Towards the end of the salsa party I attended with Germain, his friends, and classmates of mine, I started talking to a friend of Muslim faith. I admit I had had a couple of drinks (the sangria was delicious, and I was content to have finally found a place in Paris where you can buy Negro Modelo!), and I was curious about his thoughts on alcohol. I asked him if he had ever been tempted to drink alcohol, and he said never, and his religion wasn't even the primary reason. A family member of his was alcoholic, and I understood right away, because my grandpa dying of lung cancer, even though I was pretty young at the time and didn't get to know him well before, inspired me to never smoke cigarettes.
I was also curious about fasting since Ramadan concluded recently, and I personally have never fasted. He said the hunger was not so hard as it was to think positive all day long, which is a must according to him. It just all seems so unreal: the fact that millions of people go hungry every day, that millions of people fast for spiritual reasons, that still other millions people worry about what they eat...
This evening I had just finished dinner alone in my room (getting to really hate that!) when I listened to one of the BBC world news reports I had downloaded. Sitting there contently digesting my roquefort, apple and walnut salad, I listened to the reporter interviewing a woman in Ghana who had only been able to feed her 2 year old four biscuits and tea that day.
Needless to say I felt pretty guilty about all the fancy meals I've ever eaten, complete with wine and dessert....but Oualid pronounced some pretty wise words at the end of our conversation at the salsa club: that one should never feel guilty about eating, because all humans need to--just as long as one is thankful for it to whomever they wish (God, parents, the grouchy Parisian grocery store clerks who growl at you when you don't give them exact change).
I'm feeling slightly better about my plans to cook Thanksgiving dinner with Germain's parents. Nevertheless, the alcohol question still remains an enigma to me...but I still couldn't help but be thankful for having a great boyfriend with an extremely pleasant family, despite Germain's jolly drunken cheers-ing throughout my conversation with Oualid... :o)
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2 comments:
A very thoughtful entry....I think all humans struggle with this difficult and complicated issue. I love the different angle you have on life and am so glad that you are blogging and sharing it!
Amber, we met once, but I am sue you don't remember. I am a friend of your mom's.
I think your Muslim friend gave you very good advice. It is important to be thankful. As someone who fasts every year for religious reasons, I believe that is a big part of why we are called on to fast. But it is good advice for everyone, fasting or not!
I hope you don't mind if I read your blog from time to time. I didn't see an RSS feed. Did I miss it?
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