The Night of the Iftar

Iftar: during Ramadan, Muslims fast and abstain from all food, drinks, and cigarettes between dawn and dusk. In the evening, the fast is broken with the Iftar feast.

After scanning the paper we found the feast of choice on the 24th floor of the Dusit Dubai hotel. It was about $40 per person for entrance into the feast. Typically an iftar feast starts with the eating of dates, a common desert fruit.

We stepped out of the elevator into a massive banquet area. Tables of food surrounded us. I scanned the area for a bottle of ketchup and none could be found. I knew it was one swanky shindig.

The restaurant was opulent, complete with a mandolin player who peered up at you through his hair. I think he was trying to be mysterious and sexy. I avoided eye contact.

Banquets are moments where you wish for a bigger stomach so you could sample every type of food and come back for seconds. I tried to eat new dishes and had varying amounts of success. They had everything from lasagna to shwarmas ( a popular middle eastern sandwich)

To be honest my favourite part of the Iftar feast was the many tables of desserts.

At one point I walked up to a platter of fresh fruit and wondered where the forks where until I realized the point. Skewer a piece of fruit and dip it in the large chocolate fountain in front of me. I giggled and piled a massive amount of fruit on my plate. It was straight from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Has anyone seen the Umpa Lumpas?

I wanted to take more photos of the feast but felt bringing a camera into the banquet would be bad taste. “You in the veil? Could you pose with the meatballs. Nice. The camera really likes you.”

After rolling out of the Iftar we took a cab to Jumeriah Beach Hotel. I used to think the Red Deer Lodge was swanky until I walked into this joint. It was crazy opulent. I straightened my skirt and seriously thought about the need for designer clothes.

The Jumeriah Beach Hotel is built in the shape of an ocean wave with a variety of restaurants and pools surrounding it. If you go for the day, waiters serve you on the beach with your choice of food and drinks. Crazy.

Our destination was the 360-degree bar, perched on an ocean peninsula. We were whisked away in a golf cart. I tried to take photos from the cart but almost dropped the camera. Bad idea. The bar is a 360 patio with a view of the ocean and the Burj Al Arab- the world’s tallest hotel, which resembles a billowing sail. It costs $50 to get a tour.

The bar had these huge couches so we lounged under the stars and watched the lights of the Burj Al Arab. The bar was non-alcoholic but we settled on virgin pina colodas while other patrons smoked Shisha pipes. Asthma or not – I am smoking a pipe before I leave.

I felt a bit like royalty on the Night of the Iftar – a princess of sorts, minus the good manners and swanky clothes.