The holy month of Ramadan has begun here in Doha. Well, actually it has been going on for nearly two weeks now, but as you can see I am, as usual, late with updates. In any event “Ramadan Mubarak” (Merry Ramadan, or rather ‘blessed Ramadan’) and “Ramadan Kareem” (more of the same, but closer to ‘bountiful Ramadan’). This is a special time for most Muslim nations and is tantamount to the Christmas season for most Westerners.

Interestingly, as part of the Muslim faith, it is required that a person fast during this month. In fact, it is forbidden to eat or drink in public during this time, by law, here in Doha. Needless to say, I was a bit worried that I might make a mistake of doing just such a thing and end up in jail (though that is really not what happens to you here). So, rather than worry about the potential mistake I might make, I decided to join them. A bit of the old. . .”when in Rome” mindset. And believe it or not, it is not that hard.

OK, the first few days were tough. . .but I have fasted before and knew that I could (potentially) do this.

At the start of the fast, I did a little research in trying to figure out the best way to do this. 30 days is a long time for no eating and drinking between sun up to sun down, so I knew I was going to need some pointers. Seems there are any number of ways to go about your fast, so you just have to test them all. Thankfully, my students have any number of strategies for getting through this. So, what better way than to get tips from the experts.

Suhoor is the last time you can eat or drink anything for the coming day, and it precedes sun rise with the first call to prayer. Sadly, this year, it started around 3:30AM and lasts until about 4AM. This window, I was told, was when I should plan to get up, cram some food in and top it off with as much water as I could handle. It would be a long time between 4AM and sunset (5:45PM) later that day.

Not to bore you too much with the tragic details, but getting up that early and shoving a bit of food in the gullet is not the most pleasurable way to begin a holiday, but I figured I had to give it a go. 3:30AM found me furiously slapping my alarm clock, wondering what my name was and then staggering to the kitchen to, literally, trowel in the food I had left out for myself not but a few hours before. I could only hope that the holiday season would get easier.

In fact, it does. After about a week of trying to get the hang of going back to bed with a full, if not distended, tummy (something Mother’s warn their children not to do), I knew there had to be a better way. After not a few consultations about fasting with my students, I discovered that “midnight” food binges were not worth it. It is the water you want. . .need. . .crave come the last few hours before you can break your fast.

For me, the lack of water has been the hardest part. Most Muslims, to combat this, sleep during the middle hours of the day. . .sorta like “siesta”. It is too hot to do much of anything and it helps the body conserve on calories and H₂O. This has been one of my biggest insights into how to complete a fast–give up the food and suck in as much water as you can when you can. I am up to about 2.5 liters from the time I can drink to the end of suhoor. Needless to say, I don’t need an alarm clock much anymore to get me out of bed. . .my bladder does the job just fine.

So what about breaking the fast? That has to be the best part. Not only do you can you have water (mmm!), tradition dictates that you break your fast with dates and in a place like this, there are more dates than you can shake a palm leaf at. Talk about bounty! They have dried, and candied and chocolate-coated-almond-stuffed confections. . .and I don’t even like dates usually. But now, breaking the fast, I love them.

My favorite way is with laban, a drink not unlike buttermilk or thinned down yoghurt. It is the perfect compliment to breaking a fast with dates. The almost candy-like nature of the glucose laden date is perfectly balanced to the slightly sour, ever tangy laban. Also, you have to eat an odd, or prime number, of dates, but after 7, you are full. Indeed, the students swear that 7 dates and a glass, or two, of laban constitutes a full meal. And it is true, after trying it a few times, I am pretty full. But that is nothing compared to the FULL of an iftar

Like most cultures, the Middle East has developed an amazing cuisine, and an iftar is the time and “the Place” to experience it. After the last call to evening prayers, tables begin to groan under the weight of the food lovingly laid out on them. And from then until suhoor, people groan under the amount they stuff in. An iftar buffet, however, is a little slice of heaven on earth for me given my love of the food here. There are more salads, and breads, and phyllo stuffed anythings than I have ever seen or tucked into. Not to mention olives of all sorts and varieties, fish dishes and soups and yes, plenty of lamb and goat. I have tried it all (well, only a few of the meat dishes, but they were prepared by the students who wanted to share an iftar with a few of their teachers and I can report, they weren’t that bad. . .really!).

The really amazing thing, however, about this whole experience is when my students find out I am fasting with them. They appreciate the effort and wonder at my reasons. Mostly, I tell them, it is out of respect, but also empathy. I want to know what they know. It makes it a bit easier for us to identify with each other. We cheer each other along, and spend rather too many hours discussing food. But I think what I get the most out of this whole experience, and the whole reason you are asked to fast in the first place, is so that you can identify with others around you. Eating and drinking are basic necessities. It is something you take for granted and don’t really have to think about. But when you make the effort to disrupt that process, it causes your thinking to move into different areas. You notice your relationship to food and water and the Earth and other people in a different way. Here, since it is something everyone around you is sharing and doing, in that way, you are become a part of a bigger community. It makes sense and I am happy to say it’s not that bad. It is kinda fun and makes getting to know the place you are in a little bit better.

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On a side note, I’ve lost 12 lbs already! I was told when I got here to expect the the dreaded “Doha 12″ my first year here what with all the catered buffets and dinners around here. By all accounts, I am already ahead of the game. Any one up for the Ramadan diet?

Filed under: General by law