CAIRO – The fasting month of Ramadan, which started on August 1, constitutes an especially profitable time for many businesses during the day and night. While the Egyptians seek God's mercy during Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayers, charity and alms, they still follow certain eating habits that usually flourish in Ramadan. Since the beginning of the month, Cairo juice shop and stand owners said that they had attracted thousands of clients to buy their merchandise that includes an array of freshly squeezed fruits, as well as traditional Ramadan drinks such as tamardine, carob, and liqourice. "This year, the market movement is better than last year and I have almost sold one quarter of my merchandise during the first week of Ramadan," said Gergis, a Copt, who runs a small juice shop in the Cairo neigbourhood of Hadayek el-Qubba. "Ramadan has always set the right atmosphere for my business and I used to take advantage of it," he said, adding that consumers used to buy tamarind, carob, and liqourice for iftar, the sunset meal, during the fasting month. "No one drinks sugarcane juice during the day," Gergis said, adding that he opens his shop just a little before sunset to sell these traditional drinks to customers. These three traditional drinks are the most well-known elements of iftar in Ramadan, he said. "Demands for these drinks are usually good after sunset and the sales continue to dawn," Gergis said. For him and other shop owners in the neighbourhood, it has been perfectly normal that the holy month should be yet another occasion to make money. But this year, customers pick and choose from street hawkers, who sell items that are cheap and suit their low budget. "I have to buy from the hawkers because their goods are cheap and fit my purse very well," says Om Samir, who bought a pitcher of tamarind for just LE1.5. "People with limited income like my husband and I can not afford buying from the shops because their goods are expensive," Om Samir said, swearing that she and her husband eat free iftar meals offered by religious associations, philanthropists and big firms in Cairo streets and around mosques. During Ramadan, torshi ( Arabic for pickles) are usually a big hit with Egyptians. El-Qubba's main market, where pickles' merchants ply their trade near el-Garage Street, is full of bustle that usually marks the month of Ramadan, when Egyptians fast during the day but feast on huge family meals and edible treats after dark. "People are coming to buy," said shop owner Ashraf Elwi, adding that the month always see dozens of people crowding to buy from him. "We go to the pickle shop just before iftar, and each of us carries his own bag back home. We can't imagine not going through this daily ritual," says Shawqi, a carpenter. Ramadan is the high season, not only for pickles but also fuul dispensers, dairy shops and of course restaurants and cafés. "Business is not very bad these days," said Ahmed, whose shop sells fuul meddams. “Eating fuul (fava beans) in Ramadan is a habit one cannot break, even if it's no longer very cheap.” Ragab said that the Egyptians had a saying that if you break a habit, that's a bad omen. Farah Ahmed, a young female pharmacist living in Hadayek el-Qubba, said that her mother was buying and cooking the same quantities as last year. "Food is food. It's Ramadan. My mother is buying the same things as she did last year," Farah said. During the month of fasting, people are no longer going for fish preferring to have fuul and falafel, or traditional food for iftar, said the owner of a sea-food restaurant in Hadayek el-Qubba. "That is why we close during Ramadan," Ali Hamed said as an army of workers forged ahead to renovate his shop before Eid el-Fitr. Hamed said that he allowed no worker to eat or smoke in public while renovating his shop. Ahmed Abu Ayya, the owner of a liver and sausage sandwich stand, said that his business was badly affected by Ramadan. "No one eats liver or sausage sandwiches either for iftar, or suhour because they are very spicy and make customers very thirsty during the day," Abu Ayya said, adding that he closes down his stall during Ramadan and spends the whole month with his family in Suhag. Once the sun goes down, Ahmed el-Sheshaashi's coffee shop becomes full of young and old customers drinking tea, coffee, and smoking shisha for a few hours of peace and calm with their families and friends. Adli Tawfiq, the owner of a small ice-cream stand at El-Saraya Shopping Mall, said that he would not work during the day in respect to Ramadan. As the call to prayer goes out at dusk, customers gather in Tawfiq's shop to plunge into platters of ice cream.
