'Halal'

PINOY KASI
'Halal'
By Michael Tan
Inquirer

Last updated 01:21am (Mla time) 11/24/2006

Published on Page A15 of the November 24, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

FOOD sensitivities aren't just allergy reactions. There are also many cultural sensitivities about food, as was dramatized early this week in Congress by the outburst of Rep. Faysah Dumarpa of Lanao del Sur province after realizing she had been served "pancit" [native noodles] with pork.

Dumarpa has called for the dismissal of the catering crew and told reporters she felt "betrayed" and "deceived" because eating pork is considered a "grievous sin" for Muslims.

The pork prohibition isn't just for Muslims; it's shared by many Jews, as well as by Seventh Day Adventists. On the other hand, most Hindus will refuse to eat beef, while many are completely vegetarian.

Public health

Christian Filipinos find it difficult understanding these prohibitions because we eat just about anything, from dogs to duck fetuses ( a.k.a. "balut"). In effect, any creature that walks, swims, flies or crawls is fair prey. Probably only the Chinese beat us with their definitions of edible food, spurring the joke that if Adam and Eve had been Chinese they would have eaten the snake and we wouldn't have all our problems with original sin.

Anthropologists study the reasons why there are these prohibitions. One explanation is ecological. For example, the prohibition on pork among Middle East cultures may have been imposed because the pig was not a cost-effective food animal to raise. In an arid environment like those of the Middle East, pigs compete with humans for food and water. Goats and sheep are hardier animals; they thrive in those environments and therefore became the preferred food animals. The pig, on the other hand, was declared dirty and even unnatural.

Public health considerations also come into the picture. Leviticus in the Old Testament is full of dietary prohibitions based on definitions of what was "clean" and "unclean." These prohibitions come together with all kinds of other rules which suggest Leviticus was intended as a kind of public health guide, warning not just about foods to avoid, but also about contact with people with certain diseases.

It should not be surprising then that Leviticus has a generic prohibition on eating "all creatures that swarm upon the earth." The prohibition is probably based on the idea that contact with the earth made them dangerous. Blood is also a proscribed food, which means no "dinuguan," which could make sense in terms of public health, considering what blood might carry.

Other prohibitions are a bit more mysterious, such as a ban on carnivorous animals. Creatures from the sea that do not have scales -- for example, shellfish -- are proscribed. The pig, too, is prohibited on grounds that it is cloven-footed, like cattle and goats, but it does not "chew the cud," meaning it doesn't eat grass, and is therefore "unnatural." Among Christians, the Seventh Day Adventists still observe the many food prohibitions in Leviticus.

Cultural competence

With so many Filipinos working overseas, and with our campaign to attract more foreigners to visit the Philippines, we need to become more culturally competent in dealing with the various dietary practices people have. Cultural competence here means sensitivity to cultures, and a willingness to accommodate beliefs and practices different from our own.

A best place to start with cultural competence is right here at home, with our Muslim Filipinos. Our schools' social studies subjects should introduce the term "halal" as early as in elementary schools, the term meaning "permitted" as opposed to "haram" or forbidden. (The Jewish equivalent is "kosher" or "fit" foods.)

Whenever I host a workshop or a dinner where I am not sure about the religious backgrounds of the visitors, I tell the caterers not to serve any pork. If it's Ramadan, I make sure to host a dinner rather than a lunch since Muslim guests observing the fast might not be able to eat if the meal is before sunset.

Southeast Asian countries, with the exception of Malaysia and Indonesia, love pork, so extra effort is needed to convince hotels, restaurants and hospitals to think of the needs of non-pork eaters. With devout Muslims, the dietary needs may even be stricter, with the definition of "halal" extended to mean the food product has been prepared in accordance with certain Islamic prescriptions. This means no pork, no pork lard used in cooking, and the animals being used were slaughtered in a prescribed manner -- with one slit across the throat.

Vegetarians

Vegetarians suffer even more grievously in the Philippines than Muslims. Part of the problem is linguistic: When you say you don't eat "karne" [meat], Filipinos think only of beef. So you have to say: "Walang baka, walang baboy, walang manok, walang isda" [No beef, no pork, no chicken, no fish]. But that's still no guarantee that the waiter will come back with "vegetarian" pancit that still has pieces of chicken, pork or shrimp.

Restaurants also need to prepare for the growing number of Filipinos who have dietary restrictions that are tied to medical conditions: for example, diabetics and people with heart disease. Again, this can be an uphill battle. I am amazed, for example, at how difficult it is to get soya milk without sugar, despite soya milk being sold with so many health claims. Nope, I explain to the vendors, it isn't healthy food when you pour in so much sugar. It's the same problem with chocolate "tablea" -- very rarely do I find sugar-free ones.

Sodium is the other major problem. If you have high blood pressure that is triggered off by sodium, you should make it a point to tell a restaurant to take it easy on salt, soy sauce and "vetsin" (monosodium glutamate).

Then there are the fatty foods, and foods cooked in unhealthy oils. I can't imagine asking a "carinderia" [eatery] to use canola oil or olive oil, but you still try to encourage them to use one of the cheaper but healthier oils like peanut. (I'm not convinced yet about virgin coconut oil, but if you think it's healthy then ask them to use it.)

Ultimately, it'll be the customers and clients who will change restaurant, hotel and even hospital food-serving practices. You don't have to be as dramatic as the congresswoman, but certainly, you can speak out about your dietary needs. As food establishments get more requests to cut the salt, or sugar, or vetsin, they will change their menus and cooking methods.

Cultural competence makes good business sense. Some of the finer restaurants are already offering vegetarian selections. Some Filipino food firms are now producing halal products; once certified by a special board that checks the companies' facilities, these firms can export their products to Muslim countries.

Business interests aside, we just have to keep reminding ourselves that food is at the core of our cultural identity. We crave for Filipino food when we're overseas, "Filipino" defined by rice, or "adobo," or pancit. We just have to remember that for many cultures, avoiding certain foods is also a way of affirming one's beliefs, one's faith.