It was my pleasure to be a guest of Upscale Magazine for a lovely Moroccan Style dinner at Atlanta’s own Imperial Fez. Upscale Magazine has been a staple publication in the African American community for 25+ years. I celebrated their 25th Anniversary with them last year and was happy to join them for this blogger appreciation dinner.
Imperial Fez Restaurant offers traditional food from North Africa in a gorgeous exotic environment. Everything was just beautiful, the decor, the food, the atmosphere, and of course the belly dancers. As we dined and networked through out dinner I couldn’t help but think about how cool this entire scene was. This was my first time so there were a few things that stood out to me about why I loved it so much! Here are 3 Things To Love About Moroccan Style Dining.
You Get To Eat With Your Hands!
How many times in life have you hesitated when preparing to pick up a sumptuous piece food with your hands for fear someone may see you being beastly? I’ve seen people eating fried chicken with a fork at social events. Why? because it’s considered improper to eat with your hands. Not when eating Moroccan Style. Eating with the fingers is encouraged and required. The owner of Imperial Fez sat down with us and explained the significance and the spirituality of using our hands to eat. He said that our finger tips are connected to our center and that eating food with our fingers prepares our body to receive food that we have touched. This allows a 6th sense of discernment to open up in the process. It was all very fascinating.
Everyone Shares
There are no individual plates. Large plates of food are brought to the table course after course to be shared with the occupants of the table. Germophobes have no fear because each persons hands are cleansed at the table before the meal (and after). White cloths are given for the left shoulder to clean hands after each course. It was really fun to share the food. There was something very primal about it. If you share the table with a stranger you will be friends by the end of the meal!
Learning about another culture
You can learn a lot about a culture by eating its food and participating in some of its traditions. All of the food was delicious. Some of it was strange to my palette but all still very flavorful and delicious. The music and the decor of the restaurant was very magical and inviting. We were encouraged to remove our shoes and floor seating was available. The belly dancers were beautiful. Deep colors, intricate patterns and designs everywhere the eye can see. The fragrance of the food heavenly. The rose water cleansing of the hands at the beginning and the warm mint tea at the end was beautiful. I enjoyed cleansing my hands and then smelling them deep before making a wish. It was all very indicative of a rich & honorable culture.
I really loved the Harira ( Moroccan Lentil Soup) and the Roasted Lamb was to die for. (I tasted a lot of ginger and paprika which was interesting.) The Chicken Honey Apricot Almonds & Sesame Seeds was ahmazing as well as many of the other dishes. My goodness that Mint Tea was so tasty. I’ve never been to Morocco but if this is what it’s like I’ve definitely been missing out.
Thank you to Upscale Magazine for an amazing dinner and to STEPS Events for the invitation.
To learn more about Imperial Fez and their Authentic Moroccan Cuisine visit them at ImperialFez.com
To learn more about UpScale Magazine visit them at UpscaleMagazine.com
What’s your favorite place to enjoy Moroccan cuisine?
Comments
