From BBC’s An Idiot’s Guide to Ramadhan:

The reason Muslims fast is to discipline their body and mind. The absence of food and drink and other pleasures provides a perfect opportunity to concentrate on prayer and worship. Not having the luxuries of life to hand makes it easier to reflect on life and be grateful for what we do have. Muslims use this month to start afresh and give their life a new direction.

For a symbolic gesture, it sure is sort of ironic with the many choices of food readily available, probably more in quantity and a lot more different than one would normally consume.

I am of course talking about the Ramadhan bazaars selling all sorts of yummy food and drinks from late afternoons to evenings, found almost everywhere in Malaysia during the holy month of Ramadhan, only once a year and you can’t get this sort of activity/community feel at any other time, your neighbourhood night market doesn’t even come close to it.

But who’s complaining? Not me; I’m not crazy.

Why do some people stuff themselves when the fast is over?

Those who are fasting should deprive themselves of the meals they would normally have during the times of fast but they shouldn’t really eat all they missed once the fast is over as this defeats the whole objective of the fast. When breaking the fast (of having breakfast, I guess), they should simply have the meal they would on any other day. It is permissible to have a more elaborate feast if one if hosting a ‘Iftar’ meal for guests as this is considered a good and noble act, in which there is divine reward.

Since I am not Muslim and I do not fast, that doesn’t really concern me and so I can gorge myself BECAUSE I CAN AND I DON’T CARE!!!

.::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::. .::.

Yesterday I went to the Ramadhan bazaar at Sri Damansara. I came back a happier, fuller and heavier person.

Clockwise: assorted kuih (cakes), assorted dishes, kuih tepung pelita and I have NO idea what it is in English, keropok lekor which is a deep-fried combination of fish and starch or something like that. It’s teh good.

Clockwise: ayam madu (honey glazed chicken), delish dishes in a row, murtabak, assorted kuih (cakes)

Naturally sweet dates (kurma), normally eaten as pembuka selera. This is my private stash neh neh neh neh neh.

This was my dinner – white rice with ayam masak santan, stir-fried kacang buncis and sotong sambal. There were a few other stuff as well but I ate them all before I could photograph them.

Boo_licious of my favourite food blog Masak-masak went to the Ramadan bazaar at Section 14 in Petaling Jaya. Damien recommended it to me before and told me that it is quite famous for the number and variety of stalls. You can read about Boo_licious’s visit here.