Peace Corps Volunteer Scott McKenzie writes: candy bars and other sweets that are found here in Morocco



"As I have mentioned before, people in Morocco are no different than those in the United States in their gustatory appetite for sugary goodness. Be it in the bar, or a cookie, any small town store will have a few different selections on hand. In my town, any of 3 different small stores can help fill your sweet tooth and contribute to dental decay. Even I, once a champion of "savory" am often scanning shelves looking for my favorites. Also, I kinda like checking out everything they have to offer here...When in Rome and all that."

Peace Corps Volunteer Scott McKenzie writes: candy bars and other sweets that are found here in Morocco

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Caption: Nuts and candy for sale in the medina in Tangier, Morocco's gateway to Spain and the north. Photo: Declan McCullagh

I think this is a post you are going to want to bookmark and return to, as it will hopefully be contentiously updated during my service. It is, as the name suggests, a review of the candy bars and other sweets that are found here in Morocco. As I have mentioned before, people in Morocco are no different than those in the United States in their gustatory appetite for sugary goodness. Be it in the bar, or a cookie, any small town store will have a few different selections on hand. In my town, any of 3 different small stores can help fill your sweet tooth and contribute to dental decay. Even I, once a champion of "savory" am often scanning shelves looking for my favorites. Also, I kinda like checking out everything they have to offer here...When in Rome and all that.

MegaChok: We start with my current reigning favorite. The MegaChok are the largest chocolate cookies I have ever seen for general sale. The filling has a dark quality that reminds one of a dove bar, while the cookie itself is bursting with partially hydronginated soybean oil. Not only is each cookie large, but they come in a long corrugated cardboard tube of about 15 cookies. MegaChok indeed! The average price is 15dH or slightly less. The cleverly designed tube does a great job protecting the MC from undesired crumbling when packed away on long trips. It also means that the MCs can be passed around easily, they make a welcome accompaniment to any social gathering. As a bonus, with 10 proofs of purchase, you can send in for a free Burt and Ernie Tshirt. Because they are produced by X your tshirt will be en Espanole! The only major drawbacks are that if you want just one MC you will be carrying around the rest of tube for some time. Also, limited availability can lead to wondering city streets in vain.

Marko: Like its far-traveling namesake, this candybar brings with it a certain worldliness; it is a copycat of the 3 musketeer candy bar. Otherwise it is unremarkable. The nougat layer is slightly dry (could have been the desert heat). This is topped by not a bad caramel layer. One bonus is that unlike regular milk chocolate with its rather low melting temperature, the "chocolate coating" does not melt on fingers as quickly on hot sunny days. This coating is also a little darker in flavor than that of its americium counterpart. The wrapper warns that "OCCASIONALLY THIS PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS" which is good news, unless you are allergic to our friend the groundnut. Wide availability and a low price of 1-1.5dH means the Marko comes in handy in a pinch. Do not tell Mars candy company about this low priced treat, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Rialto- Madison "Arome Frise": Trying something different with this one. A "live" tasting, I am sampling this one as I write. To be honest, Im not sure if the name is Rialto or Madison. Both have prominent space on the package. But, Madison is stamped into the strawberry flavored cracker, that has been "enrobed" in chocolate product. I will assume that this is a tribute to the early American President, and not to the capitol of Wisconson. A quick note, frise is Arabic for Strawberry, a flavor that is very popular here. For around 1.5 dH it is not a bad snack, and goes well with an afternoon coffee. In each package you get 3 of these enrobed crackers, which is a nice plus. However, where these really "robed" they would be mooning the eater, because the backside is left bare. Not enough chocolate. Also, they are putting to the test the "fake chocolate doesn't melt in your hands, or anywhere else" theory. The strawberry flavoring is very good, shockingly so. Overall, not a terrible choice is the time is right. Ill be looking for other Arome's as I rome.

posted by Scott McKenzie @ 2:57 AM

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: November, 2006; COS - Morocco; Blogs - Morocco; Food

When this story was posted in November 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

---

Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

---

---

November 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories Michael O'Hanlon writes: The New Congress and Iraq 9 Nov Amanda Host named new PC Press Director 12 Nov Shays will reach across the aisle for answers in Iraq 8 Nov Petri loses chance to become committee chairman 8 Nov Doyle gets a mandate to improve education 8 Nov Eunice Shriver spends election night with Schwarzenegger 8 Nov Donna Shalala writes: Eliminating gender bias in universities 7 Nov Robert Paul upheld peace amid Afghan war 6 Nov Carol Bellamy receives humanitarian award 6 Nov Joseph Opala studies Black Seminoles 6 Nov David C. Liner named PC Chief of Staff 3 Nov PCV Matthew Costa remembered 2 Nov Ethiopian-American community rallied for Garamendi 2 Nov Christopher Poulos named Teacher of the Year 1 Nov Peace Corps Writers and the Lost Generation 1 Nov James Rupert writes: A deadly attack in Pakistan 31 Oct Hill meets secretly with North Korea to restart talks 31 Oct Jimmy Carter remembers mother in Peace Corps 30 Oct Leigh Emery travels world for science 27 Oct IFAW breaks ground for new headquarters 25 Oct RPCVs Podcast Around the Globe 23 Oct

---

Election 2006: Results of RPCV Races Chris Shays claims victory in closely watched race Jim Walsh wins re-election to Congress in close race Tom Petri unopposed for re-election to Congress Sam Farr wins re-election to Congress Mike Honda wins re-election to Congress Jim Doyle wins re-election to Wisconsin Governorship Kinky Friedman loses in long shot bid for Texas Governor John Garamendi elected Lt. Governor of California

---

October 22, 2006: This Month's Top Stories The crisis over North Korea's nuclear bomb test 14 Oct Hill faced strong opposition for denuclearization agreement 8 Oct John Coyne writes: The first Peace Corps book 20 Oct Thomas Tighe moderates discussion with President Clinton 17 Oct PC announces Community College degree program 18 Oct Donna Shalala expresses dismay over football brawl 16 Oct Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley defends Lebanon policy 16 Oct Jan Guifarro elected Chair of NPCA Board 15 Oct Carl Pope writes: From the pump to the polls 13 Oct Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez Says Africa a Priority 12 Oct Chris Dodd opposes Bush terrorism bill 10 Oct Isaac Edvalson is founder of Africa's Tomorrow 9 Oct The Man who turned down Shriver 8 Oct Mae Jemison tells girls to reach for the stars 6 Oct Loren Finnell receives Shriver Award 4 Oct Matt Sesow paints onstage during opera 2 Oct Film examines anti-malaria drug lariam 29 Sep Blackwill dismisses Musharraf's claims 27 Sep Ron Tschetter sworn in as 17th Peace Corps Director 26 Sep Rape Victim Student Gets $1 Million From City College 26 Sep Ricardo Chavira narrates Public Service Announcements 25 Sep

---

The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

---

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

---

He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

---

Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

---

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

---

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

---

PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

---

History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

Read the stories and leave your comments.