Halal food reflects the religious culture of Muslims in immigrant countries and connection to the almighty
What comes to mind when one thinks of food? Religion is certainly not the first thing that will come to mind. The type of food one consumes can tell a lot about their culture and values. All cultures and religions have different laws, rules and limitations regarding food consumption. These limitations reflect upon the values, which set one group from another. They also produce boundaries like kinship, culture, religion, etc. The food consumed is divided up into categories of edible or inedible, sinful or pure, etc. There are certain foods, which pregnant women may not consume, like papaya, or what should be avoided if one is sick,
…show more content…
If values change and the society is obtaining new elements, the food taboos function will change as a result. An eating practice can give useful insight on the fears, values and identity of a religious community (Rouse 2004). This can be inferred as how Muslims are attempting to adapt to the new environment in which they are being placed. When they immigrate to new countries, they will not receive the same food they eat and their values slightly shift in order to fit into the demands of the immigrant country. Referring to the article, she wrote, “For the African American Muslim community, eating was always an expression of social, personal, and religious communion. As such, food was not prepared simply to fill one’s stomach; to cook was an expression of religious duty, love of community, and love of Allah” (Rouse 2004). This shows how food and eating of the food has become something that helps drive and give a name to community relationships. It helps portray the Muslims religion and kinship to god. However now, Muslims are adapting to the new values and rules of the immigrant country. They are not as strict with the halal concept due to limitations the immigrant country presents and how they are evolving with social changes. In immigrant countries, it hard to distinguish between which foods are truly halal and which may be polluted or haram. There is a thin line between the two. Thus, many modern Muslims have adapted to the western ways and eat food that is not pure or
There were many problems that these pioneering Jews experienced when they tried to adhere to Jewish custom in places where keeping kosher was a unpracticed tradition. This was especially true in the founding of the southwest. It became apparent to Jewish mothers that there would be many difficulties ahead of them. In particular, the Jewish religion calls for its member to follow a strict collection of dietary laws. These laws mandated the separation of meat and milk products and the cleansing of all utensils that came into contact with these foods (Siegel 1959). The women were required to follow certain rules in food preparation. It was important that these rules to preparing the food, especially meat, were followed by any devote Jews. These dietary laws are followed not healthiness, but out of holiness. Judaism teaches that man must give reverence for the things that he has, and those that he takes (Stiengroot 1995). This explains the principal of hollowing one’s natural actions to make them holy and is directly illustrated by the way in which a Jewish woman runs her kitchen.
The Nation of Islam’s followers are prohibited from not only eating pork (like all Muslims), but also from eating or drinking anything white. They cannot have white potatoes, milk, white bread, etc. While there are some significant similarities between these two faiths, there are also some major differences. Firstly, in Islam, God works through prophets and does not have a physical form. They do not believe in idols and cannot have images of God.
In The Hungry Soul we find an interesting blend of subjects, methods, and traditions. This book is a fascinating exploration of the cultural and natural act of eating. Kass intensely reveals how the various aspects of this phenomenon, restrictions, customs, and rituals surrounding it, relate to collective and philosophical truths about the human being and its deepest pleasures. Kass argues throughout the book that eating (dining) is something that can either cultivate us or moralize us. My question is, does Kass succeed in arguing for the fact that eating is something that can moralize us as human beings? Although I agree with some of the things that Kass discussed in the book, in this paper I will argue mainly against some of his claims.
Unlike Japan, there are many similarities between Canada’s food guide and India’s, even though there are distinctive variations in cultures. In the contrary, there are a few differences between the food ate mainly because of religious teachings.
In Lavanya Ramanathan’s Washington Post article published in 2015 titled “Why everyone should stop calling immigrant food ‘ethnic’”, she discusses about people’s preconceptions on the type of food that should be labelled ethnic. Ashlie Stevens also touched on a similar topic in her Guardian article published in 2015 titled “Stop thinking and just eat: when ‘food adventuring’ trivializes culture”. She talks about how people assume that just by eating food from a certain culture, they are able relate to the culture as a whole. Both authors acknowledge the importance of appreciating authentic cuisines, but takes different approaches to convince the audience. Both authors establish credibility by using a wide range of substantiated evidences. While,
In Germany for instance “Muslim religion and their extremely patriarchal family structure,” have “kindled a subliminal anxiety,” with not only Germans but Austria as well (Document 5). This quiet dislike for the Muslims in Germany as led to prejudice against them as Germans are uncomfortable with how they act as a family. This anxiety has spread to many as more and more Muslim immigrants enter into Germany. Along with differing family styles, Western Europeans have become unsettled as the new Muslim immigrants create more competition for jobs. In Western Europe the introduction of more competition for work led to “anti-immigrant feeling directed primarily against Muslim workers,” which caused for even more hatred for one another (Document 2). With an already uneasiness due to culture differences, the added thought of Muslim Immigrants competing for jobs as well was the nail that broke the camel's back causing an even greater hysteria and disliking for the Muslim culture. Just as Americans despised Asian and Eastern European immigrants when they began to compete for American jobs the Europeans felt the same way and would begin to have a harsh prejudice against Muslim immigrants. The social differences led to the tension between both cultures and this hatred would only be furthered by religious
This research paper is for those who tend to eat food specifically geared toward their culture and have never veered from it. One would see this research essay as a form of reference/reasoning to their many questions regarding the upheld idea that soul food is the only predominant food choice in the typical African Americans home. It also signifies the reason it is held at the highest standards of those within the African American race/community. It also centers around those who wish to enjoy other foods, but are culturally stuck to eating only things that are generalized to what is considered a norm within their community or race. My goal is to educate those who have been deterred from trying new foods, due to lack of support
In Michael Pollan’s “The End of Cooking” shares the message of what we are losing something important in this day and age because of all our pre-made and processed foods. This can be compared with Kothari’s “If You Are What You Eat, What Am I?” and her argument that food is part of one’s own identity. By using the examples from these two texts you can analyze the state of food and culture in the United States today. All of the processed and pre-made foods are causing people all across America to lose their sense of Culture. We no longer know what it’s like to make one of our cultures specialty dishes from scratch which can help people identify with their culture. This process helped newer generations see what it was like for those before them to cook on a daily basis and could help them identify your sense of culture.
In the writing “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” Geeta Kothari describes the differences in the American and Indian cultures through her unique description of the food differences. As a little Indian-American girl, Kothari curiously wanted to eat what of kids her age ate, tuna salad sandwich, hot dogs, and foods of such nature. Kothari describes her first encounter with a can of tuna fish as it looks “pink and shiny, like an internal organ” (947). As Kothari ages, it becomes clear that she sees American food much the way her parents saw it- “repugnant… meat byproducts… glued together by chemicals and fat” (947). Even though Kothari describes American food as strange, disgusting, and foreign; it was also “infidelity” to eat it (951).
Rachel Lauden’s essay In Praise of Fast Food presents a fresh point of view by taking a look at the way the poor fed themselves throughout history and comparing it with the reality of today’s fast food industry. The current thinking about fast food is that it is unhealthy and leads to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, when it is eaten without moderation. The argument Ms. Lauden proposes is that, due to the difficulties in procuring and preparing healthy, sanitary food for the lower classes, fast food is a positive development. She pointed out that as recently as the 1930s, poor children were cooking for themselves in outdoor shanties in extremely unsanitary conditions, and she emphasized the idea that upper classes invented ethnic dishes.
Food is traditionally considered as a simple means of subsistence but has developed to become filled with cultural, psychological, religious, and emotional significance. Consequently, food is currently used as a means of defining shared identities and symbolizes religious and group customs. In the early 17th and 18th centuries, this mere means of subsistence was considered as a class maker but developed to become a symbol of national identity in the 19th centuries. In the United States, food has been influenced by various cultures such as Native American, Latin America, and Asian cultures. Consequently, Americans have constantly Americanized the foods of different cultures to become American foods. The process on how Americans have Americanized different cultures’ foods and reasons for the Americanization is an important topic of discussion.
Sociology is the study of society and people. Food and food ways are often elements associated with particular societies and therefore, studying such a topic can offer valuable insight into the ways of that society and the people who live in it. Although eating is a vital part of survival, with whom, how and where we eat are not. Studying such ways can illustrate and represent the identity of a person or group. The nature of people and their beliefs can be indicated when analysing their food habits. Who individuals eat with is a particularly revealing factor into gaining an understanding of their identity, culture and society (Scholliers P 2001). For this reason commensality is a term frequently used in sociological research concerning food and food ways.
F. Hasan, Asma Gull (2000). American Muslims; The New Generation. New York. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
The uses of the halal food are to get healthy. This is because the halal product will be controlled by JAKIM. JAKIM will give a guideline to every company that has halal certificate. If the company did not follow the guideline, JAKIM will confiscate the halal certificate. Therefore, Muslim customer won’t have any when having meal in every halal restaurant.
Religion is an important factor in many lives in today’s society. A particular western religion that is taken very seriously by many is known as Islam. Essentially, Islam means “submission”, or in other words a person is to abide by God and peace will follow. In order to comprehend the Islamic religion, it is consequential to view the major themes associated with this religion. By going through the central themes of Islam it could help others comprehend what is involved with this specific religion.