than one who has spent most of his life in a factory farm? I can certainly understand vegetarians. or even vegans to a certain extent, but the way we pick and choose which animals we consider food seems rather strange. There are certainly parts of animals I wouldn't eat, such as sheep's head, and it really turned my stomach to see someone eating it in Tunisia, and other things of which I don't like the consistency, such as jelly, so jellied eels are not on my menu.

 

[gem15]

But why Gem? What's so much worse about eating an animal which has lived a life outdoors rather than one who has spent most of his life in a factory farm? I can certainly understand vegetarians. or even vegans to a certain extent, but the way we pick and choose which animals we consider food seems rather strange. There are certainly parts of animals I wouldn't eat, such as sheep's head, and it really turned my stomach to see someone eating it in Tunisia, and other things of which I don't like the consistency, such as jelly, so jellied eels are not on my menu.

Same reason I could never eat horsemeat....it's not in our culture to do so.

It's funny cuz I quite happily eat rabbit which I guess is in the same par as hedgehog, plus is there much meat on a hedgehog?

Theres things I wouldn't touch such as snails but eat oysters. Each to their own taste I guess.

 

[Aslemma]

I'm sure I must have eaten horsemeat when I have been in France, though I have never knowingly ordered it. The supermarkets there have pictures above the meat so you know what you are buying, but you really don't know when you are in a private house. I've never eaten either snails or oysters but used to enjoy winkles years ago. Many years ago my eldest son had an accident on a school trip to France and was taken to hospital with broken ribs. When he asked what the unidentifiable food was that he was brought he was told it was brains - you can imagine the response of a 13 year old lad!!

 

[Scottochott]

Horse, camel, rabbit, pig's trotters, snail, oyster, eel...bring it on! I too drew the line at the sheep's head, I nibbled at the cheek but brains and eyeball too much!

 

[Rosewater]

Same reason I could never eat horsemeat....it's not in our culture to do so.

It's funny cuz I quite happily eat rabbit which I guess is in the same par as hedgehog, plus is there much meat on a hedgehog?

Theres things I wouldn't touch such as snails but eat oysters. Each to their own taste I guess.

eat how dare you eat rabbit? i only eat meat,beef and chicken

 

[Jane BM]

God I can't even eat duck...