When in Rome, right? One practical application of this here is regarding pork. I grew up in the states in a normal American family. The reality is, we ate pork. Bacon. Brats. Ham. Pork Chops. Growing up in a mostly homogenous, small Michigan town I never thought much about pork. It wasn't until college that I was faced with issues of kosher/halal food practices. Having befriended a few guys from Uzbekistan, i invited them home for Christmas. Our Christmas tradition is Ham and Swiss on onion buns. Strange as it may be, we've been eating baked ham and swiss on onion buns since before I can remember. On this particular Christmas Eve we continued our tradition. It was only as my mom was taking the sandwiches out of the oven that it dawned on me. There are two Muslims sitting in the living room waiting for dinner. THEY DON'T EAT PORK. Woops. My mom graciously whipped up some tuna salad or some such concoction in the clutch and served those instead.
Now having moved half-way around the world to study Chinese, I find myself in a largely Muslim context. Hui. Kazak. Uyghur. Tajik. Uzbek. There are numerous Muslim minorities represented around me. Eating kosher (halal in Arabic or qing zhen in Chinese) is a big deal here. I know Uyghur guys that won't even eat in Hui restaurants or Hui that won't eat in Uyghur restaurants simply because they don't believe they are 'really' halal. If you're at all familiar with Chinese cuisine, you know that pork is a staple. Yet here, NOT eating pork is a strong identity marker for many Muslims. Many of my friends, being Muslim, naturally don't eat pork.
If you know me, you know I like to cook and I like for people to eat what I cook. It seemed appropriate, then, to make my home kosher/halal/qing zhen. I haven't completely given up pork, but it seems that if some of my friends are going to be able to come to my house needs to be qing zhen. Yet I'm finding that declaring my home halal isn't always enough. Just tonight I served a local dish to a few friends. I had previously told one of the guys that my home was halal. Yet, as the main dish was set on the table I noticed the uneasy glances of my guests. Using Uyghur, they asked my American friend that was there, "Is this house halal?" Only after my friend's reassurance that my house was completely pork-free did they feel free to eat. Other expats have reported guests that have come to their place but completely refused to eat. For some, a simple declaration of 'halalness' is not enough.
It can be confusing to me at times. It seems the safest bet is to always eat in restaurants or in other's homes at the invitation of friends. Going that far isn't an option for me. I enjoy cooking too much. I will continue to keep a halal kitchen. No pork products. I only buy meat at halal grocery stores. "My house is halal", is a common phrase when inviting Muslim guests over. Ultimately I can't make people feel comfortable eating at my house nor is it my goal to make someone feel this way. There are some that I just simply won't invite over knowing their strong convictions. Like many things in life, it seems prudent to know one's audience before inviting anyone.
Now having moved half-way around the world to study Chinese, I find myself in a largely Muslim context. Hui. Kazak. Uyghur. Tajik. Uzbek. There are numerous Muslim minorities represented around me. Eating kosher (halal in Arabic or qing zhen in Chinese) is a big deal here. I know Uyghur guys that won't even eat in Hui restaurants or Hui that won't eat in Uyghur restaurants simply because they don't believe they are 'really' halal. If you're at all familiar with Chinese cuisine, you know that pork is a staple. Yet here, NOT eating pork is a strong identity marker for many Muslims. Many of my friends, being Muslim, naturally don't eat pork.
If you know me, you know I like to cook and I like for people to eat what I cook. It seemed appropriate, then, to make my home kosher/halal/qing zhen. I haven't completely given up pork, but it seems that if some of my friends are going to be able to come to my house needs to be qing zhen. Yet I'm finding that declaring my home halal isn't always enough. Just tonight I served a local dish to a few friends. I had previously told one of the guys that my home was halal. Yet, as the main dish was set on the table I noticed the uneasy glances of my guests. Using Uyghur, they asked my American friend that was there, "Is this house halal?" Only after my friend's reassurance that my house was completely pork-free did they feel free to eat. Other expats have reported guests that have come to their place but completely refused to eat. For some, a simple declaration of 'halalness' is not enough.
It can be confusing to me at times. It seems the safest bet is to always eat in restaurants or in other's homes at the invitation of friends. Going that far isn't an option for me. I enjoy cooking too much. I will continue to keep a halal kitchen. No pork products. I only buy meat at halal grocery stores. "My house is halal", is a common phrase when inviting Muslim guests over. Ultimately I can't make people feel comfortable eating at my house nor is it my goal to make someone feel this way. There are some that I just simply won't invite over knowing their strong convictions. Like many things in life, it seems prudent to know one's audience before inviting anyone.