I learned to love shawarma served by a kind, long-suffering Egyptian immigrant in Jordan. I’m grateful for the time he stood under the summer sun in front of his piping hot grill.
Later my dad learned to love mie goreng cooked up by a road side restauranteur in southern Malaysia. After our whirlwind trip to meet Muslims and enjoy their food, he thought it would it would be nice if my mom would make mie goreng back in Indiana! Being several years before the world wide web was a thing, she was the long-suffering one, trying to match real ingredients to Dad’s culinary memory.
Food links us to people and places, doesn’t it? As Ramadan begins on April 2nd, I want to invite you to link your heart, mind and tummy with Muslims locally and around the world.
Although Ramadan is a fasting month for Muslims, as you may know, they only abstain during the day. Night time is for family, fun and often feasting.
So here’s the idea: Once each week through April, enjoy a meal with family and friends that reminds you of a particular Muslim nation or people group. Take time around the meal to pray for that people.
Here are the ones I envision for our house:
Week One: Doner Iskender, originating in Turkey
Week Two: Domada, from Gambia
Week Three: Balti Curry (Made famous in Bradford, England, originating in Pakistan and North India)
Week Four: Mie Goreng (Originating in Malaysia, and reminding us of my dad!)
To identify with the self-denial of Ramadan, maybe fast the meal prior to the special reminder one.
Let me know if you plan to do this and what food you’ll serve. My mouth is watering already!