Today we celebrated the first day of Eid, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan. I wish I could've told you that I'd lost 30lbs (or even 10lbs) after I've fasted for 30 days, but alas, no such miracle. While I didn't gain any extra weight, the extra pounds stayed with me. I blame it on water retention because of the many, many bottles of mineral water I'd downed at night to keep the thirst at bay during the day. Now I pretty much know how a camel feels. ;-)
Okay, so Eid is the religious festival where we get to eat, pray and love, in that order. Although in theory, it should really be Pray, Love, then Eat. Liz Gilbert's/Julia Robert's food-filled travel adventures can't hold a candle to what we go through every Eid when we celebrate with food (lots of it!), family and good friends, and express pure gratitude for our bountiful blessings.
Just look at the lovely feast we had to endure today. Pure torture, I know. My stomach was ready to disown me at the end of the very long day! LOL.
There were satay on skewers, acar (spicy mixed vegetable salad), eerily colorful cakes, chocolates, beef rendang (curry), vegetables in coconut milk, spicy chicken and steamed seabass that my cousin had caught while out fishing last night!
Of course, like any celebration all over the world, the children are the ones who have the most fun. Or rather, they make it more fun for the rest of us. Today, the little ones looked so darling and cute wearing their traditional costumes. By the end of the day, though, they seemed so worn out and creased in their intricate gear that they were ready to trade them in for their regular T-shirts and jeans.
The other things I love about celebrating Eid are the fresh flowers all over the house, with scents that make us dizzy with happiness. You'd better take your anti-histamines before you come and visit us! Also, the decorative details like the faux woven ketupats (steamed rice-cakes) made out of colorful ribbons.
Faux, colorful ketupats
The best part of the day for me? These lovely box of chocolates which we received as a gift. Two layers of bursting flavors encased in chocolate. There was even a map of Brunei depicted on the lid, and in case you didn't know, it's those two clear, shiny parts surrounded by the rest of murky Borneo! (You can just about see my reflection trying to take this shot below).
No recipes this time, because I'm just so beat. Yeah, it's really 'hard work' socialising the whole day, serving scrumptious food to our lovely guests and engaging in the latest gossip. But I'll never learn my lesson and am willing to go through it all again tomorrow. Why? Because that's what we do, it's what we love to do!
Happy Eid to all my friends who are celebrating it. Remember to Eat.Pray.Love. with pure abandon!
