This is a guest post from Sarah, David’s older and wiser sibling, who he and Claire have been scrounging a comfy bed and hot water off for a month (…only kidding, you two…)

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, is best known for being the time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The times of fasting are predetermined and broadcast by the media, so Muslims know exactly when to break their fast and can prepare and time the dishing-up of their meals appropriately.

The meal that breaks the fast is known as ‘iftar’, which translates as ‘breakfast’ in Arabic and, make no mistake, it’s a big deal in the Muslim world. Everyone troops off to ‘all you can eat buffets’ across the city, often served in traditional tents erected for the purpose, or, more usually, take it at their or someone else’s home, surrounded by friends and family. Cooking before the nightly meal can take HOURS: it’s like preparing Christmas dinner every day for 30 days (without being able to get tipsy on sherry while making the gravy).

One of my colleagues and dear friends, Noura, generously invited the Bartletts and lone Nollett to experience a traditional iftar at her family home during their stay. The Sarraj family are an international bunch: Palestinian by heritage, with Noura and her four siblings brought up in Kuwait, Canada and Abu Dhabi. Noura’s parents are currently enjoying a break with their wider family at their house in Amman, Jordan, so Noura and her brother Dya, sister Dana and cousin Rula welcomed us into their home for what has to be one of the nicest evenings I have spent in Abu Dhabi to date.

True to form, Noura, Dana and the family’s maid had spent hours in the kitchen and prepared a veritable feast of traditional dishes, including lamb and rice, sambusas (Arabic samousas), fattoush (Arabic salad..with fried bread) and some vegetarian dishes for yours truly. We broke our ‘fast’ with the family with a date – gotta get the glucose levels up after a day of no liquids or solids – and then tucked into an endless array of tasty dishes that kept coming. Just when you thought you couldn’t eat a scrap more, ta-da, another dish! Dessert was what can only be described as the Arabic version of Scotch pancakes with sugar syrup and deep fried chocolate sweet samousas. Even Claire’s legendary ability to consume chocolate by the tonne was eventually beaten into submission. Dya demonstrated his bravery by trying out the Bara Brith (traditional welsh fruit loaf) that I had cooked that afternoon to take with us as a ‘gift’. (NB: if you have ever experienced my baking you will understand why ‘gift’ is in inverted commas here.)

My family all took the opportunity to quiz the Sarrajs on life in Abu Dhabi, Islam, Palestinian family traditions and the like. Rula and Dya provided much entertainment with their contrasting outlooks on life – an interesting glance into a world that is frankly radically different with the UK media’s representation of Islam. (Yes Daily Mail, I am referring to you.) At one point, all I could hear was Dad hooting with laughter from the end of the table as the two cousins passionately debated the finer points of daily Muslim life.

After a few hours, and at the risk of outstaying our welcome – and we were having such a good time that I think we could have chatted until sunrise – we disappeared into the night with full bellies, much laughter and warm memories. A BIG THANK YOU to the Sarraj family for making my family feel so welcome in their home and educating us all about a life which most non-Muslims never get to experience. We all agreed that our Sarraj Family Iftar was one of the highlights of everyone’s stay.

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