Ridzwan.Com: Halal Food: Unites or Divides?

"A principal of a primary school in Singapore incited enmity in the online world not too long ago. His felony: dictating that non-Halal food should not be allowed in his school canteen. Several netizens responded in anger at the news and vowed to boycott all eating outlets with a Halal sign on it...

Muslims are often reluctant to sit at the same table or eat at premises where non-Halal food like pork and alcohol is served. This often arises due to concerns over odor and cross-contamination of utensils.

However non-Muslims are not prohibited by their religion to eat Halal food.

What prevents us from using Halal food as the common denominator so that all faiths alike can sit at the same table and enjoy a meal together? Could not this growing trend of Halal eating premises be adopted to unite our races like we have never done before? All it takes is the shedding of some non-Halal items from the menu and lunch takes on a whole new social meaning.

What better way than to start it off from our school-going youngsters?"

By the same author:

"Frankly, I am sick of these vegetarians imposing their beliefs upon others. It used to be that vegetarians were very mild, nice folks typical of a meek herbivore. But lately they seem to have grown very aggressive. I used to have a friend who refused to attend any of our barbeque gatherings even though we have promised him vegetarian meals. His excuse was that he does not want to come anywhere near the “grill of death”. Not a week goes by without him preaching about the virtues of being a vegetarian. And no, he does not do it for religious reasons."


Lots of seditious comments follow (many of which, as usual, conflate multiple issues), but I will just add, about "It is terribly disappointing to see segregations by races, religions and what not. Do we really believe that one day we will have Halal fuel, Halal airplane, Halal bed, Halal water and everything?", that we already have Halal ice ("Have ice will revel").

There's also a reappearance of the Coke and worms urban legend. Gosh (Xephyris tried that out and was disappointed). Too bad that the only ones who are utterly convinced are never going to be in a position to try it out.

Someone in there also pointed to an interesting article:

Pigs' feet: the new superfood

"The latest anti-ageing food? Pigs' trotters. That's right, you heard it here first. In New York, the most talked-about new opening of the past couple of months has been a Japanese restaurant called Hakata Tonton, where 33 out of the 39 dishes contain pigs' feet.

The reason for this, according to its owner, Himi Okajima, is that they are rich in collagen, the protein responsible for skin and muscle tone, more recognisable to beauty addicts in the form of face creams and fillers.

"Collagen helps your body retain moisture," says Okajima, who has introduced a chain of restaurants specialising in collagen cuisine in Japan. "Your hair and skin will look better, but it's not just for looking beautiful now. If you begin eating collagen in your thirties, you will look younger in your forties."

Maybe this sounds a little improbable ("It's news to me," sniffs Lisa Miles of the British Nutrition Foundation. "I've certainly never heard of eating collagen") but Okajima believes he is on to something. Figures published last month show that British spending on cosmetic surgery is the highest in Europe, hitting nearly £500 million in 2006, four times more than in 2001.

Isn't there a cheaper solution? Couldn't eating the right foods, in the right way, be a simpler, and ultimately more long-term way to stay looking and feeling younger? "You are what you eat," says nutritional therapist Ian Marber, aka The Food Doctor."