On Wednesday, Dec. 13, students in the French program at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School went to Marakesh Restaurant, a Moroccan restaurant in Parsippany, New Jersey. The 38 students were accompanied by SPFHS French teachers and French Club advisors Monique Gilbert and Ilkay Ozdemir.
Despite the unsuspecting location on the side of Route 46 in the middle of a strip mall, the restaurant allows customers to be transported within Moroccan culture as they dine on Moroccan cuisine.
The restaurant, which is typically only open for dinner, opened its doors to SPFHS French students for a lunch meal.
For appetizers, students had hummus, baba ganoush, a salad and pita.
For the main course, the students had a large dish that consisted of a mix of chicken, couscous, chickpeas and other cooked foods. The plate was served family style, and students plated their own serving of the dish.
For their final dish, students had cookies and mint tea, which is traditionally made by the head male in a family and given to guests as a sign of hospitality.
The Parsippany restaurant was opened in 1996 by Abdelfettah El Akkari, who was born in Morocco. Akkari acts as head chef of the restaurant, and during the trip, students were served by him, his wife, and their son.
In 2014, The New York Times wrote an article about the restaurant, highlighting other things the restaurant showcases as well as providing a detailed description of the atmosphere.
“The dining room is a large, gorgeously overstuffed museum, with ceramics, pottery, light fixtures—even a drum—that the owner has collected,” Fran Schumer, a former columnist for the New York Times (restaurant critic for the New York Times NJ section), said. Best of all, diners do not sit on hard wooden chairs, but settle back into low-lying couches arranged around brass trays perched on pedestals that serve as tables. It is in this relaxed state that you enjoy your meal.”
A student who enjoyed the food at the restaurant during the trip further analyzed the decor.
“The ambiance of the restaurant was very unique and gave me good insight into Moroccan culture through the decorations,” junior Aliece Sena said.
Throughout years of French class at SPFHS, students learn about comparing American culture to that of other Francophone (French-speaking) countries. This experience allowed many students to see the differences and connections between American culture and Moroccan culture, as well as the connection between French culture and Moroccan culture.
By exploring other cuisines and cultures, students become more contentious of other cultures, understand more about the world and in this instance, learn without having to leave the country.
Although the restaurant trip did not have students leaving the country, several SPFHS French students—mostly upperclassmen—will have the opportunity to explore a Francophone country when many visit France for the foreign exchange program in February.
