Ramadan Bazaar a hit with guests
| Published: Sunday, 1 October, 2006, 10:35 AM Doha Time |
By Lena Liew
The normally quiet Malaysian Embassy in West Bay was a hive of activity yesterday afternoon as Malaysians and their non-Malaysian family and friends thronged the second instalment of its annual Ramadan Bazaar to buy Iftar food and snacks. 
Members of the Malaysian Foreign Ministry Women's Association managing a counter at the Ramadan Bazaar at the embassy compound yesterday
Altogether, more than 500 Muslims and non-Muslims turned up, not only to buy home-made Malaysian goodies for breaking fast but also to experience a small reminder of the festive atmosphere back home during the Holy Month.
Â?The bazaar was to start at 2pm, but people started coming even before 1.30pm,Â? said Zanariyah Alias, acting head of the Malaysian Women's Association, whose members prepared the food for sale.
Â?Within the first half hour, some items had sold out,Â? she said, recounting how the soybean milk and curd that she prepared sold out in 15 minutes and fried rice vermicelli in 30 minutes. 
First Secretary Zahairi Baharim (second from left) and embassy staff grill ayam percik
As customers crowded the stalls two-deep, some of the housewives-turned-food-hawkers for the day appeared overwhelmed with the complexities of taking orders, packing the food and counting the money.
A few of the husbands and older children helped, but mostly they minded the young children, making the hustle and bustle a festive community gathering as well.
By 3.30pm, nearly everything was gone, leaving just the Â?hard coreÂ? foodies waiting for the last of the Â?ayam percikÂ? (grilled chicken) to emerge from the corner where First Secretary Zahairi Baharim, Zanariyah's husband, and his Â?teamÂ? of embassy staffers were feverishly working two barbecue grills.
Many who came late went home empty-handed.
Among the non-Malaysians who came were the ambassadors of Bangladesh and Turkey, and members of the International Potluck Group, whose members gather once a month for an international exchange over food.
Â?They should seriously think about opening a restaurant,Â? said Latifah, a newly arrived Singaporean expat married to a German who watched with amazement as a buyer in front of her scooped some two dozen Â?tubesÂ? of grilled glutinous rice with stuffing Â? thus emptying two-thirds of the tray