Sarongs in Tunisia

[Charlie]

Hi guys, I've just spent the last two weeks on holiday in sunny Tunisia (north-west Africa for the geographically challenged).

In the hotel, on the restaurant door there was a notice "Please be advised that long trousers must be worn in the evenings for the restaurant". (Note: the notice is non-gender specific and was, as usual, generally ignored by the women.)

I was too tired to argue on the first day, so meekly complied on the first evening. However, next day at breakfast when people wear more or less what they like, I hit them with a sarong. There were - no comments. I went in to the restaurant in the evening still wearing a sarong. Again, no reaction, although a couple of the management suits appeared to confer briefly while looking my way. I'd guess the rule was made to stop men turning up in their ugly shorts. (One guy was caught wearing shorts. He explained that he hadn't brought any long trousers with him. I didn't find out what happened.)

I wore sarongs exclusively for two glorious weeks, and even wore one on the flight home - incredibly comfortable, highly recommended. Back in England, I don't know what the two very big, flinty-eyed plain-clothes security men thought as I walked through passport control. I was wearing a blue polo shirt and an orange and blue sarong, and must have stood out in the drab crowd.

The local Tunisians asked, on four separate occasions, if I was Scottish. They were obviously aware that Scots wear a 'skirt', so I explained about the kilt.

The only negative comment was overheard in the hotel restaurant. A guy with an American accent (he may have been Canadian - they all sound the same to me ) said something about 'A sarong in the restaurant? That's not very respectful'. I thought 'Stuff you matey, no-one else has complained'.

Most of the Tunisian girls wore jeans, as of course did most of the men (in temperatures in the high 80s F??? No way!! But then, they're probably used to those temperatures.)

So, if you are in Tunisia, wear a sarong. No-one seems to care, although one girl did have a fit of the giggles. She wouldn't have giggled if I'd been wearing jeans, just like she was

Charlie

[ChrisM]

I wore a sarong on the street in Madagascar (port city of Majunga.)

It was only one afternoon, as the rest of the time I was in jacket and tie. But I heard no catcalls or similar. Saw lots of turned heads and few smiles - but that would have been true just of my white skin without the orange sarong.

Chris

[AMM]

I wonder how much of these rules is due to Tunesian mores and how much is transplanted Western ideas of formality.

For what it's worth, among muslims in the USA, long trousers are considered more "modest" for women than skirts, perhaps because the skirts that non-muslim women here wear usually leave the ankles and often even the calves bare.

I've never heard of "modesty" for muslim men in the USA being an issue (sexism?), but most religious muslim men here still seem to wear long trousers or (less commonly) ankle-length robes. I also don't recall seeing pictures of men in shorts in the news photos from the Middle East.

I would think that sarongs might be dicey on either count though; it's not considered formal men's wear in the West (a kilt is), and it usually exposes more of the legs than trousers.

[Topsy]

It's worth remembering that Tunisia has a long association with Western Europe (particularly France, but also Spain and Italy) and is a secular society with a modern democratic society. To compare Tunisia with other Islamic countries is therefore inappropriate. Tnisia is considered by many to be the most Western-looking of the Maghreb countries.

Having said that, the tourist resorts revolve around the Euro, POund or Dollar so are alot more liberal than the non-tourist areas, particularly the Saharan regions.