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A vacation during Ramadan
Although Karen had never been to Turkey before, she was no stranger to Muslim countries. She had spent a “long” five years in Saudi Arabia and visited Kuwait as a consultant. She found a considerable contrast between how several cultures deal with this holy month. She was initially a bit nervous about spending some of her vacation during her first Ramadan in Turkey.
When asked about participating in a public or private iftar (fast-breaking dinner), Karen replied: “I don't know if it could be called a public iftar, but my friend took me to the Hippodrome, an historic place close to where she lived, and we walked from booth to booth of great-smelling Turkish food. Of course, I had to sample some. Well, maybe a lot. So I guess I did have iftar.”
As a non-fasting person, Karen said she felt “absolutely” uncomfortable eating or drinking in front of Muslims who were observing a day-long fast.
It struck Karen that the month-long day-long fasts weren't intended to be just some kind of self-flagellation or a weird kind of culturally imposed dieting system. In her short stay during Ramadan, Karen learned about the idea of a physical, mental and spiritual cleansing that wasn't just a personal thing, but a discipline shared by the community. While the length and the stringency of the day-long denial didn't appeal to her very much, she was intrigued by the concept of “giving to others less fortunate what you deny yourself today.” She thought that maybe doing that sort of thing once a month wouldn't be a bad notion. Maybe it could be a combination of doing something good for yourself and making a donation to charity.
Karen's final comments about her trip are clear. “It was so much nicer to experience Ramadan in Turkey than in Saudi Arabia. Under the restrictive dictates of Saudi Arabia, it was hard to go about your daily routine during Ramadan without feeling like a criminal [Stores would close early, you had to rush into restaurants and hide during prayer time, etc.]. In Turkey, Ramadan was a much more pleasant time for a non-Muslim.
Life seemed almost normal, and no one seemed angry at me just because I didn't share their religious beliefs or practices. In Saudi Arabia, what was supposed to be a holy month was a very unpleasant experience for me and didn't give me a good view or understanding of Islam,” she said.
“A special memory for me was how relaxed and accommodating everyone was. For example, in my girlfriend's pizza place on Küçük Aya Sofya Street, only non-Muslim tourists were coming in during the day. So, even though he was fasting himself, the chef had some extra time to teach me how to make dessert pizzas. I'd brought a book of dessert pizza recipes for him as a present and even had some of the special ingredients, like shredded coconut and vanilla custard mixes. My friend and I greedily sampled all of the results, but the chef refrained from tasting his own confections, saying simply, ‘I will try these later.' I'm sure he was dying for a smoke, too! His kindness to me helped me feel so welcome and comfortable.
Maybe it also helped him pass an hour or so of his fasting time watching me as I awkwardly rolled out the dough, spooned on homemade apricot jams and honey and asked endless questions about oven temperatures and about cooking times. I don't know how the restaurant workers have the patience and self-restraint to cook and serve food during the long hours that they fast.”
As Karen wants to travel more in the Middle East, she thinks that she will always make İstanbul a stopping place -- even if it is during Ramadan.
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