Usually in Ramadan we are overwhelmed with invites to gather and spend iftar or suhoor with our friends or other families in the community. This year is a bit different though since we have been sick multiple times and have exams and other work obligations. We did get an invite we couldn’t turn down, though.

Last year we took the kids to the sprinkler park and ended up meeting a lovely family when there. They came here from Michigan 2 years ago, but are originally from Yemen. They’ve a friendly, down-to-Earth family. Their middle school sons were so excited to meet my husband and speak Arabic with them. There is also a little girl in the family that is the same age as my daughter, so they can play together.

I ran into the mom at WalMart and she insisted that I come to iftar at her house that night, in 2.5 hours. I told her I would have to check with my husband to make sure he didn’t have anything planned. Next thing I know her husband is calling my husband to make plans. 2.5 hours later the kids and I are in their home, enjoying a traditional Yemeni iftar.

Some of the food I had eaten before. Other food I had never tried, but dear reader, I am not picky. I will eat it all. Another fun thing about Khaleeji culture you may or may not know is most times no table is used during dinner. We just sit on the floor and eat. Sometimes we don’t even use individual plates- we all eat from one big platter. And for those that want to be super traditional, they may even forego utensils. The hardcore ones just eat with their hands.

Salaam, KC