1September2010 Quickshot: Photobooth

From a photo booth at the mall.  Unfortunately there was only room for 3. 

30August2010 Ramadan Notes (Breaking Fast)

Every evening, at approximately 7:30pm, speakers around town broadcast the end of the day's fast.  Normally a song, followed by a brief "message" and then with the declaration "God is greater" feasting begins.  Our city literally holds its breath in anticipation of those words

Last night, we experienced it first hand when we visited one of our favorite restaurants.  We arrived at 6:45 and were instantly asked, "Do you have a reservation?"  Luckily we did because like basically every restaurant in town, the place was packed.  Families and friends were sitting around tables, some with platters of food at the ready and the wait staff stood at attention waiting to for the Go signal.  All eyes and ears focused on the speakers of a radio, which relayed the broadcast from a local mosque. 

We ordered and our food arrived quickly and a few minutes later the call to prayer sounded and everyone started to eat.  

Fast is usually broken by eating dates and drinking water.  We obliged but then jumped headfirst into the other platters full of grilled chicken, lamb, and beef, humus, tabouleh, fatoush, fried potatoes, baba ganoush and tons of bread.  After we completely gorged on this, platters of qatayef were brought out.  Qatayef is a pastry similar to a pancake that is filled with cheese, almonds, walnuts, sweet cream and other goodies and then fried and drizzled with honey or syrup.  Needless to say everyone made room for the qatayef!  We finished our meal and hung out for a little while.  When we left the other tables were still going strong, many smoking cigarettes and argeelis and drinking fruit juices.  They were probably there all night.