free Tunsian music downloads

There is a very good site on the internet that has lots of popular Tunsian music available to listen to and /or download.
I stumbled upon this recently and have not had enough time to see everything available on the site but hope you can enjoy it too!

http://www.yala.fm

sabah & umm kulthum - tunisia 1968.avi

http://www.youtube.com/v/RRQcaaR_lGw?version=3&autohide=1&autoplay=1&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=8_bLuKgfWm91r6g55Y1DHw&feature=share&autohide=1

Cheb Khalid

Although Algerian, Cheb Khalid is very popular in many Arabic and International countries, including Tunisia.
Enjoy 'Ana achek' with me- reminds me of everyone dancing around the pool at The Green golf Hotel in Yasmine Hammamet, one very hot day in August last year.

Tunisian Brik

A Brik is a mouth watering pastry case filled with TUNA, POTATO,EGG and a few other bits and pieces to your own personal taste.
We make them at home to eat alone, or as part of a meal or to take with us on outings or as a packed lunch.
It is a traditional Tunisian delicacy and was believed to have come about in a manner similar to the British Cornish pasty-the working men used to take them to work for lunch as a filling nutritious lunch, all packed in its own pastry case!
As the pastry is similar to filo and the Brik is similar to the Turkish Borek and as the TURKS were resident in Tunisia for many years, may have influenced the Brik or maybe the Brik influence the Borek :)

You can try Brik in TUNISIA or in the UK in Tunisian restaurants, but in here in London, some we  have tried are not as good as they should be and were served burnt to a crisp!
The end result should be a crisp golden brown as above and are the triangular shaped ones in the picture. The rectangular ones are a concoction of mine which is based on the Greek Spanakopitta- a cheese and spinach stuffed filo pastry, which I will include in my new cookery blog.

Ingredients for Brik

one pack of Brik pastry-available from all middle eastern grocery stores. If you cannot get it then buy spring roll pastry(the frozen ones from Chinese supermarkets and choose the large square sheets-approx £1.70 a pack-not the authentic, but still come out as good as ever).

mashed potato cooled (good way to use leftovers)

canned,drained tuna chunks

1 egg for each brik-use small eggs

Harissa, black olives salt and black pepper-chopped parsley

optional-grated cheddar cheese                 hot oil for frying (vegetable or sunflower)

lemon wedges

Method:- (see directions for folding your brik)

1.Take one sheet of Brik pastry or spring roll pastry
2.Fold all four edges in to make a square shape
3.Make a line to show half way on your square sheet and remember you are going to fold into a triangle.
4. Take your mashed potato and place on the pastry to half way-I use a spoon full and make into a sausage shape around the triangle to form a kind of wall.
5. Now place some tuna inside the wall.
6. Break your small egg into the wall preferably in a little well to stop it going everywhere.
7. Flavour to taste with your harissa paste (hot and spicy-use with caution if not used to it), chopped black olives, black pepper and chopped parsley and cheese if liked.
8. Put eaten egg around the edges to glue the brik together and fold one half over the other and seal-press with sharp edge of knife to seal.
9. Make sure your oil is hot in a good flying pan and place the brik into it, leave for a couple of Min's to brown on underside, then turn over carefully. allow other side to cook.
10. Remove from oil and leave on paper to drain from excess oil.

Repeat this process for each brik you require and serve hot with lemon wedges which are squeezed over the Brik on eating. We use fingers but you can use knife and fork too as they can get a bit messy.

The Briks can be eaten cold and reheated in an oven but don't taste as good as freshly made.
One Brik is usually sufficient for each person, but they are very moreish and expect second helping requests!
You could serve one Brik per person with a soup eg., Shorba (recipe will follow).

Robyn Crash and burn girl 0001

http://www.youtube.com/v/4BMXSUPRSr8?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=cdV7POm31L9ZUTn3HetekQ&feature=share&autoplay=1&autohide=1&showinfo=1

PLACES OF INTEREST & HISTORICAL SITES TO VISIT

TOMORROW I HOPE TO PROVIDE A FULL LIST OF THE ABOVE AND TRAVEL INFORMATION TO ENABLE YOU TO VISIT THEM.
I WILL ALSO INCLUDE SOME PRICES IN DINARS AND GBP TO GIVE YOU A ROUGH IDEA HOW MUCH EXCURSIONS, PHOTOGRAPHS AND GENERAL SHOPPING CAN COST.

A BIENTOT! SEE YOU TOMORROW !

Love Rats

Tunisia has a reputation for Love Rats.

Love Rats are individuals who become romantically involved with a tourist for business purposes and are not genuine in most cases in their feeling for the person who becomes their victim.
In Tunisia this is known as 'Biziness'! The rats are chiefly looking for money, visa to another country(usually European), electrical goods eg., telephone, laptop,ipad,ipod etc,a free holiday at the expense of the victim and sex.

Now there's nothing wrong with a bit of slap and tickle between two consenting adults in my opinion, as long as the cards are on the table and either party knows where they stand or a holiday romance either for that matter, but when they rush you and start whispering lurve...be very careful!

I have first hand experience of how this works over in Tunisia and have also done research  on chat sites too. The kind of people who are looking for 'biziness' can appear very nice and polite, considerate and loving too, but don't be fooled. Most are looking for one thing or another from the list above, under the false impression that they are off to a better life in Europe or a kind of 'paradise' life that they cannot get in Tunisia due to  the economic situation and lifestyle.
They assume every day is easy for us and the life we have is so much better than theirs. We know it is just not the case.
Most tourists work very hard for their week or two away for a holiday and probably choose between the holiday or a necessity, just to get away from the stress of European life-'all work and no play' in a lot of cases.

Many Tunisians are quite poor and I have seen some very sad sights on my travels, but it boils down to many factors-poor opportunity for work in their home region is one, lack of education and laziness is another.
Not all Tunisians are the same as in any other place in the world, but fore warned is fore armed as the saying goes and a great many of us see it happen all the time whilst in the resorts and hotels.

Typical scenario

You would be asked out by a person working in the hotel you are staying or will get into conversation with someone in bar of cafe, who in a matter of time will also ask you out.
If you take up the offer, the usual meetings and courtship will take place according to how far you want to go with it.
Nothing may happen to make you think anything is untoward with this new friend you have found until you get home. You may however hear the 'I love you' quickly and for sure before you get the flight home. Maybe even-'I want to marry you-you are my life, my love' etc. The Tunisian 'biziness' man can be a very smooth operator indeed!

Give it a little time and you will start to see comments like-'I have no work now'-'the season is very quiet and I need some money'or 'my relative is ill and I need to pay for the hospital fees' etc.'I have no rent money and my tips are very low this month'.
They may tell you all this and say they could not possible take it from you-they will start playing you like this. Western union and other transfer methods will be discussed as they know exactly how to do it all-they have done it many times before, whispered all the same lines to many women/men and played the same games.

If you do find your prince charming and not your Ali Baba then that's wonderful, but make sure you are a hundred per cent sure about your amours intentions before you get hitched. Even families will go along with any scam- they are processional and only look for security for the future.

It is common here for a younger man to court an older woman-even very young and very old together-it really is no problem! They do not mind the age of the wallet as long as the money is available!
How can they do it?-well- drink and lots of it! or no drink-it depends on the person- As an old UK saying goes-'they don't look at the mantelpiece when poking the fire'! I have seen guys in their 20s with 60,70 and reportedly 80 yrs old too!
They will push for marriage and hope to leave Tunisia for a few years- long enough to secure a visa and then ask for divorce in most cases when marrying older women, so that they can remarry and have children with a younger model.

Dangerous liaisons

Unfortunately a lot of these relationships have come to a terrible ending, with the victim being severally beaten, robbed or in fact murdered and not just in Tunisia.
Many women have been killed in Europe too as a probable result of the 'biziness man' not being able to cope with European life, being left alone whilst the victim works all day, not being kept in the manner he thought he would , have designer labels from head to toe and a BMW.
Not all countries allow the Tunisian to work straight away once they come to Europe, even if just married. Here in the UK, they must go through various stages of the process and can only work for a limited amount of hours per week once they gain a national insurance number.(which is a nightmare to obtain if not from a EU country). The new husband may not be allowed into the EU depending on many factors in relation to the visa application.
Any woman or man even, needs to think long and hard before going ahead with marriage-its not an easy path believe me.

I met my Tunisian in London, he and his family had lived here for many years, but I have been enlightened so very much by the family and told how things work. At first I did not believe it all, but now I have seen most things for myself.

www.Tunisianloverats.com are a great site to check and join if you want more discussion and help with a rat.
There are also another couple of sites that tell you all about Tunisian 'biziness' and more of the common scams.

I must end this by saying that I have met some fabulous Tunisian people and some not so great- but, hey! there are people all over the world just the same.
Treat everyone on an individual level until you know more, but be mindful that this does happen and take care.

Remember! Go on holiday, but take your brain with you! and if possible leave your heart at home, where it cant be broken!