Iftar (2)

The iftars of Dubai vary enormously. At the low end, for less than €1, are two possibilities. For men here on their own with only a short break for iftar and the sunset prayer, there are communal iftars where they can break their fast among their fellow countrymen. Shortly before sunset, employees of the caterers begin rolling out plastic wrap of the sort used for picnics. One employee holds one end, while the other runs with the roll. This is about 50 meters of plastic, weighted down by stones on each corner, and sometimes there are two or three of these plastic serving areas in parallel. Then the caterers lay down place settings on each side of each roll. The meal consists of a plastic cup of water, a cup of juice, a few dates, some fresh or pickled vegetables, a huge mound of chicken and rice or goat and rice, Arabic bread, and a sweet. Hundreds of labourers sit and break their fast together along each row. No utensils of any kind are available, but this isn't a problem for the diners.

For people who have the time and their own place, some restaurants provide a take-away iftar. The items include vegetables breaded with a spicy batter and deep fried; fruit breaded with a sweet batter and deep fried; spicy chicken and goat breaded and deep fried; boiled eggs breaded and deep fried, and bread breaded and deep fried. €1 is enough to fill a large bag with enough calories to feed five adult men.

For those with more money than the labourers, there are the iftar buffets. When I first arrived in Dubai, iftar buffets ranged from about US$5 — US$10, or about €6 — €12. The number and quality of the dishes varied with the price, but all included several salads, several entrées, always including some meat and chicken, and sometimes a whole roast goat and a large fish, bread, rice, and sweets. I tried the US$5, the US$10, and, once, a US$15 iftar. Back then, the iftar buffet was much cheaper than ordering a la cart, and was cheaper than the regular lunch buffet at those restaurants that had lunch buffets. Part of the reason was that most iftar buffets lasted less than 30 minutes, with the buffet only open from about 15 minutes before sunset until shortly after sunset (diners who had already served themselves could take their time eating, but most finished in less than ten minutes).

Now, the lowest-end buffet I found is US$10 or €8, and the upper end is more than €50. For €50, the hotel promises that the iftar will be available for a full four hours.

Of these iftar buffets, my personal favourite is at the Al Nasr Club, where, last Saturday, I dined alone. It is US$10 (€7.50). It is only offered on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each night there are five salads. There is always hummus and moutabel, but the other three salads vary. Last Saturday, the salads were Russian vinaigrette, tabbouleh, and cucumber-yoghurt salad. There are always four entrées: one meat, one chicken, one fish, and one vegetable. To accompany these, there are at least two kinds of rice, sometimes a potato dish, and bread. To end the meal there are three desserts and a cheese tray. Last Saturday, I found myself the only diner at the buffet, for reasons which escape me. And, fearing the food would go to waste, I'm afraid it went rather to waist.