I don't think I'll make it to Marrakesh when I'm at WDW starting Sunday, and I'm very disappointed. I never even came close to eating Middle Eastern food until I was 28. Before that, I was pretty much meat and potatoes, and as a Philadelphia boy, meat and potatoes usually meant Philly cheesesteaks and fries. If I wanted something exotic back then, I'd get my cheese fries with mozzarella instead of Cheez Whiz.
But then I moved to a different city, couldn't get the East Coast comfort foods I was used to, so I started to explore. I had 2 Middle Eastern restaurants within walking distance. Both were inexpensive and very friendly. It all seemed so strange but I began exploring and found that I really enjoyed most of it. It's not HOT or anything, but the spices they use are just different than what we're used to. The only way to describe it is "different," you have to try it for yourself. For example, if you met someone who'd NEVER had Italian spices like oregano before, there's no way to describe it because there's no frame of reference.
IMHO, here's a GREAT idea: try a few things at the Tangierine Cafe, Morocco's counter service restaurant! Relatively inexpensive, and if you hate it you have wasted little in terms of money or time (you're not stuck sitting in a restaurant who's food you can't stand). I recommend starting with something that sounds exotic but really isn't: tabouleh (pronounced tah-BOO-lee). As far as I know, it's bulghur wheat (imagine cutting spaghetti into tiny little dots), lots of parsley, chopped tomatoes, some olive oil, maybe a little lemon juice, and perhaps a few spices whose names I don't know. $1.95, try it with a fork or on a piece of pita bread (if they have any there).
OK, I'm getting WAY too hungry. I no longer live in an area where I can get good Middle Eastern food, and I really miss it.
-- Eric
