We're right in the middle of Ramadan which is the month of fasting and one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
During this period Muslims don't eat or drink (even water) from dawn until sunset. (Also no smoking or sex.) It began here in Jordan on the 10th of July and ends on August 9th.
I'm guessing most Muslims fast. Those who don't, at least in this part of the world, don't brag about it.
Most restaurants are closed during the day. Some food is available, but you can't eat it on premise.
A Handy Mart-type store (called appropriately SNAX) down the street sells coffee, candy and stuff. It also has wi-fi and I used to study there. They still sell food, but no one eats there during Ramadan. No one even drinks coffee there - or water.
In fact, no one seems to eat in public at all, even the non-fasters. Kind of an extreme form of politeness, perhaps. Like eating a meal in front of someone who has no food.
What this has meant for me and many other students...there's no place to study during the day. I used to go into one or the other of the local cafes, order a sandwich or ice cream and study for a few hours. One of the other students and I even went downtown one afternoon and studied in a cafe overlooking the street. (I went out to study mainly for the company,but also because in the hotel room there was no table and writing homework on the bed or bent over the coffee table was back-breaking.)
Now there are a couple of other places along the road where one can buy drinks and snacks, but only one where you can actually buy a meal during the day.
And that's at the local McDonald's.
One afternoon in a fit of desperately finding somewhere to sit, study and look at people, I decided to try the McDonald's down the road. Yes, it was open and, yes, you could buy food, but no, you couldn't eat it inside and no, you couldn't even eat it sitting at the outside tables. And it was expensive.
Here's Rainbow Street midday during Ramadan...usually a bustling "happening" place -
And a popular restaurant on Rainbow Street.
Empty chairs waiting for customers across from school.
The fast is broken at sunset, the time of which varies each day. Iftar is the name of the meal and generally refers to the end of the fast.
For many Muslims the first "meal" is soup and dates; a big meal is then eaten later in the evening. For others, Iftar means a huge meal at a restaurant.
These drinks are set up on the street for the fasters - their first liquid in many many hours.
We were in a taxi at Iftar one night and a man along the road was giving all cars a box containing water and a few dates.
This restaurant has already set up its cart which will offer wrapped plates of food to their customers for Iftar.
These chickens are being prepared for their role in
the celebration.
And when the announcement comes or the call to sunset prayer begins: the fast is over -- water, food and cigarettes. Not necessarily in that order.
I had the misfortune to hail a cab just before Iftar one night. He wanted to charge me 10JD, about three times more than the going rate to take me back to the hotel. Nope, said I, and starting walking down the street.
The driver changed his mind and we negotiated a better deal. He told me that Iftar was coming up and he was anxious to get home for the meal. He was listening to the radio for the signal that the fast was over. And that's when he immediately lit a cigarette.
We soon learned not to get in a taxi when Iftar was approaching. The lack of water (and cigarettes) and maybe food makes people crazy and it makes cabbies (and others on the road) go very very fast!
And about alcohol. The liquor stores are closed all day and night for the whole month. One cabbie told us that if we wanted alcohol during the month, he could get it for us -- for a price, of course. I stocked up ahead of time with a bottle of vodka or two.
The rule about bars/restaurants being opened is that if you have a 3 to 5 rating, then you can be open. Those ratings, apparently, go to bars connected with a hotel.
The little pub I found (Piccadilly) has a 1 rating which means he can't be open during the month. The owner told me that he was the oldest bar in town and that mostly the newer ones were allowed to stay open. He didn't mind being closed, however...it was a month-long vacation for him and his girlfriend.
But then there's another bar in town which is open and not part of a hotel. I asked about this apparent contradiction and was told that they "have connections."
In any case, those of us who still want to drink can.
Fasting, particularly the "no water" part, would be very difficult in this hot climate. Napping is suggested in the afternoon and hanging out with pious people.
I like the napping in the afternoon part.
During this period Muslims don't eat or drink (even water) from dawn until sunset. (Also no smoking or sex.) It began here in Jordan on the 10th of July and ends on August 9th.
I'm guessing most Muslims fast. Those who don't, at least in this part of the world, don't brag about it.
Most restaurants are closed during the day. Some food is available, but you can't eat it on premise.
A Handy Mart-type store (called appropriately SNAX) down the street sells coffee, candy and stuff. It also has wi-fi and I used to study there. They still sell food, but no one eats there during Ramadan. No one even drinks coffee there - or water.
In fact, no one seems to eat in public at all, even the non-fasters. Kind of an extreme form of politeness, perhaps. Like eating a meal in front of someone who has no food.
What this has meant for me and many other students...there's no place to study during the day. I used to go into one or the other of the local cafes, order a sandwich or ice cream and study for a few hours. One of the other students and I even went downtown one afternoon and studied in a cafe overlooking the street. (I went out to study mainly for the company,but also because in the hotel room there was no table and writing homework on the bed or bent over the coffee table was back-breaking.)
Now there are a couple of other places along the road where one can buy drinks and snacks, but only one where you can actually buy a meal during the day.
And that's at the local McDonald's.
One afternoon in a fit of desperately finding somewhere to sit, study and look at people, I decided to try the McDonald's down the road. Yes, it was open and, yes, you could buy food, but no, you couldn't eat it inside and no, you couldn't even eat it sitting at the outside tables. And it was expensive.
Here's Rainbow Street midday during Ramadan...usually a bustling "happening" place -
And a popular restaurant on Rainbow Street.
Empty chairs waiting for customers across from school.The fast is broken at sunset, the time of which varies each day. Iftar is the name of the meal and generally refers to the end of the fast.
For many Muslims the first "meal" is soup and dates; a big meal is then eaten later in the evening. For others, Iftar means a huge meal at a restaurant.
These drinks are set up on the street for the fasters - their first liquid in many many hours.
We were in a taxi at Iftar one night and a man along the road was giving all cars a box containing water and a few dates.
the celebration.
And when the announcement comes or the call to sunset prayer begins: the fast is over -- water, food and cigarettes. Not necessarily in that order.
I had the misfortune to hail a cab just before Iftar one night. He wanted to charge me 10JD, about three times more than the going rate to take me back to the hotel. Nope, said I, and starting walking down the street.
The driver changed his mind and we negotiated a better deal. He told me that Iftar was coming up and he was anxious to get home for the meal. He was listening to the radio for the signal that the fast was over. And that's when he immediately lit a cigarette.
We soon learned not to get in a taxi when Iftar was approaching. The lack of water (and cigarettes) and maybe food makes people crazy and it makes cabbies (and others on the road) go very very fast!
And about alcohol. The liquor stores are closed all day and night for the whole month. One cabbie told us that if we wanted alcohol during the month, he could get it for us -- for a price, of course. I stocked up ahead of time with a bottle of vodka or two.
The rule about bars/restaurants being opened is that if you have a 3 to 5 rating, then you can be open. Those ratings, apparently, go to bars connected with a hotel.
The little pub I found (Piccadilly) has a 1 rating which means he can't be open during the month. The owner told me that he was the oldest bar in town and that mostly the newer ones were allowed to stay open. He didn't mind being closed, however...it was a month-long vacation for him and his girlfriend.
But then there's another bar in town which is open and not part of a hotel. I asked about this apparent contradiction and was told that they "have connections."
In any case, those of us who still want to drink can.
Fasting, particularly the "no water" part, would be very difficult in this hot climate. Napping is suggested in the afternoon and hanging out with pious people.
I like the napping in the afternoon part.
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