my last Ramadan

19 days down, 11 to go.

My third and final Ramadan began during my vacation to the Mediterranean so these 19 days have had me on the move. Between vacation and COS conference, I returned to site a week into Ramadan. Traveling during fasting is no fun. Fights break out. For those not fasting, it is inappropriate to drink water, much less eat. The best place to be is in site—although without travel, the time seems to go slower.

My favorite part of Ramadan: the food. Many of the dishes are only cooked during Ramadan—mostly because they are expensive—and the third time around, I have learned to cherish the savory treats.

Just what exactly is the Ramadan food? Here is a montage of pictures I took while breaking the fast with my host family.



The table with hard-boiled eggs, shebekia, zmita, dates, regular bread, and tea

Shebekia: dough mainly consisting of sugar, fried and soaked in honey

Zmita: mixture of sugar, dates, sesame seeds and a few other things I do not know



The main breads

In the foreground is melawi (a bready-type thick pancake) drizzled with melted butter and honey. By far, my favorite Ramadan food.

In the background is what volunteers have termed fat bread. It is melawi with a mixture of sheep fat (so literally, fat bread), onions, and cilantro in the middle.

Not pictured: harira, a minestrone-like soup with chickpeas. Super yummy.

While at lftur (means ‘breakfast’) last week, my host brother talked about President Obama’s short message to Muslims on the eve of Ramadan. I asked if he knew that Obama hosted a Lftur at the White House. Everyone at the table’s eyes got big and started asking questions. Did he fast? Did his wife (for the record, she has many fans here) fast? Who went? What foods did they eat? My answers: I do not know; I think Michelle did not go; lots of people in government, Muslims, non-Muslims, etc; I don’t know foods were served, respectively. When I mentioned the Lftur to a PCV last weekend, the first thing out of her mouth, “Did President Obama eat fat bread?!” Obviously, you can tell what we care about most. We want to know if our young, energetic president ate fried bread stuffed with animal fat. If it was on the menu, I am sure he passed on the opportunity. Not that I blame him. I only eat Xalti Helima’s.