I arrived in Tangiers about a week ago and have settled into a frenzied schedule of Arabic study, Darija practice, and absorbing as much as I can about the “language market” at work here.

I had the privilege of spending Friday afternoon with a local family and eating some delicious couscous with them. This was cooked in a different style from the Roudani couscous I was once used to: it had plenty of pepper and caramelized onions and raisins, which made for an incredible delectable meal.

Also, I am working on a new personal website. This blog will still be the place where I post anything related to food, recipes and eating, plus a few meandering thoughts here and there, but the new site, http://annygaul.tumblr.com, is a catch-all that will include everything I tweet on Twitter (yes I just wrote that), post here, publish elsewhere, or photograph anywhere (you can also see – and purchase – photos directly from here).

It’s still somewhat in beta mode, but please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think!