The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, organized by the Confederation of African Football (AFFA), kicks off on December 21st. This is the second time the tournament will be held in Morocco.
And, the whole city, the whole country, we are all excited about hosting! もう街中がこのカップに向けて準備中！
Four of our stadiums will be used in Rabat. Five other Moroccan cities, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fes, Tangier, and Agadir will become the home of the cup.
Even the windows of taxis have this design… タクシーさんのガラスもこのようなデザインになりまして。。。
It’s Christmastime, therefore the coexistence of trees and football; what a creative & tasteful way to decorate the tree! 「クリスマス·シーズン」らしい、ツリーとサッカーの共存！なかなかのセンスです。
Flags of participating countries – 24 of them! They are so colorful and beautiful. I noticed that I was not very familiar with all the designs of flags and their countries. I need to study a bit 🙂 アフリカの２４の国が競うトーナメント。こういったカラフルな旗も街のいろいろでみかけるようになりました。あんまり知らないデザインも多いので、ただいま勉強中～。
This is the elevator of Arribat Center Mall – ya, very much in a mood. 地元のモール内エレベーターもこんな感じです。
And so are the water bottles. カフェで無料でついてくるお水も。
The local tram looks like this too. La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow) cheese is also selling a “special flavor” for this occasion. Love, love, love. 地元を走っているトラムも、この通り。La Vache qui rit (The Laughing Cow)ちゃんも、スペシャルバージョンを発売中～。この牛さんロゴ大好きな私、たまりません。
Malls and parks have set up “spectator areas” or “fan zones.” Even if you can’t make it to the stadium, you can still experience all the fun and excitement at those places, I bet. モールや公園では「観戦エリア（ファンゾーン）」のようなものが設置されてきました。球場に行けなくても、ここで十分盛り上がれそうな。
Morocco is also going to be one of the countries to host the World Cup in 2030. Moroccans LOVE succor, and beautiful facilities are being built one after another… great for economy & spirit!
In Morocco, you can find “The Laughing Cow” cheese everywhere. It seems like this joyful cow became an essential part of Moroccan breakfast or snack time. I am sure you have all seen this cheese somewhere. It’s been distributed to so many countries by the Bel Group in France since 1921. That makes this ‘laughing cow’ older than Mickey Mouse (who was born in 1928) .
You can feel assured that the cheese made from such a smiley cow must be delicious, non? Well, the original design of the cow is a bit questionable, but those were the days. Speaking of ‘questionable’, I am not sure about the life-size mascot either…
French is widely used in Morocco, therefore, the cheese is named “La Vache qui rit.” I have been a fan of this logo way before moving here; I actually own Vache qui rit earrings and a T-shirt, and I ADORE them (thanks to my hubby!). Especially, these earrings have become kind of like my identity; many people stop by and talk to me when I wear these 🙂 If you look closer, though, it is written “The Laughing Cow” because they were made in the US. And it’s not the original flavor (that’d be in a blue box), but orange (cheddar flavor). Okay, too many details…
フランス語が主流なモロッコでは、”Vache qui rit” という名称で親しまれています。このロゴの牛さんが前々から好きだった私、実はイヤリングとT-shirtを持っております（笑）。このイヤリングをしていると、声をかけてくれる方がたくさん！楽しいアイテムです。でも、アメリカ在住中に旦那さんからプレゼントしてもらったので、よ～く見ると”The Laughing Cow”、そしてオリジナルフレーバーのブルーではなく、オレンジ色（チェダー風味）。どうでもいい情報です。
I came across these fun designs of La Vache qui rit while I was shopping. The cows are wearing a variety of Moroccan hats! And each package design features a different region of this amazing country. SO, I HAD TO buy all 4 of them. Pourquoi pas? Why not? Thanks to Google Translate, I could see what these designs represent: “Treasure of the South,” “Great Atlantic Coast,” “Jewel of the North,” and “Authentic East.” This is a cheese with some poetic attitude.
Scanning the barcode also leads to a game for children. Fun! Apparently, there was a “Cow with a Hat” contest, and the results showed that the one wearing the Moroccan cap came out on top. I love this kind of customer interaction. I am moooooved.
The Bell group sells cheese and other related products in 130 countries. In Japan, it started in 1983, and I’m sure you know the “BelCube” if you are reading this blog in the land of the rising sun. Now, why cubes? when triangle wedges are the norm in other countries? Is it the size? Oh, maybe it’s because Japan is a serious country, so they decided that cheese needs to be a bit “square“? If you know the reason behind the cheese shape, please let me know. I was impressed that they have 10 different flavors – chorizo, onion, prosciutto, scallop, blue, cheddar, camembert, tomato, olive, and creamy. Wow.
By the way, there’s apparently an event in Zurich titled “La Vache qui LIT” (‘lit’ means ‘read’ in French). Yup, it’s a reading contest for children aged 8 to 12, with a ‘dad-joke’ title. Also, in the town of Lons-le-Saunier in France, there is an annual cycling race sponsored by the Bel Company. I don’t do sport cycling, but I do want that uniform.
ちなみに、Vache qui ritの言葉をオヤジギャグ的にもじったイベントがスイス、チューリッヒで行われているようです。その名も＜La Vache qui LIT> コンテスト。8歳から12歳のお子さんを対象に、読書を推奨するためのイベントらしいです（Litはフランス語で’読む’）。また、ロンス・ル・ソーニエの町では、ベル社主催のサイクリング・レースが毎年行われているようです。このユニフフォーム、欲しい。
Speaking of Lons-le-Saunier, it is the home of “La Maison de la Vache qui rit,” a museum dedicated to our beloved laughing cow. Visiting there is definitely on my bucket list. I might even be able to buy some underwear for my husband (not sure he wants it though) in their gift shop. Inshallah.
