The Sporkful Breaking The Ramadan Fast In A Cab At 50 MPH (Reheat)
Mar 13, 2026
Sahar Arafat Ray, a Palestinian-Texan cooking teacher and food writer, talks about reconnecting with her Muslim roots and learning to observe Ramadan. Short scenes include hummus technique and pita etiquette. Hear stories of first-time fasting in adulthood, family food traditions, and a wild iftar in a taxi lot racing to break the fast at sundown.
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Rediscovering Faith Through Food And Ramadan
- Sahar Arafat Ray rediscovered Islam after 9/11 and began observing Ramadan in her 30s, finding identity in food and language.
- Her first fast was difficult and made her “cranky,” but learning Ramadan customs like suhur, breaking with dates, and family meals anchored her practice.
Food And Language Reveal Shared Middle Eastern Roots
- Dan and Sahar note linguistic and culinary overlap across Middle Eastern cultures, highlighting shared words like salam and shalom and similar dishes.
- Sahar points out food traditions (hummus, baba ganoush) cross national and religious lines, underscoring common cultural roots.
Ramadan Is About Meal Rhythm Not Specific Dishes
- Ramadan structures eating into pre-dawn suhur, breaking with dates and water, then soup, salad, main dishes, and desserts over long communal nights.
- Sahar emphasizes family-scale dishes like mansif and making lots of food as part of the ritual, not specific Ramadan-only recipes.