I have tried for you: living in Muscat. Chapter 3, The Ramadan food "issue".

The Grand Mosque at sunset - the break of fast.

Another 2 or maybe 3 days to go before Ramadan is over in Oman. It is a relief, I can tell you, for those who fast, indeed, but also for those who don't.

The start of Ramadan was declared in Oman for the 12th of August by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs. The whole declaration is linked in my mind to a rather arcane story of moon-sighting that I am still trying to get my head around... and after reading pages over the internet, it still is very vague so I have decided not to go there, for your sake and mine. 

I was flying back to Oman on the 12th of August, and my first encounter with Ramadan was the Oman Air hostess's voice saying: "Welcome to Muscat. We kindly remind all non-Muslim passengers that it is forbidden to eat and drink in public places between sunset and sunrise during the Holy month of Ramadan. The outside temperature is 37 degrees, and it is 0930, local time". Had I been wide awake at that precise moment, I would have thought: "Can someone explain to me how am I meant to go through a whole month working in an office without eating, let alone drinking (water), during my waking hours? It is 37 degrees outside, you'd have to be crazy not to drink. Plus it is breakfast time. No way, it doesn't apply to me: I am no Muslim".

But I was still dozing, exhausted from the lack of sleep, thanks to the painfully early breakfast (notice the origin or the word - came as an epiphany to me - "break of fast") served on the plane - at 0300 am, right before sunset.

This was only the beginning. I was thinking it would be interesting, eyes-opening, and a fun experience to have. It turned out to be fascinating and definitely mind-broadening. Fun, not so much.

The company where I work being only young, there was no precedent and it took a few days to adjust and create a "Non-Muslim Ramadan-friendly zone" for us to proceed to our non-fasting ritual. The number of expats around decreases dramatically during Ramadan, and there was only 3 or 4 of us in the office. Nothing had been arranged yet, and for the first 2 days of Ramadan, we did not dare get on with the topic of lunch. We did not dare speak out loud about food, full stop. Oh, we were thinking about it alright, but just couldn't ask about the logistics without fearing of offending anyone. 

Off course, all public places - needless to say restaurants - are closed between sunrise and sunset. Going out for lunch was not an option. Supermarkets are open (for some seriously borderline sadomasochist reason - I shall write about this later), but where to eat the food? In the car? Forbidden. Some people even say that you could get denounced to the police by a keen citizen if seen. We could have gone home, but non-Muslim employees tend to have more work during Ramadan, because Muslim people finish their day at 2pm, which is when Europe is getting on with work - and we work with Europe on a daily basis.

So I experienced total fasting until 3 pm on day 1, and that was no fun at all. Another 3 and a half hours before sunset. How do they do it, I wondered. How do you not faint or fall asleep or just, simply, slip and grab a sip or a bite? They are used to it, trained from a young age (7 or 8 years old), is their answer. Past day 2, there is no complaining of hunger, no mention of food, they just get on with it. I still struggle understanding that answer - as I cannot get used to even the simplest restriction: not eating chocolate. How can you get used to not eating AT ALL for 12 hours? 

This aspect of Ramadan looks to me as one of Islam's utmost expression of a conviction - and is a convincing display of it - that one can fully control and resign themselves for the sake of their belief. It takes some serious willpower to go through 29 of those days and to keep going while being your normal, smiling, happy self - which they are.
On that very day, fasting made me upset, and angry, and not very efficient in my work. Not to mention the obvious, it also made me freakingly hungry and food-obsessed to the point of getting hallucinations. I did not eat my pen, but it got close enough.

On day 2, I locked myself in the bathroom and ate my lunch in 10 minutes sharp while sitting on the loo. I was feeling guilty as hell, but also laughing hysterically on my own, thinking about the situation, if someone was to see me at that precise moment. It was so not fun that it was almost fun. 

On day 3, one of my colleagues showed me an unoccupied office, that we could lock and once we had pulled down the blinds, where we could hide to eat. So I did, which was hardly fun but at least I could stay in my locked room long enough so I would not choke on my chicken and have to justify to the ambulance why I was eating during fasting hours. 

Even though I am no Muslim, I have learnt the few available excuses to justify myself if I ever was found drinking or eating in public - and I always have one ready when I am about to infringe the law. That's how scared I am.

By day 6, more expats were back in the office and we had set our private  quarters in one of the staff kitchens. 

Said kitchen has no doors, and every now and then, a Muslim walks in the room and sees us all around the table eating. This sight 1) is most probably making him craving food even more than he already was, 2) has a negative impact on the purity of his fast (something to do with him wanting food), 3) is making me highly uncomfortable. I always find myself blushing, trying to hide the food away and mumbling apologies. 

Ramadan makes me feel guilty, and am not even a Muslim. Eating food, speaking about food, thinking about food - how to deal with it? We talk a lot in the office, and I ask a million questions a day. However, I have been super careful with my questions on the fasting - I know how bad my cravings get when the word "chocolate" is whispered to me ear, while there are no supplies to be found anywhere. It is way worse for them, as they can't even find consolation in cake, like I do when chocolate is not available!

On a positive side, there has been no snacking in between meals. Even if, on a couple of occasions, I would have happily sprinkled my notebook with sugar and eaten each sheet like a pancake.

Oh, and they keep saying "Ramadan Kareem" as a greeting - which litterally means "happy fasting". Seriously? Happy? Me - not. Bring the food back !