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    Thinking About Food While Fasting

    Filed Under friends, inspiration, islam, local, new things, spiritual practice 

    Quote:

    O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint. ~Qur’an, Al Baqarah (2), verse 183

    When I received the Facebook invite to the Interfaith Fast for Peace, I accepted without hesitation. It’s been years since I’ve fasted for spiritual reasons, and this was a good reason to try it again.

    When I mentioned to the LH that I’d be fasting today, he hastily made it clear that he had no interest in doing this and he WOULD be eating. That kind of a response is very typical, in my experience. As a Muslim, people would say to me, “That’s AMAZING, but there’s no way I could do that. Just no way.” Although I hadn’t asked them to fast, they insisted that they were incapable of it. I knew this was untrue; I’d been fasting since elementary school, and if an active, growing 10 year old could do it, so could most adults.

    But it was very curious to watch people talk themselves out of the possibility.

    This morning, I woke up at 3:30, ate some lettuce wraps, pieces of baked potato, and a Medifast shake. Went back to sleep at 5:15, and awoke again at 9. Off to the chiropractor for another session with the Pro Adjuster machine, and back home to do laundry, cleaning, and poetry reading. I feel good: clear-headed, calm, and physically unencumbered. My habit is to eat breakfast within an hour of waking up, but I’m not hungry.

    Thirst might become a problem, as I can be fanatical about water consumption. But I know I won’t die, and that’s more than can be said for 16,000 children today.*

    On my way home from the chiropractor, the radio was tuned to KBOO.fm (90.7), an excellent community station. I happened to catch the last 15 minutes of the show, HealthWatch; the guest was Joel Salatin, of Polyface Farms, author of Everything I Want to Do is Illegal and Holy Cows and Hog Heaven. I really enjoyed listening to him. One issue the host brought up that I’d never thought of before was how most people are referring to produce only when they talk about “eating seasonally”. Salatin explained that there is a way to eat meat seasonally, too. For example, beef is a “warming” meat, so it makes sense to eat it in the colder months (barbecues in winter, perhaps?); and birds lay their eggs in the Spring, and chicken is a “cooling” meat. However, the biggest demand for poultry is the fall-winter period, when birds lay fewer eggs because of the decreasing amount of sunlight. It was all very interesting and I’d like to learn more.

    Of course, the crux of fasting is mindfulness. Although I participated in the Interfaith Fast out of a desire to be connected with others concerned about peace, it’s turned out that I’m reminded of how our identities are linked very closely to what we eat, and how we eat. Even a person who says they could never NOT eat for 14 hours, is basing that on a perception they have of themselves, not reality.

    Surprisingly, this experience has led me back to the path of seeing food choices and eating habits as actions with social consequences. Working on the Real Wealth of Portland project has inspired me to do things right now to create the world I want to live in. So today is the 8th, and I’ve decided to make the 8th of every month a day for fasting, and for learning about eating in a more sustainable way. And of course, to do something for peace, and to alleviate hunger. Today I donated to Oxfam, and I “discovered” (just call me Columbus!) a local farm that’s just a bike ride from my house. I’ll pick up my produce from there today instead of the supermarket. It feels like baby steps in a good direction.


    *This statistic is from Bread.org.
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    5 Responses to “Thinking About Food While Fasting”

    1. Stentor on October 13th, 2007 9:12 am

      I think the question of ability to fast is tied up in the question of the meaningfulness of fasting. You grew up in a religion that emphasizes fasting as a spiritual practice, and because you’ve carried that upbringing over to your current spiritual outlook. So going on a fast triggers a certain spiritual thoughtfulness in you that provides motivation to overcome the difficulties of hunger. On the other hand, those of us who come from non-fasting backgrounds don’t find the practice to be invested with meaning in that way, so to fast would feel more like a chore. (On the other hand, there may be practices we find spiritually meaningful that fall flat for you.)

    2. Marisa on October 15th, 2007 9:27 pm

      Hey, Hafidha- we met through a couple UU young adult conferences (the first was Portland in 2002). I converted to Islam two years ago, but didn’t really practice until a few months ago. This was the first Ramadan that I’ve fasted. I was really surprised that it wasn’t more difficult. Even the first day, and the first week, that I’d heard were the worst, I didn’t feel that deprived. I’ll admit, though- the last week it was starting to get old. :) Anyway, I’m glad I stumbled across your blog. I was searching “Muslim UU” on Google. :)

    3. hafidha sofia on October 19th, 2007 1:42 pm

      Hi Marisa,
      Congrats on completing your first Ramadan. I’m not sure if you are who I think you are (I’m awful with names), but thanks for checking in. Feel free to send me an email. Are you in Portland?

    4. hafidha sofia on October 19th, 2007 1:44 pm

      Stentor,
      Thanks for your comment. You remind me that there are no absolutes. One of the things I’m trying to work on in myself is believing that what’s good for me is Good. I’m having a really hard time with that, especially insofar as health is concerned. I never knew I was so judgmental! =)

    5. Did Jesus Fast? and Other Thoughts | Never Say Never to Your Traveling Self on January 8th, 2008 5:03 pm

      [...] is the 8th of the month, so I am fasting. I’m not hungry or thirsty, but I feel the impulse to eat - out of habit, I [...]

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