Eid al-Fitr (The Festival of Fast-Breaking) of 2009 was a memorable time for my family and I. This holiday is celebrated after the month of Ramadan.
The day of Eid, my family and I get up extra early to start the day. First, my family and I get all dressed up in our new outfits and head off to the mosque for the Eid Prayer. After the prayer, everyone greets each other by saying “Eid Mubarak” which goes on for a while because there are so many people gathered at the mosque. Then, we go home and begin making phone calls to all the family members, wishing them a happy holiday.
Along with the phone calls, we enjoy many different dishes that are made by my mom. Some of the dishes include aalo chana chaat (boiled diced potato and chick peas) mixed with sliced onions, tomatoes, and freshly chopped coriander leaves, eggrolls filled with chicken and spices, and samosas (pastry-like) filled with boiled diced potatoes and spices. I can’t forget about the desserts we had, which were store bought not homemade. I don’t know how to explain some of them in English but I will list a few. Some of the desserts included all types of mithai, kheer (rice pudding), and zarda (sweet rice).
Dinner time was the most memorable time of the day, where all my relatives got together at a local park. Every family brought a home cooked meal. For the dinner dish, I helped my mom make the biryani. The biryani consisted of rice, chicken, a couple of different spices, chopped onions, and chopped tomatoes. Some of the dishes included biryani (rice, chicken, with many spices), kabobs, chicken curry, roti (bread-like), gosht (lamb curry), sag (spinach), vegetables etc. We also had pizza and spaghetti for the little kids who couldn’t handle the spices in the other dishes because we tend to eat spicy food. As soon as the lids of the dishes were lifted up, the smells of all of these foods and spices filled the air and it was very difficult to decide what to start off with because everything looked and smelled so good.
On a regular basis, I do not get the chance to see my relatives very often so spending the holiday with everyone really made it unforgettable; all my relatives were together in one place sharing a delicious dinner with many laughs. Throughout the entire day, everyone was getting phone calls and gifts which also made the day special.
Are you referring to 2009's Eid or 2010's I got a bit confused. I like how instead of just saying Pakistani dishes you actually named them that gives the viewer a better perception and they might also want to search what those names mean etc...I like how you said "...spices filled the air..." It sorta makes the audience grip onto your cultural background a bit.
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