IFTAR - October 11th Still!
The telephone woke us out of our naps. The desk called to let us know that our other room was ready. It was a surreal feeling to re-enter the world and realize that it was still Thursday, still October 11th. As we packed up our things and moved to our new room it felt as though we had lived three days in one.
During the month of Ramadan muslims fast from sun up to sun down. It is illegal in the U.A.E. to eat or drink in public during this time. At Maghrib (sunset) restaurants begin to open and the city comes alive. Everyone emerges from the daily fasting and gathers for the evening meal or Iftar which traditionally breaks the fast. We went in search of dinner and decided to follow the lines of people gathered at the end of the lobby. People were arriving in streams from outside to go to this restaurant so we figured they must know something worth finding out about. We were led outside the doors to a buffet and back into a giant tent that had been set up in the courtyard. This was not a tent in the traditional sense that we are used to. We agreed that it was kind of "Harry Potter experience" in that the tent from the outside seemed so small and humble. Inside it was enormously lavish and comfortable. Beautiful red tapestries created the inside of the tent and there were large tables and chairs draped in white cloth as far as the eye could see. There was a huge banquet table which was holding traditional mezzes. Mezzes are the Middle Eastern equivalent of tapas or appetizers. There were bowls of hummus and mouhamara dips with triangles of Pita bread, cold vegetable dishes, cheeses, and so many that one could not have tried them all without sitting for several hours. Rob tells me that that is exactly what families do. Iftar is a community meal and indeed there were large groups seated around tables deep in conversation and eating. Children were running everywhere, dodging under the buffet tables playing hide and seek and jumping over chairs creating an obstacle course for the formally clad waiters as they carried trays of drinks to each table. I must applaud their efforts because not a single crash sound rang out amongst the revelers during the entire dinner. Rob asked for water but was told that only juices came with our meal - water was extra! - and he pointed at a long row of elaborate glass and silver dispensers filled with many colors of juice. We tried a couple of purple looking juices, fragrant and aromatic, but at the waiter's urging finally settled for the most delicious orange juice I have ever had. We made our way outside into the comfortable evening breezes where large chafing dishes were arranged in lines under canopies. There were so many dishes to try. Rice and spiced meats, moussaka, tilapia in tahini sauce, on and on. At one end two chefs were working together, one rolling and one deep frying to make fresh falafel which for those who haven't tried them they are made of chick pea paste and then rolled in flower and fried until crispy. These were being made in the shape of starts with sesame seeds on the outside, right there on the spot. They were amazing. There was so much food left on my plate and I felt bad but Rob said that it is considered rude to leave an empty plate in Middle Eastern countries. It implies that you have not been fed enough. He said that they have to warn Westerners coming to Saudi Arabi not to constantly empty their plate because as soon as a plate is empty it will be refilled before you are finished chewing. That would explain why I had to rescue my meal from the flight attendant on my way over when I seemed to pause during my dinner! We sat and leisurely ate fresh fruit and unidentifiable delicious desserts. Most of the desserts seemed to be pastries of some sort soaked in honey. When all of our plates were cleared the waiter brought us traditional Arabic coffee called gahwa. Rob had warned me about gahwa because it is commonly served in Saudi Arabia and there it is made from unroasted coffee beans so it is green with a very strong taste that has to be acquired. I was grateful for the size of the tiny cups when the waiter brought over coffee pot and began pouring. However, the coffee he poured was not green but more of the traditional brown coffee color that I am accustomed to. It was actually quite nice. It turns out that gahwa is a bedouin tradition (the Emirates are proud of their bedouin heritage) and the customs vary individually. Legend has it that a bedouin sheep herder in the 12th century discovered coffee when he noticed that while he was drowsy in the afternoons his goats were frolicking and lively after eating the berries of a particular evergreen bush. Gahwa is never served sweetened or with milk but with dates as an accompaniment. I'm not fond of dates myself but Rob convinced me that these were the finest to be found and filled a small plate from the buffet. I must admit that as dates go they were pretty tasty. All in all it was a fantastic and traditional way to end a very, very long and untraditional day.
During the month of Ramadan muslims fast from sun up to sun down. It is illegal in the U.A.E. to eat or drink in public during this time. At Maghrib (sunset) restaurants begin to open and the city comes alive. Everyone emerges from the daily fasting and gathers for the evening meal or Iftar which traditionally breaks the fast. We went in search of dinner and decided to follow the lines of people gathered at the end of the lobby. People were arriving in streams from outside to go to this restaurant so we figured they must know something worth finding out about. We were led outside the doors to a buffet and back into a giant tent that had been set up in the courtyard. This was not a tent in the traditional sense that we are used to. We agreed that it was kind of "Harry Potter experience" in that the tent from the outside seemed so small and humble. Inside it was enormously lavish and comfortable. Beautiful red tapestries created the inside of the tent and there were large tables and chairs draped in white cloth as far as the eye could see. There was a huge banquet table which was holding traditional mezzes. Mezzes are the Middle Eastern equivalent of tapas or appetizers. There were bowls of hummus and mouhamara dips with triangles of Pita bread, cold vegetable dishes, cheeses, and so many that one could not have tried them all without sitting for several hours. Rob tells me that that is exactly what families do. Iftar is a community meal and indeed there were large groups seated around tables deep in conversation and eating. Children were running everywhere, dodging under the buffet tables playing hide and seek and jumping over chairs creating an obstacle course for the formally clad waiters as they carried trays of drinks to each table. I must applaud their efforts because not a single crash sound rang out amongst the revelers during the entire dinner. Rob asked for water but was told that only juices came with our meal - water was extra! - and he pointed at a long row of elaborate glass and silver dispensers filled with many colors of juice. We tried a couple of purple looking juices, fragrant and aromatic, but at the waiter's urging finally settled for the most delicious orange juice I have ever had. We made our way outside into the comfortable evening breezes where large chafing dishes were arranged in lines under canopies. There were so many dishes to try. Rice and spiced meats, moussaka, tilapia in tahini sauce, on and on. At one end two chefs were working together, one rolling and one deep frying to make fresh falafel which for those who haven't tried them they are made of chick pea paste and then rolled in flower and fried until crispy. These were being made in the shape of starts with sesame seeds on the outside, right there on the spot. They were amazing. There was so much food left on my plate and I felt bad but Rob said that it is considered rude to leave an empty plate in Middle Eastern countries. It implies that you have not been fed enough. He said that they have to warn Westerners coming to Saudi Arabi not to constantly empty their plate because as soon as a plate is empty it will be refilled before you are finished chewing. That would explain why I had to rescue my meal from the flight attendant on my way over when I seemed to pause during my dinner! We sat and leisurely ate fresh fruit and unidentifiable delicious desserts. Most of the desserts seemed to be pastries of some sort soaked in honey. When all of our plates were cleared the waiter brought us traditional Arabic coffee called gahwa. Rob had warned me about gahwa because it is commonly served in Saudi Arabia and there it is made from unroasted coffee beans so it is green with a very strong taste that has to be acquired. I was grateful for the size of the tiny cups when the waiter brought over coffee pot and began pouring. However, the coffee he poured was not green but more of the traditional brown coffee color that I am accustomed to. It was actually quite nice. It turns out that gahwa is a bedouin tradition (the Emirates are proud of their bedouin heritage) and the customs vary individually. Legend has it that a bedouin sheep herder in the 12th century discovered coffee when he noticed that while he was drowsy in the afternoons his goats were frolicking and lively after eating the berries of a particular evergreen bush. Gahwa is never served sweetened or with milk but with dates as an accompaniment. I'm not fond of dates myself but Rob convinced me that these were the finest to be found and filled a small plate from the buffet. I must admit that as dates go they were pretty tasty. All in all it was a fantastic and traditional way to end a very, very long and untraditional day.
posted by Melanie at 10:29 PM
1 Comments:
Your adventures in Ramadan remind me of out living in Cairo adventure, although the Egyptians were not as adamant about infidels eating in public (at least not in 1991). It is amazing how it can change. Since the cycle repeats every 33 years, it is moving toward a summer cycle when the daylight hours can be brutal. When wewere in Cairo, Ramadan occurred in the Spring. Enjoy, and telll Rob we all miss him.
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