A Turkey Dinner Dipped in Liquid Gold

We made it to Tunisia just in time for Christmas Eve! The Sidi Bou Said Hotel treated us to a turkey dinner saturated in liters of liquid gold and spicy harissa. Lamb and seafood are staples here but our generous hosts made an exception for the Americans. There's even a decorated fir tree in the hotel lobby.

In Tunisia, it is illegal to cut down an olive tree. My tour guide Wadya (we call her Zena) tells me that doing so could land you in jail for up to 2 months and dozens of fines.

There are 83 million olive trees in Tunisia, more than any other tree and yet each is tended to and treated like it was the last. Nearly everyone, farmer or not, has one growing in their backyard, a sign of wealth for some. In fact, after textile and mechanics it's the third largest industry.