Getting work done in Morocco is never smooth, never easy. I learned a lot about this in finishing the rennovation of a house in Marrakech and then in grand fashion rehabilitating the house that is Rick’s Café. Everything takes a lot longer than originally estimated and people just tend to disappear. There’s still constant work and projects that need to be carried out, and although patience is in last place on the list of my virtues my more than eight years in Morocco have helped me keep my relative cool during trying situations. And fortunately Houssein Ouahas, who was in charge of the construction site, stayed on and is our Maintenance and Operations manager – it’s his job to get these various projects done. We recently contracted with a well-referenced firm for two projects, expanding our grill unit and re-installation of a “salamander” broiler. When the technician came to give an idea of time and cost he estimated it would take him 4 days to do the work – Houssein generously gave him six days. This was mid-December and we were looking forward to using the broiler especially for New Year’s Eve. The grill was the first project and was done rather quickly (but still it took four days). Unfortunately it was poorly done, the metal was too thin and after 1.5 hours over the gas the grill warped (!)…not encouraging. Houssein was mildly frustrated but had talked to the guy and was sure he was going to do it right the second time. He installed it several days later and the chef was happy. No one even bothered to remark that more than a week had passed, as he took the salamander to his atelier for phase II. He was given another deadline…New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately New Year’s Eve this year coincided with the Aid Al Kebir, the holiest of feast days, and although Rick’s was going to be open, we were a minority. The Aid is a time when thousands of Casablanca workers, here because of work and with families in the countryside, flee the city and return to their rural homes. We knew even if he remained in town, his workers were probably spread all over Morocco and, as this hiatus begins a few days before the Aid and ends a few days after, there was little liklihood for the New Year’s onion soup to be gratineed by our salamander. So the first week after New Years pressure began and the time was set for Friday at 10am. He didn’t show. Houssein called and he said it was hard getting all the parts because of places closed due to the Aid and he would come install it on Sunday. I worried that our chef would get frustrated and asked Houssein if there was a way to check on the guy…i.e. did he really have an office??? Houssein found the location and paid an unannounced visit. He came back very relieved. First, the guy really had an atelier, and there was work going on in it (and workers!). Second, he found our salamander, and the technician who was working on it. This worker reported they’d tried one method for the installation and it hadn’t worked so they’d had to start all over again (no doubt a lesson learned from the grill incident), but this time they were confident. Would they be coming, then, on Sunday? Hardly, said the man as they didn’t work on Sunday. Houssein reported this at our weekly managers’ meeting, putting the positive spin on the fact that this company actually DID have an atelier and our salamander was in it (as opposed to being sold off at the Derb Ghallef flea market)! Our chef smiled and shook his head, saying, “Only in Morocco can a story like that be positive results!” I on the other hand was beating to death the question of which would come first – Croque Monsieur or croaked Monsieur! Happily the former was very nicely prepared by the kitchen for my Monday lunch, during which I contemplated whether the man had confused the word for “weeks” with “days.” |
