Laura Bashraheel Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The holy month of Ramadan has become an occasion for many people to buy large quantities of food to use for iftar (breaking of the fast) and suhur (the meal eaten before starting the fast) meals. A number of women were unanimous that the huge food purchases as part of preparations for Ramadan were more of a habit than a real need. Sabreya Abdulrazek, a Saudi female teacher, condemned the insane habit of purchasing large quantities of food for use during Ramadan. She said: “Regrettably, the exaggerated stockpiling of foodstuff for the holy month has become a habit for a number of families who do not actually eat all this food. “We prepare food for the two meals of iftar and suhur that is in fact more than we actually need.” Abdulrazek said Ramadan is a month for worship, not for the consumption of large quantities of food. She asked families to change this habit and dedicate their time for worship. “We cannot eat these large quantities of food which will end up in the garbage.” The streets of Jeddah were jammed with cars of people doing last-minute shopping for Ramadan. People flooded shopping centers and grocery stores to buy food. Some people working in giant stores said they were forced to work extra hours just to serve the large crowds. The scene inside some of these shops and giant stores were chaotic as people were pushing and shoving. Some people were fighting each other because they were blocking pathways or racing to get to the cashier first. The scenes outside the giant stores were just as chaotic. Saud Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi man interviewed at a shopping place, said he was surprised to see people buying large quantities of food, especially for the month of Ramadan. “The people who make these immense purchases have actually turned Ramadan from a month of worship to one of eating.” Muna Ahmad said her women relatives and friends often look for new types of food to be cooked during Ramadan. “They start doing this two weeks before the advent of Ramadan and they also look for new recipes.” She added that the exaggerated purchases of food before Ramadan is a habit more than a need. “The garbage bins are loaded with food leftovers. Where is the need here?” Muhammad Al-Ahmadi, a Saudi father of four, said the biggest problem is that people are shopping for the whole month of Ramadan in one day only. He said: “If we bought only quantities enough for a week, we would have not seen this mess. “What is strange is that the majority of the stuff is available in the small grocery stores yet shoppers flood the big hypermarkets. “We often end up buying stuff that we do not need.” Samah Taher said the large purchases of food before Ramadan is a kind of unacceptable extravagance. “This is a bad habit. People should not buy more than they actually need.” Huda Mohammed, a social worker, said buying large quantities of food for Ramadan by some is a continuation of their bad habits. “People also fear that they will feel hungry, so they buy more food to satisfy their hunger. “We should make Ramadan a month for worship, not an occasion for the preparations of all types of food that we will not be able to consume.”
