Ramadan has punctuated the peak of summer these past few years. This year the length of days seems longer than ever, and finding ways to distract you from the rumble in your tummy, as you go about general daily chores can be tough. You can’t even chow the carbs down three to five times a day!
What you can do is all zone out to some tunes that won’t only eat up the hours (in which you cannot eat), but also keep your eye on the prize. We’re talking jams about jam, sounds about hash browns, and rhythms, well no food rhymes with rhythm, but songs that keep food close while keeping our rozas intact.
1. ‘El Garam Chai Ki Pyali’ – Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega
When you wake up after sehri and are craving your morning tea, head to YouTube, type in ‘Salman Khan treks beach with tea pot’, click and promptly close your eyes (1. to feel the beat, 2. to avoid the #beachbods) and reminisce about your last cuppa.
Hot guy, loves chai.
2. ‘Jab Tak Rahega Samose Mein Aaloo’ – Mr. & Mrs. Khiladi
This ‘90s classic will cure you of the fried batter blues with a song about potatoes inside of samosas and their relevance to romance. This stunning specimen of lyrical genius lasts an astonishing five minutes and 26 seconds, making it ideal for multiple repeats on your ‘I am hungry’ playlist.
Be as happy as these two when thinking of samosas with aloo.
3. ‘Ice Cream Khaungi’ – The Xpose
It’s hot out and you want to ignore your adult onset lactose intolerance and dive spoon deep into some smooth frozen dairy, but the time that elapses between purchasing this milky frosty goodness and actually consuming it at Maghrib means it will be melt-city. Throw on this upbeat tune, where the vocalist croons with confidence about how she will in fact eat ice cream in the future, just like you big guy!
That look you get when you see the Walls cart rolling by.
4. ‘Chocolate Lime Juice’ – Hum Apke Hain Kaun
This is the kind of song that makes you genuinely pray for your sound system to explode and deafen you for life; however here’s a four-minute-30-second laundry list of delectables set to a tune which can be played on repeat (or soundtrack a torture chamber). The definite derangement this tune will make iftari that much more special!
Actual shot of me at iftari time with containers of chocolate.
5. ‘Afghan Jalebi’ – Phantom
Jalebi is synonmous with iftari, it’s a beautiful, bright neon orange confection of twisty sweetness and we love it here in Pakistan, ‘Afghan Jalebi’, an ode to jalebi from our brothers at the north (don’t fact check) is one song that will take you from grumpy to smiley at the drop of a drum.
“I thought you said there was jalebi?”
6. ‘Naam Jalebi Bai’ – Double Dhamaal
You just finished listening to ‘Afghan Jalebi’ and now you’re fired up for some more jalebi, you’re syrupy with jalebi appreciation, and now you must jump over to ‘Naam Jalebi Bai’, put on a sleeping eye mask – good for preventing wrinkles and viewing item song dance numbers.
The original song was too hot to screen shot, much like this vat of oil with Jalebi.
7. ‘Main Toh Raste Se Ja Raha Tha’ – Coolie No. 1Â
Huh? What? ‘This song’s about food?!’ you ask? The second line, so cruel so perfect, ‘Main toh bhel puri kara tha,’ hits us on so many emotional levels. Listen to it as you ride home to iftari, prepare your stomach, your heart, and your mind, because you’ve made it to go-time and you’re feeling #blessed. Happy eating!
