Iftar with Omar

Omar has been my student in three classes.  We have talked outside of class due to our shared love of photography.  Last week he invited me to his family's Iftar.

During Ramadan people fast during daylight - no food or water for about 14 hours with temperatures of 115 degrees outside.  At sundown loudspeakers call out the signal that is OK to eat.  The first meal is called Iftar - which means "break the fast" or simply breakfast.  It is a light meal consisting of dates, fruits, juice, etc.

In this room there are just over 30 men (the women gather separately).  Omar explained that his extended family gathers once every week.  "Just during Ramadan?" I asked.

"No, all year," he replied.

I laughed, "In the US the extended families get together for Thanksgiving and Christmas and we think that's more than enough.  I can't imagine doing it every week!"

I have been to a couple of Iftars over the years and I always appreciate the experience.  When you come into the room you are expected to shake hands with every other person in the room.  Some tribes also do nose rubs.  As very much the outsider I have always been made to feel welcome.  Most of the conversation is in Arabic but they will always ask about my home and try out whatever English they know.

One of the things that made this Iftar particularly special was the food:  It was great!  See the bowl of macaroni above?  I pretty much ate it all by myself.  As others saw I was devouring it they passed over a second bowl.  I have no idea what light sauce it had but it was amazing.

I have found a lot of Arabic food to be either too dry, too bland or too spicy.  Everything I tried here was outstanding and I asked Omar what is his family secret.  He said in his family the women do the cooking.  In other families they have the maids cook.  All I can say is that the women of Omar's family can really cook.

There are no spoons and those squeamish about double dipping should probably skip an Iftar.

After this light breakfast most went off to pray and we moved to the next room where we waited for a larger meal.

Here Omar is washing a mango for us to share.

In the round one of food I was sitting with people who had fasted all day.  I had eaten lunch a few hours earlier.  They ate just a little and went off to pray.  Meanwhile I ate and ate and ate.  When Omar said, "The big meal will come in an hour" I said I was greatly appreciative but I simply ate too much in round one.

A minute before I took this picture Omar's father was holding his nephew upside down and tickling him.  We may have very different traditions and cultures but at some level we're just not that different.

 I so wish this picture had come out better.  I loved watching these two boys practicing how to put on the guttra.  In the US teaching a boy how to put on a tie is much easier.

After I told Omar that I planned to go he insisted that I take some food with me.  They brought me two huge plates serving plates.  It was more food than I could eat in several days.  This is very Emirati.

I took the food to one of my saloon (barber) shops and shared it with them.  It seemed like the right thing to do for Ramadan.