Infinite Ink

Fast-breaking at the masjid

In the US, the masjid usually hosts fast-breaking in Ramadan, unlike the masjid back in desi land. Back in desi land, you go to the masjid for taraweeh prayer, and that too is usually just the men of the family. Here, some members of the masjid pitch in to host the fast-breaking, and away we go!

If it's an Arab host, expect lamb and lentil soup. If it's a desi host, expect roast and oily exotic vegetables. I don't exactly know what to expect from Bangladeshis, and I don't really know why. Of course there are a lot more cuisines associated with Muslims worldwide, but I'm not going to go into that right now.

Then there are the must-haves of every masjid: people walking in front of other people who are still praying (that never fails to shock me), people praying in clothes that are not fit for Salah (female Muslims, please cover your arms up to the wrists when you pray, and if you don't have clothes that go that far, invest in a long prayer garment!), and the ultimate: rowdy kids. Of course, most of the kids are on the female side of the masjid, so we get to experience the full joy of rambunctious children.

One thing: the men's side tends to get served better than the women's side, and again, I don't really know why. At one masjid we went to, the women were handed already-made-up plates, whereas the men were invited to help themselves. Another time, men got dessert and women didn't. Last night, men got tea, whereas there wasn't even a sniff of caffeine on the women's side. I suppose they thought that if they started serving tea to the women, they would camp out there all night.

Baba is always surprised when he hears about these differences. We'll be in the car on the way back home, and he'll go, "That cake was really nice!" Mama and I will ask, "What cake?" Baba: "You know, the cake they served at the end?" Mama and me: "No, we didn't get any cake!" Baba: "Er, OK..."

Last night he saved the day when he came out with a cup of tea from the men's side as we were waiting for him beside the car in the parking lot. Caffeine addicts, only you will know how life-saving that was!

Have you ever broken your fast in a masjid? How was the experience? I really should tackle caffeine addiction in Ramadan in tomorrow's chapter, though I do touch upon it in the beginning of my Ramadan story, "Tricky Teen Girl: A Whisper of Peace".