A Sweet New Start

Right now, as I sit in my house, I can hear prayers being broadcast from the loudspeaker of the neighborhood mosque as children set off fireworks in the street. The sun has set, night has fallen, and the fast has been broken for the next few hours of darkness.

Ramadan in Indonesia comes with many traditions – many sights, sounds, and flavors. Although I have chosen not to fast this year, I have been the grateful recipient of many of the tastier traditions. Indonesians often cook their best to break their fast, and I have learned that usually the first flavor they taste after the day’s many, hot hours of hunger and thirst is sweet.

In my experience this sweet relief comes in the form of Es or Kolak. Both are similar in that they feature pieces of fruit, jelly, and sometimes other ingredients, floating in a sweet, refreshing “broth.” The main difference between the two is that the fruit in Kolak (ex. banana, cassava, pumpkin) is cooked, whereas the fruit in Es (ex. watermelon, star fruit, papaya) is fresh. Kolak “broth” is made of palm sugar, coconut milk, and a local leaf called pandanus that I am still trying to figure out. Es “broth” can be almost anything, but often includes water, coconut water, coconut milk, syrup of some fruit flavor such as melon or strawberry, and sweetened condensed milk. Both can be served with or without ice. Both are refreshing, sweet, and delicious.

One form of Es, “Es Campur” (Mixed Es – a little bit of everything!). So sweet, so refreshing, and so delicious.

I was recently asking a friend about why Muslims observe Ramadan. I knew that the fast takes place during the month in which Muhammad received the revelations now contained in the Qur’an, and that all Muslims are commanded to fast during that time. But I wanted to know what the purpose behind the fast actually was – why fast? Is it just a ritualistic observance to check off the list of spiritual tasks for another year, or is there something deeper going on?

She explained to me that, indeed, there is a deeper meaning. She told me that many Muslims use their fasting time to refocus on God and to ask forgiveness for anything bad they have done in the past year. After the fast, they are forgiven – they have a fresh start for another year.

I think it is pretty neat, then, that the refreshingly sweet tastes of Es and Kolak come first after the tough hours of fasting. Isn’t that how forgiveness and a fresh start should make life feel?

(P.S. When I wrote this post we had been eating Kolak every night, but apparently that was the last night of our Kolak-spree, because I haven’t seen it since. Try as I might to get a picture, it has remained elusive! If you are curious about this delicious concoction, a google image search yields many fine examples – enjoy!)