So far, nothing I've experienced in Yemen is good for the people. Don't get me wrong, I like it here... but as for the health situation... it's sad.

chewing qat

That's fine every once in awhile. But most do it everyday... including myself. But I'm loving it 'cause I'm finally losing my Laos & Cambodian beer belly. Yeah, there's no exercise in the ritual but there's no food either. It's no wonder the men, who start chewing before puberty, are scrawny little twigs.

And chewing has devastated the economy. Most offices operate only 4hrs/day to accommodate for chewing time. And qat is expensive! Many of the men spend more than half their income on the leaves. I met one family who couldn't afford to take their sick baby to the doctor but the father chewed pricey qat everyday. (There's different qat qualities - the more expensive stuff makes you really high.)

Then there's the environmental impact. Qat farms use a signifigant percentage of the country's water supply... & most of Yemen is a desert. The capital is expected to run of water out in just 10yrs.

And back to health situation...

Ramadan, the Muslim equivalent of Christmas started 3 days ago. It's a whole month where the people are not allowed to do anything during daylight hours... they can't eat, drink (NOT even water!), smoke, have sex, curse or anything fun, just pray & think of god. Ok, it's kind of a nice idea, but really now, no food or drink... that's not healthy.

But at night, it gets interesting.

Just before sunset the entire population, which is now really testy from lack of food & drink, makes a mad dash home to -get ready to- eat. They sit there in front of a huge feast with spoons in hand above the food waiting for the loud speakers from the mosques to declare that they can now eat.

It's kinda sweet, when the speakers do announce chowtime, if anyone is out on the now deserted streets, strangers insist they eat with them.

Then there's a whole ritual for eating. First you must eat a date (yummy!) then 1 or 2 more dishes, drink & smoke if you want, then run off to the local mosque to pray. They then run back home to have the rest of the huge spread.

But it gets weirder... since they're not allowed to do things during the day... they stay awake (with the help of qat) all night long. And just before sunrise, they chow down again & finally sleep on a very full stomach. Seems like cheating if you ask me. And seriously... this can't be healthy! No water or food for many hours then gorging yourself twice before bed. Well I know it's not good for me. I've been open about drinking during the day & tried fasting 2 days but decided I'll go ahead & sneak a little fruit midday.