Same men, better chairs. Matthew Gray compares the Morocco he remembers from the 1970s with the Morocco Siham Lahmine lives in today, in Fez.

Siham Lahmine was born in Fez, lives there now, and runs Morocco Travel Organizer, which describes itself as Morocco's first woman-owned culinary and luxury heritage tour company. But this episode isn't about her resume. It's about food as inheritance.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT

Matthew remembers Morocco in the 70s: men squatting on the road, women doing all the visible work, little boys swarming to be his guide. Siham tells him what Fez is today. Sitting, not squatting. A community that is a radar. A 1,200-year-old Medina where you feel it if you don't belong. She's careful not to generalize: she's talking about the men you see on the street, not every man.

And we talk food the way Siham's mom would want us to. Not just tagine and couscous. - Bissara: fava bean soup thickened in a clay tagine with cumin and olive oil - Pastilla from Fez: shredded chicken, fried ground almonds, caramelized onions, honey, and FIFTEEN eggs, topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon - Tanjia: meat and spices buried in hot ashes for three hours. You know it's done when you shake it and the bone stops sloshing - Medfuna ("the buried"): a nomadic pizza from the Sahara - Berber vs. Amazigh: why Siham avoids the word Berber, and what the original people of Morocco call themselves

FAVORITE MOMENT: Siham's grandmother called couscous "the royal ball." She'd squeeze the grain with vegetables and meat, roll it in her hand, and feed it directly to her grandchildren. Eating with your hands brings bliss, baraka. That's inheritance.

And Siham's mom? Her kitchen is her kingdom. She says yes, yes, yes, then pushes you out without realizing it. Aunties, daughter, and a son who cooks for himself in Germany, all kicked out. Matthew wants to steal the technique.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO MOROCCO: Siham says visit the Marrakech souk by 6 pm, when the carts are coming in and the movement starts. And try timija tea in the High Atlas Mountains, a woolly plant that looks like mint and grows by the rivers. Spiky and sweet.

Salam means peace. Bislama means goodbye.

FOLLOW SIHAM LAHMINE https://MoroccoTravelOrganizer.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089627667747 https://www.instagram.com/moroccotravelorganizer/

FOLLOW MATTHEW GRAY 50 Tastes Of Gray: Broadcasting from Honolulu. One guest. No rules. New episodes weekly. 50TastesOfGray@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/50tastesofgray Facebook: https://facebook.com/50TastesOfGrayPodcast LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/matthew-gray-hawaii Substack: https://50TastesOfGray.substack.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@50TastesOfGray

About Matthew: Grand Diplôme Le Cordon Bleu Paris, cooked on the road for The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, private chef for Robin Williams, Dan Aykroyd and Paramount studio heads. Chef since the '80s, Hawaii since the '90s.

"I don't care about monetizing. I care about engagement, respect, and making friends. I go for the funny bone, not the jugular."

#Morocco #MoroccanFood #50TastesOfGray

Why does a Harvard Medical School scientist miss home the most when he's hungry?

Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan left Chennai for Boston with a Harvard tag and a suitcase full of spice he couldn't find near Harvard. We talk teeth, temples, Tamil, and what he's eaten today.

This one is rice, spice, and a lot of heart.

WHAT WE COVER ON THE CUTTING BOARD:

00:00 Why a Harvard scientist was tired of smart-people podcasts 00:42 I butcher his name. He fixes it. (Saravanan 101) 02:15 Chennai → Boston: He left everything for the Harvard tag 04:10 Why dentistry? "My sister made it look cool… until I got in" 06:30 WHAT HAVE YOU EATEN TODAY? Rice, spice, and missing home 08:20 No Indians near Harvard Med, so he found the temple 09:30 Caste is your last name — Gen Z says "we care about vibe" 11:00 "Is mother alive? Is child alive? We never ask are you OK" - maternal mental health 12:30 Pandemic phone calls for oxygen beds → art → NYC billboard 13:30 How to say goodbye: Vanakkam to Aloha

Guest: Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan - Dentist, Artist, Harvard Medical School Researcher Host: Matthew — 50 Tastes Of Gray with Matthew

#Harvard #harvardmedicalschool #tamil #chennai #boston #dentist #maternalmentalhealth #indianfood #vanakkam #aloha #50TastesOfGray #WhatHaveYouEatenToday #immigrantstory #temple

Sara Causey joins host Matthew Gray of 50 Tastes Of Gray for an unscripted conversation about authenticity, creativity, art, and building a life that feels genuinely hers. A biographer, author, and artist, Causey explains why she rejected the conventional path to success, how she lets creative projects evolve, and why meaningful work often requires stepping beyond what feels safe. In this episode: Causey defines “eccentricity of purpose” as living authentically instead of conforming to expectations. She distinguishes between eccentricity as a marketing brand and eccentricity as a lived reality, including the willingness to be misunderstood. Causey recounts reaching a corner office at age 39 and realizing that the promised corporate-ladder victory felt hollow. She discusses regret, reinvention, and the importance of choosing differently with the time that remains. Her fascination with Richard Burton led to imaginative ideas centered on cinematic grandeur, spectacle, and artistic collaboration. Causey explains how she lets each writing project determine its own form, genre, audience, and voice. She argues that creative growth is not about hustle culture, but about challenging yourself and occasionally feeling scared by your own work. Her book Simply DAG: The Private Man in a Public and Dangerous Office uses an intimate first-person perspective to place readers inside Dag’s negotiations, bomb threats, and moments of danger. She shares how reader feedback confirmed that the book created a powerful sense of personal connection with Dag. The conversation closes with Swedish food, cloudberries, pickled herring, and the value of unscripted conversations. 0:00 What "eccentric on purpose" actually means — and why faking it will kill you 0:52 Real eccentric vs. brand eccentric — lipstick, beret, and the biographer they can't accept 1:55 The corner office at 39 that felt like a pyrrhic victory 2:52 Regret is a trap — don't die with your music still inside you 4:28 Modern cinema is digital vomit — and why Richard Burton still ruins me 5:50 My rebellion against sameness — bring back the robes, the gold, the spectacle 7:21 I let the Muse tell me — stop holding your art in a death grip 8:56 If you feel safe in your art, you're doing it wrong 10:03 Simply DAG scared me — challenging the gatekeepers 10:56 The Simply DAG elevator pitch — you're not reading history, you're IN it 13:25 Screw the scripted interview — real conversation keeps your brain alive Sara Causey Contact Info: Website: https://saracausey.com Books: https://saracausey.com/my-books Podcast: The Causey Consulting Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-causey/ "Decoding the Unicorn" on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSCS5PZT Follow Matthew Gray: 50 Tastes Of Gray — Broadcasting from Honolulu. One guest. No rules. New episodes weekly. 50TastesOfGray@gmail.com Instagram: @50tastesofgray Facebook: facebook.com/50TastesOfGrayPodcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/matthew-gray-hawaii Substack: 50TastesOfGray.substack.com YouTube: @50TastesOfGray #introvert #careerchange #highlysensitiveperson