Saying a Prayer in Public

A few evenings ago, we had dinner at Manouche in Stellenbosch. It is an authentic Lebanese restaurant and one of Rackermann’s favourite restaurants. I must admit that the food is scrumptious and my favourite drink in Manouche is certainly the Lindt cappuccino! It is cappuccino with a touch of Lindt chocolate. It may sound simple but the taste is simply divine and it is a brilliant concoction. If Rackermann had to suggest Manouche out of the blue, I would not say NO! I do not know how I have missed Lindt cappuccino during the other times we dined at Manouche.

As always, the restaurant was packed with young and old people who were in the mood for Middle Eastern cuisine. There was a group of young men and women, probably in their twenties; celebrating one of their friend’s birthday. What caught our eyes was that they all prayed before they ate. I’ve been here almost a year now and I have eaten at restaurants full of youngsters but that was my first time witnessing a whole bunch of youngsters saying a prayer. Back home, out of the many times I’ve gone out eating with my friends, the only one time we said a prayer before we ate was during Ramadhan – that was it. I’m sure my friends say a prayer before they eat all the time, and for most of the time, I do it in the comfort of my own home or recite the prayer in my heart (when I’m out in public). It was nice to see that there are still youngsters that practice that in public. Perhaps, it was just for that special occasion but hey, they did it anyway. Typical people would just shout HAPPY BIRTHDAY! out loud and make some sort of annoying noises.

That said, since I’ve been here and out with Rackermann – he would say a prayer without fail all the time before we eat. As I stated before, I’ve always recited it in my heart. I never held my hands and recite my prayer in public. It is not something that I’m ashamed of, it was just something I didn’t practice often. However, I’ve become accustomed to Rackermann’s way that I too, have started reciting my prayer in public places.