Weapons of Mass Destruction

Qusay Culture, Food 20 Comments

Ramadan, a month of reflection, meditation, fasting, contemplation, all night prayers, and concentrated worshiping of the Almighty. Theoretically that is… it all looks easy… but reality is… well.. that is not what actually goes on.

Instead… the weapons of mass destruction come out, I have yet to know any person, except for ectomorphs, that actually lose weight during Ramadan, including yours truly… my weekness… sukary dates and kunafa made with bananas, both of which are so sweet and pack so much calories in the little portions/sizes they come in.

Of course an over indulgence on food, as anyone who has been to a family gathering anywhere in the world, knows that it causes something akin to the effects of consuming a mood lifter, that is why comedy shows are shown right after breaking the fast… mostly none are funny if watched any other time during the day, or the year… how do I know? No one waits for the re-runs, and when the re-runs are aired… no one watches for more that a few minutes before looking for something else.

TV shows are made all year long for the purpose of being aired and shown back to back in Ramadan. Some of the best funded productions are shown on satellite channels in the Arab world… just like no one watched TV any other time during the year… its an advertiser’s market as you can predict… my favorite shows in years gone by were the Syrian re-enactment of the Andalusian era.

Food consumption goes up tremendously, as do family visits, but everyone is on their way shopping also. Even though shopping is available all year long, everyone seems to go shopping in Ramadan, so it is a retailers market also, and after Ramadan, is the huge discount season.

Food is also given away at mosques around dusk, plenty of food, and even at the two holy mosuqes. There are sufras funded by wealthy and regular people from around the world at Makkah and Madinah in particular, but also around the Islamic world and abroad. I know that famous Egyptian artists have the Ramadan Tables in Cairo, and elsewhere.

Beggars in the street are everywhere in major cities, around mosques, especially around the two holy mosques in Jeddah and Madinah, and petty theft increases. My parents neighbors had their home broken into, while they were in the house, breaking their fast, and watching TV afterwards, I have to conclude that it must’ve been someone who knew their schedule, because they lived in an apartment on the second floor… they only noticed after the shows were over, they had no idea what happened, they did not even see who it was.

I miss Ramadan at home, but I have not had a full Ramadan at home since I finished high school… it makes me wonder how fat I would actually be if I did!