Kentucky Fried Iftar?

There is a small billboard on the road leading to school that advertises KFC. In the ad, a grinning guy dressed like a sheikh (pop quiz: what's the formal name of his headgear?) is holding a classic bucket of fried chicken. The text suggests in both English and Arabic that KFC, a few buttermilk biscuits, some slaw would make a fabulous Iftar dinner.

Iftar is the celebrartory meal that breaks the day-long fast during Ramadan. A traditional Iftar usually involves a roasted sheep, pita and various chickpea dips. But an Iftar can be anything, as I discovered tonight. Restaurants all over town (not just KFC) host buffets, stock special dishes and lower prices to tempt hungry fasters into their doors.

Tonight, I attended my first Iftar dinner at a nearby restaurant along with K and a bunch of folks from school. Along with stuffed peppers and saffron rice, there were french fries, a fabulous pasta dish and tiramisu for dessert. Although, the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) did not himself enjoy cesaer salad and orange Jello in the Arabian desert many Ramadans ago, I can understand why his followers today might want to. (It's also now official: Jello desserts are a fully interfaith phenomenon and are not limited to church potlucks.)

In fact, K reminded me as we were picking at our chicken and dolmas that we eat traditional Iftar food all the time. It's the cheapest and best stuff around (not surprisingly), and it's not rare to plow through several bags of fresh pita a week, a couple pounds of olives and a pile of chickpeas, both raw and hummused. What was fun about this Iftar was everything that wasn't Middle Eastern.

It's making me look forward to my second Iftar, which will be Tuesday night. All the new teachers have been invited to meet the board. Usually, I wouldn't be looking forward to a meet-and-greet with the money people, but now I can't wait to see what we're having for dinner.