Dates, Dates, Dates

You cannot imagine how much dates are revered here. Perhaps my perspective is influenced by the month of Ramadan where they are endowed with almost spirtual significance. Muslims since the 7th century have used dates - consuming 3 to be precise, to break the fast to begin the Iftar meal. Dates are sold everywhere in every way imaginable. Every mall here has luxurious gourmet date shops like our chocolate shops. I must admit I am growing quite fond of them myself. As we were landing after our flight from Dubai a charming Omani man offered fresh dates to all the passengers, as the sun set as we were in the sky. This was much to the dismay of the poor flight attendants who were desperately trying to push this man back to his seat. Nothing is more imporant than eating dates though! It is a wistful scene to see men seated on the roadside beside their cars with a plate of dried dates waiting for the prayers to begin to signify it is Iftar and the day long fast can be broken. They are one of the oldest cultivated trees dating back thousands of years and are used for food, shelter, fuel and clothing. To sum up, it was bascially the only plant to be growing anywhere. I even read that a blight or death of a date palm tree can trigger grief to a farmer like that of a death in the family as his father and grandfather would have nurtured this tree. It did make me wonder though as we drove through the desert of Oman where date palms abound in small family plantations near every wadi and village - about the balance between tradition and innovation. Had it ever occured to anyone in thousands of years to try another kind of fruit tree? I am learning a lot about the value of tradition here and I regret the lack of respect it is often given in my own Australian culture. But I cannot help but celebrate the spirit of innovation which is also evident in my culture.