The air at Rumi's House of Kabob, a middle-eastern restaurant in Greeley, is filled with the smells of roasting kabobs, sweet garlic, and warm pita. In the kitchen, you'll find Moein Shafie preparing salads and drizzling olive oil on hummus, while the chef roasts the meat and makes the rice.
It's not too different a scene than what you'll find in any restaurant, except that Moein and his sister Laya 鈥� who also works at Rumi's 鈥� are operating on empty stomachs. Both are working in the midst of Ramadan, a month of fasting, self-control and reflection observed by millions of Muslims the world over.
Fasting while they work in the restaurant is very different from fasting in Iran, where the two siblings grew up.
鈥淓ven if you didn鈥檛 fast, you weren鈥檛 allowed to eat in common areas of the school in front of other people,鈥� explains Moein. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like that in all public areas. You鈥檙e not allowed to get on the bus and have a sandwich in your hand. It鈥檚 a respect thing.鈥�
None of the customers at have shown any disrespect. They just aren鈥檛 always familiar with the holiday, one where observers spend their daylight hours fasting. Laya recalls one customer coming in and asking her about her heritage.
鈥淪he said, 鈥極h so you鈥檙e fasting?鈥� and she said 鈥業鈥檓 so sorry! I feel bad for ordering food now,鈥欌€� Laya laughed, saying it was fine. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind it. She was really nice about it.鈥�
During Ramadan, "the day sort of turns upside down for us," Laya says. But even though they鈥檙e surrounded by food, 搁耻尘颈鈥檚 is very supportive. The owners of the restaurant are also fasting.
鈥淭hey have our backs,鈥� says Laya. 鈥淪o when it鈥檚 time to eat they make us sit down and eat, which is really nice. I mean if I were to work in another restaurant they wouldn鈥檛 do that.鈥�
Usually the two take a short break around sundown to have a cup of tea or a bite of halvah, a sweet made from sesame seeds and honey that resembles a little lump of peanut butter. Then it鈥檚 back to work until the restaurant empties.
Ramadan isn鈥檛 all hard work and hunger though. Usually Laya and Moein鈥檚 family stays up late into the night, snacking, watching television and enjoying each other鈥檚 company. They鈥檝e been catching up on Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black.
鈥淚 mean yeah you get hungry or thirsty, of course you do,鈥� says Laya. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 the whole point of it!鈥�
鈥淒uring Ramadan you invite friends and family over a lot so that鈥檚 always fun,鈥� says Moein.
In addition to fasting, people who observe the holiday abstain from smoking and don鈥檛 participate in any sexual activities -- even with a spouse. Still, both Laya and Moein agree that there鈥檚 a lot to be gained during Ramadan.
鈥淵ou feel more compassionate towards the poor and toward people who don鈥檛 have enough to eat on a nightly basis,鈥� says Moein. 鈥淵ou really start feeling how they might be feeling.鈥�
Laya says the self-control she exercises during Ramadan carries over into the rest of her year. She鈥檚 a college student, so there are lots of people who spend their free time drinking or partying, including a number of her friends.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 do that,鈥� says Laya. 鈥淚 feel like I can control myself because of the fasting.鈥�
When Ramadan ends, the siblings are always a little relieved to go back to their old routines. Staying up all night to eat can get exhausting. Yet Moein is usually a bit sad when it鈥檚 over.
鈥淵ou kind of miss it,鈥� says Moein. 鈥淎fter a few months you kind of want it back, because it鈥檚 like one-twelfth of your life.鈥�
