The girls have been heading outside around 7pm each night to listen for the iftar break-the-fast cannon. The world around here gets very quiet around that time - I remember the same pregnant hush in Syria and Turkey. You can almost hear people sitting down at their tables, readying dates, water, or more substantial fare.
We went to Matajer the other night right around iftar and it was almost completely deserted. The restaurants and cafes are all closed during the day, and we caught them just before they started opening up for the post-iftar rush.
An almost-empty parking lot - insane for 7pm!
Giant book stand and prayer beads at the entrance.
An empty coffee shop at 7pm, just opening for the day.
An empty (but open) Carrefour.
Does your McDonald's sell Ramadan stories for children?
Does your McDonald's sell special Ramadan break-the-fast meals?
And it looks like Jeremy's not the only one who can be an unintentional jerk about Ramadan. I went to pick up a rental car at the airport the other night and realized when I got to the counter that we were ten minutes out from iftar. While it was fun to sit and watch all the airport officials get ready to break their fasts, I felt pretty bad that the Palmer family personally delayed one rental car employee's iftar by about 20 minutes.
To be honest, after the first week or so of Ramadan in Damascus over ten years ago, the exotic, romantic shine had almost completely worn off of this holiday for me. Ramadan is heartwarming and atmospheric for the first few days. Then you realize it just means everyone is grumpy and tired during the day and not inclined to work (I don't blame them). And nighttime becomes a time to get done all the stuff people didn't do during the day, much to the chagrin of non-fasters who are trying to sleep.
But this year, I've been able to enjoy it again. I'm sure it's got its shine back because we're leaving the country soon - I know this is my last Ramadan for a while. I'm glad to be able to see its beauty again. I'll be listening for the iftar cannon myself tonight, along with the girls.
