Maghmood Allie, Plumstead
The Holy Month of Ramadaan, one of the pillars of Islam, is a month of fasting, worship, service, communal gathering and a heightened spiritual development we all seek.
Ramadaan is also the month of sharing and much of this is done between neighbours near and dear.
It's heartwarming to see a local tradition dating back many, many years being continued albeit on a smaller scale.
Yes, times and neighbourhoods have changed and the concern for safety is of utmost importance. But, kids can still be seen before “boeka time” (time of breaking the fast) walking the streets dressed in Islamic garb, the little ones in front under the watchful eyes of the older siblings a few paces back, sometimes even accompanied by a parent as sadly, our times are no longer times of “die dae toe kinders nog kinders was” when being outside was relatively safe.
They would be visiting family, friends and neighbours, carefully carrying that plate or “bakkie” of “koekies”. Of course we know that the term “koekies” encompasses most things “lekker”: daltjies, pies and samoosas, bollas and koesiesters, fritters of all kinds like potato, banana even corn and actual cookies!
Certainly not some computer site asking you to accept their cookies to enhance the user experience. I don't think so. I prefer mega-bites, not mega-bytes.
This “koekie exchange” was a time I particular enjoyed. When much younger and fasting “half day”, the plate would be delivered and the aunty on the other end would curiously examine said plate and silently question the gap where a pumpkin fritter should have been. I could see her mind working overtime. Hey, you get hungry walking around like this. A growing boy has to eat. The moral here: what doesn't go to waste goes to waist. Simple!
There was always that one aunty who had a table full of plates she had to prepare. Now that was the aunty to go to. All the “lekker” stuff was there. You had to wait in a queue at her house because you hit the jackpot at this Treasure Island. And on the way home you just know that the “koekie monster” would make his presence felt. No comment necessary. How can I with a mouth full of “koekie stuff”?
Lots of questions were asked – but not answered – when the “koekie exchange” resulted in your own plate arriving at home, a plate you had earlier delivered elsewhere. Besides being your own plate, those fritters looked very familiar. Even the gap was there. Hah! Re-gifting. Those fritters would be saying: “Hi honey, I’m home. Miss me?”
It’s amazing how families – most times – had their own plates returned to them so as not to upset some or other dinner service set, making a sixteen piece a 15. Noritake is expensive so that remained in the “kassie”. Arcoroc was tough so too was Consol, Stoneware and Continental Hotelware. Those would have to do. No paper plates. Oh no. Trying to find the correct homes for that plate was a task in itself: the aunty insisting it’s not hers even though she is the only one with that set. But there’s always next year when we can conveniently forget it at her house. Return to sender!
On “vyftiende pwasa” (the halfway point of Ramadaan), it’s boeber time (warm milky drink). Hmm. But man, another type of container to return and we can’t all be boeber brewers. Boeber ‘broers’ maybe. That’s the time that other aunty can help out, the one who silently goes about her business: she’s a secret boeber Ninja. Sorted!
May we preserve this unique tradition of sharing even if it’s a “bakkie” we don’t really want or like as I believe this sharing to be with good intentions. We ‘mos’ all family as the cooldrink commercial says.
No doubt there will soon be an app for this and the only cookies will be internet ones. And that’s a cause for concern.Taking a mega-byte out of an internet fritter? I dunno...