The Drive-Thru

   I wonder how hot the temperature is going to get. It's only July and yet you can literally fry an egg just by leaving  it outside. I wonder how those poor laborers can stand the heat and drink hot tea while doing their daily chores. We are just very fortunate to be working comfortably under our air-conditioning  that functions well. What about our dear Muslim brothers who are fasting in this holy month of Ramadan? To abstain any food and water from sunrise to sunset is definitely no joke.


    Just a few days ago, while I was called out for standby I thought I would not see the light of day. I do not fast. But I respect other religions. Here in UAE it's mandatory to observe Ramadan and follow the rules strictly. Meaning you cannot eat or drink or even chew gum in public only after they had their Iftar until Suhoor. I've been experiencing Ramadan for the past five years. It's brutal for me all the time.

   It's a month long of  lifestyle change. I normally put away some type of clothing since the Locals are very, very conservative during this period. Showing your arms and your legs is definitely No-No! Imagine being under a 50 degree weather and you are wearing your cardigans over a skirt that's about to touch your toes. If you want to eat or drink make sure you do it at the comfort of your own home. Restaurants only open after seven pm. During the day most establishments are just quiet. Mallrats will come out to play only in the evening until 2am. There's nothing much to do for us who are not Muslim. I prefer just to stay at home or with friends when not working.

    Hiding comes a long way. One time over the weekend after a few errands to OBGYN, Carrefour, friend's house me and a couple of my family members were caught in our dangerous level of "hungriness". In broad daylight we were completely drained with no energy to function out of hunger. Certainly nothing left to drive home and eat there. So, we had drive-thru instead. The easiest, the fastest and not to mention the most unhealthy. McDonald's . Over our own "happy meals" we made a strategy to pass the grease smoothly in our tummys without getting caught by the officials who are very eager to catch unlawful behaviors during this time. We recline our seat, cover the windows with the shields and eat slowly without using our hands obviously. Think of being fugitives for eating in their so-called "ungodly" hours. I devour my burger with poise while my eyes were on full alert. When everything was clear, I mean literally clear we fix ourselves from where we parked and acted like we just took a nap or something. I can see my cousin's eye from the rear-view mirror. And in a matter of seconds she cracked up and laugh so hard like an exploding volcano. I will never forget that hot saturday afternoon.


      Going back to my standby experience the next day when I almost faint out of dehydration and heat stroke. And hiding again at the back side of the internet room just to have a bite was just excruciating. I learned a lesson from this experience the hard away. I will definitely suffer whether  I decide to fast or not since I get hungry easily. So food for thought: always bring something to eat, and make sure it's as small as a dime so the Ones who are fasting will not notice that you are cheating. I am all hands down to these people.

       It's only been a week and yet it feels like I lost another pound or two. Maybe my B is right after all. I should take advantage of this period too. I broke up my relationship with Gelato lately. I shouldn't give Gelato a cold shoulder after all, for it's always been my comfort food during all these years. And perhaps my appointment for my BMI check wouldn't hurt so bad.


      Ramadan Kareem!  better late than never with the greetings!