(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
For a professional chef, a 12-hour day is just part and parcel of the job. Barely having time to break for lunch or rest, most refuel as they go, sneaking handfuls of food and swigging squash from pint glasses.
But how do chefs cope with the sensory pandemonium of a restaurant kitchen when fasting during Ramadan
For Indian expatriate Salim Shajahan, it's just become second nature. Being surrounded by boiling pans, fresh ingredients and fragrant smells doesn't deter him from getting the job done.
"It's not a challenge for me now. I am used to doing it every year. Normally when I'm on duty, even when not fasting, my work method is to finish the job, so I rarely get time to eat or drink during a normal shift anyway," he told Khaleej Times.
After 19 years in the business, the executive chef, now 38, reminisced on his first fast on the job when he was just 21.
"That was a different story. I found fasting and working together very difficult, especially as I was surrounded by food. I was living in Saudi Arabia at the time and the heat of the kitchen mixed with the hot climate ended up forcing me to observe just a half day fast that first year."
Burning up to 1,500 calories each shift, Shajahan said while most people slow down during Ramadan, for him, his work routine becomes even more hectic.
"I start at 9am and finish at 9pm. The biggest rush is during Suhoor and Iftar, our kitchen feeds up to 1,300 guests daily, so there is no time to slow down."
As a fasting chef, the most difficult thing for Shajahan isn't a personal challenge like hunger, fatigue or thirst, it's not being able to taste the food he prepares.
"During fasting hours peoples' immunity drops so we have to make sure the cooking technique is correct as well as the right balance of ingredients. Usually, I would taste the food as I go but I cannot do that during Ramadan."
So how does he monitor the food he is preparing? Simply by trusting his other senses including smell and sight. "Working as a chef for nearly 20 years, I rely on my experience. I have to trust my eyes and listen to what they tell me."
For Shajahan, a typical day in the kitchen usually starts at around 9am. Following a brief about what's on the menu for the day, his team of chefs start with "mise en place" (a method of preparing and organising ingredients to maximise a recipe's efficiency) at around 10am.
"From then on it gets busier as we prepare pastries, cold foods then hot foods. Really, there is no time to think about hunger."
Throughout his career, Shajahan said he has never really struggled with abstaining from food or drink during Ramadan - despite being surrounded by it all day.
And when it comes to opening his fast for Iftar, he never usually has a full meal on time as it's their busiest rush of the day.
"I break my fast on time with dates and a cup of water with the team, but only after completing the rush period will I take my Iftar."
Kelly Clarke Originally from the UK, Kelly Clarke joined Khaleej Times in November 2012. She has a keen interest in humanitarian issues and took over as the dedicated Education Reporter in August 2016. In her spare time she loves to travel off the beaten track, and often write about her quirky experiences of pastures new. Kelly received her BA Honours in Journalism from Middlesex University, UK in 2008. Before joining Khaleej Times she worked as a Supervising Editor for three Healthcare titles in London. @KellyAnn_Clarke
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