Last Friday we went out for trying the Iftar dinner. This is a special Ramadan dinner, the Muslims eat after sunset. They don't eat, drink or smoke, etc. until the sun is up (they sleep instead), then when the sun goes down -around 6 pm here- they shut the gun on the Corniche and everybody starts eating and they eat all night long. The shops are open through the night, the restaurants and everything, and proportionally most of the shops are closed during the day, and of course all coffee shops and restaurants are closed too .
You can get this Iftar buffet in every hotel and restaurants. They begin with eating sweets, especially the date fruit stuffed with all sorts of things and drinking very sweet drinks (non-alcoholic of course) to work their blood-sugar up again, and so they go on to all the rest... We have been to the Ritz Carlton and there they had 50 different dishes, mostly traditional Arabic cuisine... and this is how it is every day during the Holy Month of Ramadan, while they're fasting. Throughout the day there's hardly any traffic on the roads (well, compared to Doha normally), and after 6 pm, you just can't get to go anywhere... There are people just driving around between two roundabouts, back and forth on the Corniche waiting for the gunshot, so that they can finally get some food.
This is the restaurant inside - quite an Arabic atmosphere:-):
We have to acknowledge certain rules here in the Ramadan too, even though we aren't Muslims. We are not allowed to smoke, drink, chew gum or eat in public in the hours between sunrise and sunset. You cannot even do so in your car while driving... imagine how lovely this rule is when we have 45 degrees Celsius here in shade. If you would to it anyway, you risk getting a warning from the police or it can even result in spending the rest of the month in jail!!!?- This is only valid for adults though. You aren't allowed to dance or sing or listen to loud music in public, or wear revealing and tight clothes.
Soffi has found a little friend at the Iftar anyway:-), not that she notices a lot of these Ramadan rules... but after we've been eating they've been running around together, looking at each other's shoes and trying them on... so typical women;-)...
Jaj én ezt aktívan bjokottáltam Isztanbulban (nem tudok nemet mondani éhségtôl csikorgó gyomromnak) - rágógumit sem??? Hafi, a helyi borbélyunk is tartja a ramadánt - este 8kor nyitja a boltot, Mátyást teletömte mindenféle arab édességgel amit Marokkóból küldött neki a családja. Mi csak ámuldozunk, dehát a szokás az szokás...
VálaszTörlésJa, itt mindenki komolyan veszi... de azért én sem bírom ki, hogy ne igyak legalább egy kis vizet... nôi wc egy alkalmas hely, vagy lehajolok a kocsiban... de tényleg nem szabad, és rágózni se merek:-)... na, de mindjárt vége... ilyen ez a vallás... Puszi
VálaszTörlésHej Zita. Sjovt at følge med i jeres liv under så fremmede himmelstrøg, som Qatar jo er. Ser ud til at I oplever en masse spændende ting, selvom der også er andre regler og skikke, end dem som vi europæer er vant til. Jeg kan jo nemt blive en smule "misundelig" på den gode måde. Tag mig det ikke ilde op, jeg synes jo bare I har fået en fantastisk mulighed for at opleve andre lande og kulturer end de europæiske, og det synes jeg er fedt. Hyg jer og ha! det rigtig godt. Knus Carsten
VálaszTörlésHej Carsten. Jeg er glad for at se, du også følger med her:-), og jo det er meegeet anderledes her, vi havde været sindsyge ikke at sige ja til denne oplevelse:-), men mange gange bliver man også irriteret over hvor mærkeligt tingene fungerer her ifht. Europa:-)... Har I været på Thailand:-)? Hils alle. Knus Z
VálaszTörlés