Puasa

It is Ramadan time here in Indonesia and definitely not as restrictive as Howie and I had anticipated. Most restaurants are open, although many now hang curtains in the windows so that you cannot see in from the street. The thing is, there are a lot of people NOT fasting. If you are pregnant or menstruating, you cannot fast and then of course there is a pretty large Christian and Chinese population that is also eating regularly. The first week was the most serious, everyone in my office seemed to be fasting and even having water at your desk was a no-no. By this week, the usual afternoon snacks have re-appeared, water and coffee at the desk are fine, and there is just generally a lot more eating going on.

At about 6 PM when we hear that call to prayer in the office, there is suddenly chaos and scrambling for the pantry area. Everyone running to have tea and snacks that the office lady picks up about an hour before "buka puasa" - what we call break fast, they call open fast. In anycase, this is not your bagel, creamcheese and lox crowd. Above find the beverage (for lack of a better term) of choice described to me as "porridge with a jelly surprise" I was offered a taste, but I could not even take a spoonful from such a hungry woman's mouth. And, well quite honestly, not really my thing I think.