Iftar

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown. The sun goes down here around 6-6:30 every day- today sundown is at 6:10 p.m. Once the sun goes down, the fourth of the daily prayers is said and then Iftar begins. Iftar is the break the fast- it starts out by eating dates like the Prophet Muhammad did. Then the feasting starts. We got to go to an Iftar at a restaurant called Lanterns. They had a ton of great Middle Eastern and Indian dishes. I think my favorite of the night was the Indian Honey Chicken and these fried sweet balls soaked in honey for dessert. I've seen a mix for these at the store- I may try to make them. It was very fun. The Bahraini driver at the school Jaffara said that for a time of fasting there sure is a lot of food during Ramadan! He said during Ramadan they typically sleep during the day- then spend the night eating and visiting with friends.

The hard part about being here during Ramadan isn't really eating in public- that is pretty easy to remember. It is that nowhere has regular hours. Stores in the mall won't have staff there till 2 or 3 p.m.- (like a tech at the optomitrist to fix Roger's glasses). And no restaurants are open until Iftar. It is different- business hours don't apply!