The Unifying Bazaar

The Ramadhan month is in its last week and the anticipation of the Lailatul Qadar is in the air. Believers are stepping up their prayers and the observation of piety is heighten. Everyone is hoping to be chosen and receive that special blessing. I’d like to join in the chase but I figure it will be a while before my soul is redeemed, and that would be a different story set for a different time. But bless all of you and happy searching.

Still, Ramadhan is here and I realized that I have not visited the favorite Bazaar that seems to have such a unifying pull. I remember as a youth, I would just walk out of my door at Keramat and walk down the street, following the tummy-teasing aroma to a spread of a feast of delicious local delicacies. The Malays would say 'rambang mata' as your eyes dart from every possible corner, undecided while curbing the greed. You can spot some Western deserts, Arabian kebab and maybe some Sikh capati, but my favorite would be the traditional Malay deserts that you simply can’t find on regular non-Ramadhan days.

A Typical Ramadhan Bazaar

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Kueh Lapis

There’s the putu mayam, onde-onde, badak berendam, kueh kosui, tepung pelita, gula bakar, apam balik, abuk-abuk, apam balik, kueh keria, bubur lambuk, putu bambu, cakoi, bubur gandum, lepat ubi berinti, sago dan gula melaka, akok, lepa pulut, pulut panggang, fried popiah and popiah basah, and the list goes on

Onde-Onde

Crowding each booths are endless lines of Muslims observing their fasting and trying hard to refrain themselves from wastage; my favorite sight is my non-Muslim brethrens also enjoying the rare moments of traditional delights. I’d watch them looking curiously at the food and wondered what was what; the amusement of choosing and tasting; some more familiar to the palate than most, but returning everyday for a gastronomic adventure.

There, at the Ramadhan Bazaar I recall the sense of comradeship, togetherness and friendship, we, as Malaysians strive everyday. Sometimes it saddens me that we can’t hold on to that familiar sense of communal belonging beyond the bazaar’s boundary. Within the invisible boxed ‘village of food’, everybody was one: the hungry, the curious and the shopaholic; all arriving to one spot to enjoy a common goal - FOOD! But outside, we simply can't find a good reason to be trusting friends.

I was driving in a car with one of my clients and she was expressing her daughter’s excitement each time the Ramadhan month drew near, simply because of the anticipation of the Ramadhan Bazaar and I realized how simple unity could really be. I get excited too, and many other non-Muslim friends used to accompany me to shop food for 'berbuka'. How did it become so complicated that suddenly when we step out of the comfort of Ramadhan, we loose our sense of security and simple friendship. That simple bond of being in each others company choosing food.

In this week of seeking the Lailatul Qadar, I seek for that unifying factor of the Ramadhan Bazaar. Perhaps before the month ends, I will visit one bazaar and capture a moment…maybe something will show and teach us what it truly means to be 1Malaysia. The true comradeship we have with one another beyond the enjoyment of traditional delicacies in one Muslim Holy Month.