Iftar and Eid al Fitr

As we near the end of the holy month Ramadan, I am enjoying my first public holiday in the UAE.   For a variety of reasons, my whole team ended up working on the last public holiday and through most of that 3-day weekend, so it's been nice to enjoy a little "time off" that doesn't involve getting on an airplane.

Eid al-Fitr, or "Festival of Breaking of the Fast" marks the end of a month of fasting, prayer, and charitable giving for Muslims.  For public sector employees and school children, it is a 3-day celebration with opportunities to see friends and family. For public sector, it's a 2-day holiday with most non-essential businesses closed in observance.

For me, the break is a little a little bittersweet.  My father is getting married this weekend, however we will  not be in Boston to celebrate with him. The timing is actually pretty good with the 2-day public holiday, but at 32 weeks pregnant, I am opting not to make the long journey back to the US for what would have been the third month in a row.  I'm far enough along that the airlines require doctors' notes within 48 hours of departure for both long-haul flights, and that means I'd have to find an obstetrician in Boston to clear me to fly back to UAE.  Compounded with sitting in economy for 12+ hours with my big belly, I just don't think I can do it.  Dad and his fiance understand, and I still wish I could be there with them.  Luckily, my brother-in-law who took photographs for G and my wedding is also photographing Dad's wedding, so I'll get to see lots of pictures!

G and I did get to celebrate an Iftar (daily breaking of the fast) and it was quite an experience!  We made a reservation at the upscale Lebanese restaurant called Li Beirut in our building and we were not disappointed. When we arrived, there were several tables of other patrons who were still fasting, and the restaurant had the television turned to an Arabic channel that covers daily prayers.  They started bringing out dates, fresh juices, and cold appetizers for breaking of the fast, and since we were clearly not fasting, we were politely instructed to wait until the prayers on the television were complete and the Iftar canon had sounded.  It was all very civilized, unlike some of the stories I've heard of celebrating Iftar with large crowds at the local mosques.

The cold mezze or cold appetizers were enough for a meal!

The food was delicious, although as non-fasting patrons, it was quite a lot!  I tried to limit myself to just a tiny sample of everything, knowing that there was still soup, hot appetizer, main, and dessert courses left to go! Shortly after the Iftar canon sounded, the servers brought us a yummy lemony lentil soup which again, I had to resist finishing.

Hot Mezze course with green salad and tahini

The hot mezze consisted of various fried things stuffed with meats, cheeses, and unknown tasty bits of vegetables.  I can see how people gain weight during Ramadan since after fasting all day, it is hard not to gorge yourself on delicious foods that you've been missing for the past 12+ hours.

Main course - so much food, particularly for only 2 people!

I didn't quite get a snapshot of the main courses that came out before G and I dug in, but we barely made a dent in it since we were getting so full!  G's favorite was the lamb chop (there were two, you can see one in the photo), and my favorite was the eggplant and grape leaves stuffed with rice and baby marrow (the bowl at the top). The eggplant was probably the least "pretty" thing they brought out with its dark muted colors, and it was so rich flavorful. I wish I had brought the leftovers home, but our fridge is tiny and was already full so we let the servers clear it all away.  I've checked and the dolmas & eggplant is on the regular menu so I will definitely be back at Li Beirut after Ramadan is over!

Dessert was hit and miss, there was a sweet cheese dish with bananas and berries that neither of us cared for, and there was a plate of baklava that was devoured before either of us thought to take a photo.  I mean really, chopped nuts, buttery layers phyllo dough, all doused in honey...what is not to love??

We saw another pair of non-fasting expats leave after Iftar with 2 large shopping bags full of leftovers.  Honestly, if our tiny refrigerator had room, we would have followed suit because everything was so delicious -- lesson learned for next year, no grocery shopping before Iftar!  It was a fun an interesting experience, and we enjoyed seeing the other tables with groups of people breaking fast together.  Some ate very quickly and were on there way, others stayed and relaxed an enjoyed the food.  This time next year, we'll be in Dubai with a little one, so we may or may not be able to go out for an Iftar celebration, but we will certainly try!