when tangier was interzone back in the day, it seemed to some i m sure as if the ex-pats outnumbered the locals. that was never true, but you certainly could live a life apart, make your own world within the existing one. reinvent yourself and live entirely in a universe of your own creation. far from the grand socco is a 14-acre estate owned by christopher gibbs, a well-known dealer of antiques and longtime ex-pat. today, he s having a garden party. who s coming? jonathan you know. maggie dean is from scotland. she s been living here for more than a decade.
he wrote back and said, come and visit. well, i never left. a lot of people came here to live that dream or to live that life. has the reality come to resemble his perception? the tangier i say is paul bowles. i still see it. i still feel it. you can still find the magic. the market or souk in tangier is one of the best in all morocco. the food stalls and vendors are still pretty impressive. wander the markets long enough and you re sure to stumble across the unexpected. hooves? sure. how about a lamb s head? sure. here nothing goes to waste. charbroiled to crispy burnt per specs it s served on a crusty lunch brea. not so adventurous? the grant socco s indoor market officers a variety of smoked, cured and fresh meat. smells good in here. the stuff looks good. i ve heard this cheese is amazing.
it s my last night in tangier and i m headed out. thank you, yes. most cities in the islamic world, getting a beer can be difficult. not here. as long as you re outside the medina, nearly anything goes. tangier reverts to its libertine past. here, western influences become very apparent. any night of the week is a good night for young moroccons to take to the streets. he s from a generation of moroccans far removed from the burroughser era. he s invited me out for a casual snack. tuna, eggs and a healthy wad of
somewhere and something else. the grand socco is the gateway to the medina where you could find the kasbah, which means fortress, by the way. the port is to the east, and right in the middle of it all, the petit socco, called the last spot, the meeting place, the switchboard of tangier. as burroughs called it. reasons for settling in tangier diverge, but everyone sooner or later, since the beginning of memory comes to cafe tingis. jonathan dawson came to this city over 20 years ago as a journalist and he never left. he lives a life not too distant from burroughs fantasy. cake and tea at 4:00 every day served by his man servant. he may not have a gazelle, but a pet rooster will do. and every day he makes the rounds of the cafes, seeing all the old faces, ending up sooner
so that s how much in dollars? almost $5,000. about $5,000. almost. should we look at another floor? oh, yes, follow me. there s a nice collection of things from sahara. so you travel a lot? not like you. oh, this is for pounding yes, this is from the gon tribe. from mali. how much will this sell for do you think? around $300. really? for this? that s very reasonable. i ll be buying that. that s going to be an old friend. also memory. also memory of tangier as well. majid suggests lunch at andalous, a local s only place nearby. as a moroccan, so many people come with a romantic notion of a tangier they read about in