u/StreamOfVisnun

I have some friends who would be traveling to Malé in a few weeks. They'd really like to know more about the gastronomical culture of Malé. They wanna see the food and culture of the day. Imagine if a food vlogger is coming. What am I missing here?

Since all the traditional food except breakfast food is home-made, I'd just show them that at homes.

Fact: Heavily spiced up curries aren't actually from our historic cuisines, they are a very recent phenomenon.

Anyways, what's the essential places in Malé? I am thinking Lazeez for the view, carnival for haveeru sai, what's a really good breakfast place (both Maldivian and not), where can I find a good buffet that's proper? Maybe Lemongrass Citron? The Chinese place in Hulhumalé for sure.

Seagull, Dawn, Moon & Lemongrass are kinda very Malé places iykwim. What else is here from the 90's and 2000's?

What's good in phase 2? I wanna show them our unhealthy (fake)cardamom tea obsession.

They wanna see Malé, Hulhumalé 1 & 2, and Villingili.

I'm thinking of a fruit market tour for snacks and rukuraa. I'm thinking maybe our midnight food places like the food court because where we live, most restaurants are closed by then.

What's your preferred coffee places? Anywhere I can get proper tea? Like aromatics or infused tea that are not in a tea bag.

They want to meet more locals, so would appreciate nice places for food and ambience. If anyone wants to meet them during their time in Malé, they'd definitely be interested to say hi or if they travel to an island near you.

Someone exaggerated that she was arrested for posting on Tik-Tok, to make it sound stupid. She was arrested for posting her doing a pooja on Tik-Tok. It is a Muslim country and praying publicly is prohibited for other religions.

They also said the full force of the police was used, which we know what they mean. They are really hurt by it.

It's not treated as an organized crime like gangs, nevertheless a crime. And the full force wasn't used, but the necessary amount till they could find her.

Maldivian majority don't tolerate it, just like free speech West has limitations like you see everywhere now. For us it's a religious act, for them it's a word to criticize their overlords that is unacceptable.

The post world war eutopia that wanted to be created doesn't exist anywhere. Even in some parts of the West, she can get arrested for doing this.

Generally, Maldivian atheists hate it when Muslims want to Muslim in their land. They want us to be in the nineties, when we didn't Muslim well. More Maldivians pray five times a day in 2026, and that's a good thing. Unless you read or are influenced by George Bush & their Zionist/ neo-con definition of extremism, which is anyone who prays five times a day, anyone.

Some who are against this probably don't believe in religion, so they think it's all imaginary. A belief to a false diety is wrong, because that's nkt now how God would want people to worship.

If you're a Muslim Maldivian, I can understand Muslims who would want to believe that tolerance is an important universal value. But why does everything has to be tolerated when it is spiritual? If you're Muslim, we also know that there is Jinn & devil worship too. There is good worship and bad worship. So we don't use the same yardstick of tolerance in worship from say someone in Norway, who has no interest in this whatsoever, or your millennial atheist cousin who low-key wishes he was a Scandinavian atheist.

Why would someone who firmly believes that there is no god except One True God & no partner to Him. Be okay with someone doing the most grave sin. Imagine this sin is so bad, that it's even worse than genocide. Imagine, how horrible a sin genocide is, and yet shirk is worse. To some atheist, that statement will be stupid or extreme. But if you're a Muslim, think man. How can something be worse than genocide, unless it's something so serious to be pondered.

Muslims believe in Allah, who created us, so we give utmost respect to Him, especially in worship. I tolerate a foreigner under my care who does her worship within her legally given right, in her privacy. I don't force her to be a Muslim, or do anything Islamic. I do wish she becomes one, give my best in character as a Muslim but guidance is from Allah and it's a personal thing between her and Allah. May Allah bless her. Ameen!

I'm not a proper authority on Islam, all faults are from me. And Allah knows best.