Ramadan: Day 6 and 7
Just had my first weekend Ramadan experience.
You basically sleep until 3, move to the couch, sleep for another 2 hours, go for iftar, come back home, sleep for an hour or two, go out and do something, have a late-night dinner, and then crash at like 5 AM, only to wake up the next day at 3 and repeat the cycle over again.
For iftar on Friday we decided to try out a different Ramadan tent. The meal was essentially the same, however the 20 or so minutes we were there was marred be a scuffle between two guys. I was amazed to see two women in there trying to break it up.
Saturday iftar brought us back to the same place we had been a few days ago. Got some chicken and kebabs, along with the usual rice, bread, and salad. Perhaps the best part of the day was discovering the “bat cave,” a sheesha joint. Picture the grotto at the Playboy mansion, subtract that models and the hot tub, and you have our new sheesha hangout.
Not eating during the day is becoming so habitual that I question how long it’s going to take me to get back on the food once Ramadan is over.
Oh, and a second monitor was just brought in for me. Two 17-inchers lined up right next to each other. That’s a whole lotta monitor.
posted by kent @ 7:19 a.m.
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5 Comments:
life just a good
I have had tripe soup! In Turkey. Is was a staple in restaurants back in 1973. Managed okay with it but then a restaurant owner took us home to meet his family and they fed us real tripe soup. It was sooo strong and my travelling companion couldn't handle it. And it was so rude to refuse....
Hi Kent! I just caught up on your blog (great posts, by the way!), and noticed a particular disturbing theme: your lack of food leading to a lack of mental/physical energy. The teacher in me was worried so I did a wee bit o' research and found this:
On Friday, the Heath Ministry warned those fasting, asking them to get up at night and eat before fasting through the day. If they fail to do this, they could suffer from headaches, tiredness and high blood pressure, said the ministry.
A statement released by the ministry warned that unbalanced diets during Ramadan could result in health problems, adding: Food should be eaten slowly and in small amounts. The fast should end with a light dish like soup and then continue with other types of food. At least 10 glasses of water should be drunk between the end of one day's fasting and the start of the next.
...
You can imagine the impact that this month-long fasting every 11 months would have on children! I've taught in schools last year that were fasting and I couldn't wrap my head around it. Not only is a little bit unhealthy but it actually can be debilitating for young children who need food to grow. (Not to mention, it seemed that everyone was just a little bit cranky and off... and that went for the teachers too. You may see more funny occurances - like the iftar fight - during Ramadan.)
At the same time, I had two Canadian friends living in Tunisia who experienced Ramadan during the dead heat of summer and here are a couple of their thoughts. They drank water through the +40 degree days (as opposed to just holding it in their mouths and spitting it out) and eventually decided to eat regularly, despite their very real concern of offending their host country.
So if you're doing Ramadan in all seriousness, here's a small warning I found
According to the Prophet, there are five things that will undo all the good that comes from fasting:
1. Telling a lie
2. Denouncing someone behind his or her back
3. Slander
4. A False Oath
5. Greed or Covetousness
Yikes!
Okay, that's enough of the teacher! Feel free to take my warnings with a grain of salt, and I look forward to reading your blog on a regular basis.
Cheers, and best of luck with your adventures!
ciao, ciao - Jodie of London
P.S. Check out my blog for my chai talk, inspired by you and Nicholas.
Sorry, no tripe soup yet.
Sounds tasty, though.
Haha, that was an epic comment. The teacher in Jodie emerges! It's ok to fast though, Kent can stand to lose a few pounds about as much as I could. As Zoolander would say if he were here.
"So what?, I [fast through] lots of meals."
"So do I. It's a great way to lose pounds before a show."
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