à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Travel
Reverse Culture Shock: Being Moroccan in MA Brought Mixed Results
Moroccans share. They share tight spaces, such as cramped food stalls and narrow alleys. They share tea with visitors. To my initial shock, they even share taxis. To enter an occupied cab felt disconcerting but I quickly learned it’s faster and cheaper to ride in a car that already had a passenger, especially if they … Continue reading
The Primal Power of Street Food
The Medina, the old city of Marrakech, is filled with narrow food stalls and people who cook on the streets and pack up their kitchens at the end of a day. The city also has its share of upscale eateries and typical restaurants, yet street food exerts an irresistible, almost magnetic force on me. While … Continue reading
Stripping Away Clothing and Illusions in a Marrakesh Hammam
A handful of us “Unsettled” adventurers in the Medina of Marrakech decided to visit a public women’s hammam (bathhouse), to experience it like the locals. Unlike its upscale counterparts, this hammam is BYOB (bring your own bath gear) so we shopped for supplies. One of our local helpers led us a short distance from our riad to some … Continue reading
Embracing Impermanence in Marrakech
Just over a week ago, I stepped off an airport shuttle into the thrum of the Medina, the old city within Marrakech, to join an Unsettled retreat. This company orchestrates programs that mix structure with freedom, connection with independence, and work with exploration for people who wish to adventure in community. One of my local hosts took … Continue reading
Budapest Then and Now: A Photo Essay
In an era when anyone can take a decent picture, even of themselves, with just one hand using a smartphone, it’s hard to recall a time when we needed a camera, film and two hands to capture a scene. Then, we decided in advance the number of exposures, the sensitivity to light we wanted and … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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