Ramadan Mubarak! As you may or may not know, we are in the month of Ramadan. And being Muslim in a non-Muslim household can be a tricky thing… especially during Suhur*, the meal before sunrise. Suhur requires some planning and advanced preparation. Below are some tips to follow so you can make Suhur as easy, delightful, and peaceful for yourself as well as for others.
01. Prepare your Suhur the night before
Not the whole meal, but try to make it less nosy. If you’re planning to make eggs, separate the eggs in the fridge. Planning to eat strawberries? Take them out of that noisy plastic and put them in a bowl. This minimizes the ruckus you’ll be causing in the kitchen. Take as much as you can out of any noisy packaging. And if you are planning to make a smoothie or any other mixture, blend or whisk it the night before and store it in the fridge afterwards.
02. Opt for a meal that doesn’t smell up the home
Smelling a delicious breakfast tends to wake people up. It just does. The smell of coffee travels throughout the home just as easy as eggs with cheese does. Aside from making noise, this is the worse way to wake someone up. Not only are you waking them up at wee hours of the morning but you probably made them very hungry. Hungry, cranky and upset? Not a good thing. Go for a breakfast that doesn’t wake up the household or make people very hungry. Fruits, breads, porridge are all good options.
03. Use an electric stove
Okay, so if any noise or smell coming from the the kitchen will disturb others, then maybe it’s best to use an electric stove in the room. I’m just sayin’. This definitely puts a stop to waking people up. I won’t lie, I’ve done it and it’s worked out pretty good. Turning on stoves can be a noisy thing to do. And getting rid of a smell? That can’t be done unless you’re having oatmeal or you’re secluded in a room. I’m not saying you have to go out and invest in an electric stove but maybe you have one lying around. And if all else fails, this is definitely a viable option.
*Sorry to break it to some of you, no we don’t starve all day. Let’s break the idea that Muslims don’t eat at all for the whole month. Totally not true. We’re allowed to eat before sunrise (Suhur) and after sunset (Iftar). These meals should be healthy and filled with nutrition. No sugary or fried foods for Suhoor as this will make you thirstier during the day.
