Night in Tunisia

Encourage Me!

I think it was about a week ago when it happened. I was passing by
the front desk, located at the side of the house with Meriem, who
gives me a ride home everyday. We both stopped to say hi to the
Secretary, who's very quiet and a real sweety. We chatted for a
moment, and then just as I was about to move on, and head back to
work, the sweet little secretary stopped me gently and, smiling, said
"Tiara, tu as grossi!"

Did you catch that, or should I translate?

She said YOU GOT FATTER.

Aargh!

I knew KNEW I was supposed to take it as a compliment. That's how it
was intended, but I couldn't. I think my face went bright red, and I
just about swallowed my tongue. I tried to smile - I'm not sure if
that's what it looked like. And then I gibbered a bit and then went
to my desk and sat there grumpy.

I have put on about five pounds since I arrived. Certainly not a lot,
but a bit. Here married women are all big. I'm still considered a
skinny thing, and a lot of people think I can't possibly be married
yet and that it's not befitting of my status as a wife to be so small.
So when I put on a bit of weight they're all determined to support me
by graciously noticing and encouraging me (picture the housekeeper
saying bersha-bersha, more-more, as I try to stop her from heaping
cous-cous onto my plate).

Can you imagine how devastating it would be if every time you put on a
couple of pounds your friends stopped to tell you that you're getting
fatter and to pinch your arms and cheeks where the fat accumulates?
It's like a perfect nightmare, everybody smiling as they point out
your big-ness and getting-bigger-ness to others so THEY can smilingly
tell you you're fat too. Until pretty soon you have a little ring of
Tunisian women all looking and smiling and pointing and you think
you're going to die right there.

I swear I am going to come home skinnier than I ever was.

I have now created a hit list of do not eats - and it includes almost
everything traditional Tunisian. What is considered traditional
Tunisian? Well if it has tomatoes and you DROWN it in oil (hear the
women saying "olive oil is so good for you it doesn't count" as they
pour a half cup over your grilled vegetable salad appetizer) then it's
most likely Tunisian.

I'm also writing down what I eat so I know if I'm putting on weight or
not. That way if they say LOOK YOU'RE GETTING FAT! with their happy
smiles and nodding heads, I will know if I really am or if they're
just "encouraging" me.

posted by tiaraletourneau @ 3:39 p.m.