Ramadan, I've been reading in the local newspapers, is a
great time during which people spend more time with their families and sit down
to evening meals together at the end of a hard day's fasting rather
than ordering a takeaway and collapsing in front of the 3m flatscreen.
That may be the case for Muslims, anyway, particularly
those who have the good fortune to be living with or near their
families.
For us non-Muslim ex-pats, it's a bit different. I'm not
going to moan about it, partly because Ramadan is really no hardship for me, and
partly because a British woman recently got taken to court for insulting Ramadan
on Facebook. But the differences are marked: Obviously we tend not to fast but
you have to be a bit careful about making sure you don't eat in public in
case someone sees you and is offended. Things tend to be closed and raucous
Western-style partying is not as well tolerated, so quite a few people in search
of entertainment, us included, give the old Ramadan suppers a go at the local
hotels. They're basically the same as brunches, but with a bit more focus on
Arabic cuisine and no booze.
We tried the one down our local. It was rather sweet
with delicious food. We were sitting near a man who had clearly been observing
the fast as he barely paused for breath between mouthfuls.
I then got a bit keen on the idea of the Ramadan tents I
keep reading about and having purchased a Time Out Dubai we spotted
Al Majlis at Mina Al Salaam Hotel, Madinat, which promised an authentic Arabic
Iftar experience and a luxurious Ramadan tent.
"That sounds fun," I thought, picturing myself, Sand
Warlock and a recently arrived fellow ex-pat who we knew in Blighty, sitting
cross-legged on cushions sampling authentic Gulf region delights in between
puffs on a Shisha. So we put on our trousers and skirts with the elasticated
waists and off we jolly well went.
It turns out that the Mina Al Salaam's idea of a tent is
a little different from your average marquee or indeed Millett's camping shop
Eurohike job as it looked a little bit, well, in fact, exactly like
this:
There were blokes in fezes rambling round lighting and
keeping shishas going and sumptuously-attired waitresses looking elegant and not
minding in the least when I barged into one of them spilling her glasses of
juice because I had fallen into a diabetic coma just from passing by the pudding
table.
It was a very enjoyable experience as the food was
delicious. I took care to sample as many Arabic-style things as I could which
seemed to largely consist of huge quantities of grilled or roasted meat,
including whole lambs roasted surrounded by rice, which I believe is known as
Lamb Ouzi, and various couscous or chickpea-related dishes. Generally speaking,
I have found the Emiratis I have met so far to be somewhat acerbic and deadpan
(which does make me wonder if I have some Emirati heritage somewhere along the
line) so seeing them tuck into large buffet dinners with something that
resembles enthusiasm was diverting.
The experience also differs from brunch in that it's in
the evening and they play a recording of the call to prayer before everyone
chows down. There were plenty of Gulf Arabs there which suggests that it is at
least close to something resembling authentic, however, I'm still in search of a
real Emirati Iftar.
Next stop, the snappily named Sheikh
Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding which I am told serves Emirati dishes
at Iftar in a wind tower.
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