Losing the bigger pix?

Sometimes I wonder if we're losing the bigger pix here ... Do we not have more crucial issues in hand ie. povery and malnutrition?

Halal bak kut teh a boiling issue (as published on Malaysian Insider)
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Beef bacon, turkey ham, halal champagne. These are names that have become part of the Muslim food lexicon in Malaysia.



But the Islamic authorities have drawn the line at halal bak kut teh.


The Malaysian Department of Islamic Development said it would not allow the dish to be certified as halal (permissible to Muslims) if it continues to be called bak kut teh.


Its deputy director Lokman Abdul Rahman told Utusan Malaysia that Muslims might mistakenly believe that the dish in general is now halal as Malaysians know bak kut teh as a herbal soup made with pork ribs.


“My suggestion is that the name be changed to another one, and not be continued to be called bak kut teh for the halal version,” he said.


Halal bak kut teh was introduced for the first time at a food festival co-organised by the Tourism Ministry last weekend.


It was prepared by a Malay hotel chef.


It used chicken, seafood and vegetables as substitutes for pork. It was cooked in the traditional way with Chinese herbs.


The food fest was held soon after the Tourism Ministry launched its food website to promote nasi lemak, laksa and bak kut teh, which it referred to as “meat bone tea”, a direct English translation.


The website makes no reference to pork; it merely described bak kut teh as “meaty ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs for hours”.


This trivial complaint over a herbal soup reflects the underlying complexities of Malaysia's ethnic relations.


Issues like the consumption of pork and pig farms have become enmeshed with issues of political dominance and cultural purity.


Muslims regard pigs as unclean, and this has become so deeply embedded that even the Malay word for pig — babi — is rarely used in polite company any more. Pork is sold in separate sections in supermarkets, and most non-Malays in Malaysia would not eat pork in the presence of Muslims.

Ma'mor Osman, secretary-general of the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association, said any move to attach the word “halal” to a product synonymous with pork might cause Muslims to become less wary of it.

“It could confuse Muslims, and it is better to use another name like meat soup, for instance, for halal bak kut teh,” he told The Straits Times.

He said the association had also earlier protested against the inclusion of halal beer — a non-alcoholic malt drink — at the International Halal exhibition in May.


He added that the description of foods like beef bacon should be disallowed.

“Why call it bacon? You can just call it beef,” he said.

But food author Rohani Jelani, who runs a cooking school, said such petty issues should not even warrant a public debate.

“Let's view things in perspective, and not feel threatened by petty things. Malaysians adapt dishes all the time,” she told The Straits Times.


She does it herself. She has adapted bacon-laden Italian recipes to omit pork, and also traditional Malay dishes like mee rebus (a noodle dish in gravy) to omit beef when she runs cooking classes for Buddhists or Hindus.


She said that at one time, many Malays did not eat Chinese food because they were unfamiliar with it and cautious about it.


But as more halal Chinese restaurants open, Chinese food has become very popular with the Malays.


“We should try each other's cuisine; it's one of the best ways to integrate. Food should not divide us,” she said. — The Straits Times