Ramadanadingdong - singing the praises of fasting

Hello there everyone,



Those of you that read my earlier blog about the smell of poverty, if not read now, may have noticed that the smells failed to mention any spice. It wasn't until later in the week when I realised it was Ramadan. So the only thing cooking at tea time (5pm for non UK readers) were essentially white people.



So what were the rest of local population doing? Do you actually know what Ramadan is all about?



Well today in class I asked a Muslim adult who was cooking my recipe for Chicken Jalfrezi and low fat lemon drizzle cake (which was delicious and you can have the recipe if you want it) what all the fuss was about. Apart from being a deeply religious time of year, it is all about compassion for those people around the world that are hungry. He told me that when the hunger kicks in at 6.30 in the morning the one thing to get over it is to think about others less fortunate that yourself and those that have had no food because of various reason. By the time he can eat, he does it with his family, quietly and with humility, really appreciating food.



This is fantastic. Fasting for spiritual growth. People only change habits when they actually feel it then  think about it. This is true in all human nature. Very 'mindful' as the Buddhists say.



When was the last time your were truly hungry?

When was the last time you really appreciated food?



Right now 1/2 the world is fasting thinking about people who are starving. The other half are eating thinking about loosing weight. How mad is that.......



JK Lee