'I deserve better meals during Ramadhan'

The Muslim holy month of Ramadhan is two weeks old, and as is the tradition people here are breaking the fast with special delicacies and lavish meals. The Jakarta Post spoke with several people about how they were coping financially with the need to buy special foods during the fasting month.

Icay, 28, works at a law firm in Central Jakarta and lives in West Jakarta:

I spend more during Ramadhan because on regular days I don't eat breakfast and my office provides a free lunch.

But during the fasting month I set aside money for predawn meals and breaking of the fast meals.

I feel like I deserve better meals during Ramadhan. During normal months, I buy my dinner from, for example, the street vendors near my office. So far this fasting month, I have had most of my dinners in restaurants with colleagues.

Sometimes my friends and I collect some money to provide meals for orphans to break the fast. But I consider that charity.

Fatimah, 38, is a mother of two who works in a bakery. She lives with her family in Meruya, West Jakarta:

I spend more money on food during the fasting month. My children always ask for something different for predawn meals and to break the fast.

I usually spend Rp 20,000 (US$2.35) a day for food, but during Ramadhan this can go up to Rp 30,000. I always provide my family with fruit and traditional Ramadhan delicacies such as kolak (cassava, bananas stewed in coconut milk and sugar).

Tarigan, 25, is an office boy at Jakarta Police Headquarters. He lives in South Jakarta with his wife and daughter:

I spend more money during the fasting month. Of course, I want better meals and something more than my ordinary food after fasting all day.

For that reason, I eat at food stalls and restaurants more often than I break the fast at home. Fortunately, I receive extra money for the Idul Fitri holiday. Otherwise, the fasting month would leave me broke.

Lili, 27, a housewife, also works for an international organization. She lives in Central Jakarta:

My husband and I spend less money for our daily living costs during Ramadhan, as we only eat twice a day: the predawn meal and to break the fast. Our spending on food is significantly reduced, so we can save some money to buy things for the Idul Fitri holiday.

I think only big families spend more money during the fasting month, because the housewives usually serve a variety of foods to their families. This is how the excessive spending arises.