Kids World: Food Rules!
WaWa: Eating is a simple and favourite pastime of Singaporeans, including yours and mine! And what better way to indulge in this hobby than with friends! If, like me, you have a multi-racial and multi-religious group of friends, eating together can be an enriching experience as you get to learn about the eating habits of other racial and religious groups!
For instance, my friend Faizal eats only halal food…
Faizal: That's right, WaWa. Being a Muslim, I can only eat halal food. Halal means “lawful” or “permitted” in Arabic. I cannot consume non- Halal substances like pork and alcohol. Halal foods have to be prepared by utensils that haven't come into contact with non- halal substances.
It's also often mistaken that “No pork and lard” means halal. Even though the food doesn't contain pork or lard, a Muslim has to take into account the manner in which the meat has been slaughtered. For meats (poultry, beef and mutton) to be considered halal , the animals have to be slaughtered according to the Islamic law.
To put in simply, I can eat anything and everything from any packaging or stall that has the halal food certificate and is prepared by a Muslim.
What about you, Manesh? What are the eating habits of the Hindus? You're a vegetarian, aren't you?
Manesh: Yes, I'm a Hindu and I eat only vegetables. Not all Hindus are vegetarians, though. Whilst some Hindus eat meat, most don't eat beef. In Hinduism, cows are considered sacred, respected as a mother figure. Due to this reason, it is an offence for Hindus to kill cows. That's why most Hindus don't eat beef. What about the dining habits of the Chinese, Liting?
Liting: Well, as a Chinese, I can eat most of the food that is found in restaurants and other eateries. However, some Chinese observe strict dining manners. For example, we should not stand our chopsticks vertically in a bowl of rice since it resembles the offering of incense sticks for the deceased. It is considered rude to tap our chopsticks against the bowl or wave our chopsticks about during a meal. There are more “dining rules” that I would like to share with you , but I'm starved! Let's eat, shall we?