Sandwiches, again?
Perhaps just a Sharpie underlining of my prior post point about the infinite sandwich species which have permeated our still slightly culinarily heterogeneous world
You shall see what I mean.
Today marks the first day of the holy month of Ramadan; 29 (or 30) days of fasting from sunrise to sunset- abstaining from any food, drink (yes, including water), sexual activity, smoking, and being mean (or passive-aggressive I assume) to anyone or anything. It is a time of reflection for Muslims, strengthening ties with God, and upping one’s piety quota. Alors, it is the summer time and the days are LONG- very long- here in the Bay Area the sun rises at 4:50 am and sets after 8:30pm
For a coffee guzzler like my father, that is an extremely taxing and exhausting work day as he rises at 4:30am to have his cream-cheese slathered industrial-sized bagel and Chobani, fills up on his 10-12 cups of Java and starts the day at work bright and early to return thirteen hours later to a table set with Arabic Mezze prepared by my chef extraordinaire mother
Alors, this weekend my father and I made sure to make the most of the last of lunches- a preferable form of father-daughter bonding
Saturday, we drove to our favourite ethnic grocer, a market on 22nd and Irving in San Francisco to stock up on all the usual Ramadan food staples:
- 12 bags of freshly baked Caravan whole wheat pita bread
- Ackawi Cheese for mama (it’s an Arabic cheese)
- 6 cans of Cortas Hummus
- 6 cans of Cortas Babghanouj
- 6 cans of Foul Mudammas
- Pickled Lebanese Turnips
- A LOT of parsley, cilantro, aubergines, lemons, and Mexican courgettes
- Phyllo dough for Sambusak
Falafel Sandwich: Pita stuffed with hot falafel patties, lettuce, tomato, tahini, hummus, and pickled turnips/cabbage
Daddy: Nutella banana crepe with whipped cream on the side
Can you believe he’s NEVER had a nutella banana crepe?!
Your daily source of potassium, hazelnuts, and cocoa-fied bliss
Delightful…but being a crepe connoisseur-ess, I still believe that Suzette in Bombay and Pereira Creperie in Portland are superior
Moi: Chicken crepe with a side of boring fruit
Stuffed with grilled chicken, mushrooms, avocado, pepper jack, & sundried tomato pesto
It was tasty, filling, and had a generous amount of avocado; however in terms of the actual crepe, Suzette and C’est Si Bon (at the Portland Farmer’s Market) are far better- perhaps it’s because they use buckwheat crepes
Nevertheless, the weekend was passed in fine company with a three day consecutive “sandwich” extravaganza and now I can get the excitement juices flowing for tonight’s Iftar (Ramadan dinner); oh yes and I’m finally going to introduce my family to kale chips- I know they’re reluctant and don’t believe me when I emphasize how glorious they are, but they are soon to be surprised!
Are you familiar with Ramadan? Ever eaten a Ramadan Iftar before?
What’s your idea of parental-bonding time?
Fan of falafel? Fan of crepes? Tell me your favourite crepe-stuffings!
err, yum!!!!
I was in Dubai one year over Ramadan and even restaurants/food courts in malls were shut during the day! A few of my friends in high school partook in it so I am quite familiar. Good thing call on the Chobani as part of breakfast- full of protein! Tell me you’re exaggerating with the amount of coffee though
!
Haha I wish but my dad seriously drinks 10 cups of coffee in the mornings…I usually keep it to 4, anymore than that and I turn into a spastic little badger
Dudeee 10 cups!!?
I can only have a tall latte and I’m awake through the night.
Ahhh falafels!!!
I’m going to try and look for a greek/medditarranean (cannot spell that for my life) place here in India if I ever get tired of Indian food.
Probably won’t happen, but just to be sure
Are you in Bombay by any chance? If you are go to Moshe’s!
I enjoy Falafel Kebabs, I like better then beef or chicken in kebabs.
Nutella crepes! This was a staple in my diet when I was at school in France
I’ve never eaten a Ramadan Iftar, but where I live in Sydney numerous Muslims reside. So there are lots of Lebanese, Middle Eastern restaurants in my area!
Parental-bonding for me is going grocery shopping/long drives/walks/coffee/working out with my dad.
um ive never had a banana nutella crepe!! gimmmmme that!!!
i have heard of this but have never practiced. it seems hard!
Ramadan Mubarak!!!
I love falafel! And crepes – your dad’s looks delicious! Hmm…I’d still have to go with raspberries and ice cream as the best fillings for a crepe
Do you fast during Ramadan, as well? Or just your parents?
And did your dad go to Harvard, too? Small world!
Haha yeah my dad went to Harvard for Grad school, funny! I haven’t fast the past few years because I have low blood pressure issues which make it unhealthy for me to go that long without food/water, but perhaps one day I’ll be able to again
Banana nutella crepe?! I’m pretty sure that would be part of my last meal
I’m not personally familiar with Ramadan, but my uncle lives in Bahrain, so he mentions it when it’s going on.
My idea of father-daughter bonding is skiing & mountain biking together
I’m yay with falafels AND crepes!! Oh mannn haha. I love fruit in my crepes of course, nutella, and green tea ice cream
for the savory ones, I like mushrooms and onions a lot.