I was surprised at first to find no one whatsoever at Starbucks this morning, and then I remembered that we have entered Ramadan, the month of fasting. It is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, and the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims must fast during the daylight hours, from dawn to sunset. And that means no Starbucks. Until the sun goes down, that is. I can imagine that there is quite a crowd here in the evening--sort of a daily "Whew, I'm glad that's over!" celebration.
Of course, there's nothing keeping Hindus and Christians and pagans from enjoying their usual coffee fix--and sure enough, within minutes of my own arrival, the kafir (the unbelievers, the idolaters) began to trickle in. If in nothing else, we do believe in our morning coffee. Food? Meh, I can take it or leave it.
To tell the truth, however, I may as well be fasting because I can't see what I'm typing, and I can't read the newspaper because the print is too small, and I can't read the book I brought along. Allah, with the help of the barista, has provided coffee, but has wielded the sword of candidiasis to sever the outing from its more complete purpose Such is life with the plague, if indeed this may be called life.
Of course, there's nothing keeping Hindus and Christians and pagans from enjoying their usual coffee fix--and sure enough, within minutes of my own arrival, the kafir (the unbelievers, the idolaters) began to trickle in. If in nothing else, we do believe in our morning coffee. Food? Meh, I can take it or leave it.
To tell the truth, however, I may as well be fasting because I can't see what I'm typing, and I can't read the newspaper because the print is too small, and I can't read the book I brought along. Allah, with the help of the barista, has provided coffee, but has wielded the sword of candidiasis to sever the outing from its more complete purpose Such is life with the plague, if indeed this may be called life.
No comments:
Post a Comment