Yes, I know you are completely loving the constant Ramadan commentary I am giving you... but I really am living this. While last year, I moaned and complained and shut myself up in my house, in my knickers, under my air conditioner, this year I am embracing it all, and learning so much. It's a journey - do try to keep up.
Tuesday night was the Fifteenth night of Ramadan, the mid-way point, halfway through the fast and a very special night indeed. Islamic cultures all around the world celebrate in different ways. While my Cape Malay friend, Jasmin, yearned for Boeber, a milky noodle soup from Cape Town, in the UAE they were busy celebrating, Qarqe'an, (from the Arabic 'Qarqa'ah' meaning 'Click', a reference to when dishes are filled with sweets and treats for children and they all click together).
In Tunisia, it's time to have the biggest, fattest bowl of couscous you can imagine. I didn't actually engage in the couscous eating per say, as I've had quite a bit of couscous lately, but I did go and meet some of the Tunisian colleagues of my friend for a games night of Taboo (in French!), Rummy (with a 14 card hand - 14! in the UK we play with 7) and Monopoly (Tunisian edition). The shisha was smoking, the tea was flowing and my French vocabulary was growing by the minute (Chinese chopsticks? Les Batons!), when they place this beautiful plate of heaven on our table:
Remember how I told you that I love these "ouedhnines el khadhi" - Arabic for ears of the judge). Remember how I told you that they only come out in Ramadan? Did you forget? Remind Yourself.
Well, here they were, glorious and lovely and boys and girls, it was time!
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