Nothing says iftar like cueritos, buche, orejas, and trompa.
Is this truck halal?
I believe the article mentions the meat provided is halal.
Sorry - I didnât listen to the KPCC article. The LA Times covered this as well. Reading this article, it did mention that the meat provided for these events was Halal.
I donât even need to read the article to know one doesnât break the fast with non-halal food. Cmon now. 
I didnât realize you could make a taco truck halal by cleaning the griddle etc. The Muslimsâ god is pretty lax compared with the Jewsâ.
Halal meat is not enough: âKitchens and utensils previously used to prepare non Halal meals are required to be fully sanitized in an Islamic fashion before they can then be used for Halal food preparation.â
You gotta wonder though. Halal isnât a working philosophy within most Latin cultures except for a very small (but growing) minority or by incidence (local Halal butchers). Also, the pig seems an essential part in Mexican culture.
As a parallel, Singapore has a similar situation. But instead of Mexicans, replace Chinese and non-Muslim Indians in the mix with (Malay and Indian) Muslims.
Food is essential, highly vaunted, family and recreation in Singapore. Each has their own cherished food cultures with some crossover and sharing. But, like with Mexican food culture, the pig is a diametrically opposing issue in this country. Also, Halal is essential with the Muslim population (and readily accessible), while incidental with most others.
Culinary insularity is an issue as well. This can be a wedge/non-starter in social situations. As small as Singapore is, and as accessible as food across all spectrums is, many stick to the food of their culture. Having worked in Singapore in the 90s, I was invited to various eateries, homes and events across the various cultures. I became the accidental cultural bridge, urging ethnically Chinese associates to eat at Indian vegetarian restaurants or attend Malay wedding celebrations. This was new to many.
Social gatherings often excluded Muslims due to the mentioned issues which were further complicated by alcohol. No hard feelings - everyone was very aware of and respectful of these cultural issues. The attitude was âlive and let live,â but I always felt that the Muslim associates/friends and their families were the âodd man outâ because of these issues.
So coming back to the article, this is a new awareness for many. And through food, hopefully bridges of understanding, respect and friendship will form. Being aware of each otherâs respective cultures and where aspects conflict can pose restrictions on continued gatherings. As long as a solid reliable system of accommodation to Halal is in place, then I can see this working.
That goes without saying. But the article didnât mention any of this, so neither did I. I think itâs safe to assume that all of this remidiation and preparation happened. Otherwise this event would have been all for not.
Various Muslim sects have different rules, but some of them donât require anything beyond normal dishwashing.
I presume the mosque that was hosting the taco trucks made sure that they were sanitized to their specifications.
Thatâs on the more extreme side. Many Muslims who eat halal food will still eat meals prepared in homes that donât keep halal, as long as the meat prepared is halal. They will also eat halal meat in non-halal restaurants. I have Muslim friends who will eat at my house as long as I serve vegetarian, fish or halal meal items. There are also more lax Muslims who donât bother about halal or haram.
While at a friendâs apartment, I was stunned when a couple of Muslim neighbors from Bangladesh offered us some pizza. They were eating a Dominoâs pizza with pepperoni and sausage.
Fearing they were unintentionally committing Haram, I asked, âAre you aware whatâs in the pepperoni and sausage?â
âItâs too hard to find Halal here. And our parents donât know soâŚâ Big shrug followed.
I have more Muslim friends who do not eat halal than do eat halal.
Just wait and youâll see how fun itâll get:
"From all the non-kosher animals, the pig is unique in its âreturnâ to kosher status in the time of Moshiach when the world will be cleansed of negativity. "
http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/3630008/jewish/Whats-Kosher-About-a-Pig.htm
Hi !
[quote=âbulavinaka, post:10, topic:5842â]
Each has their own cherished food cultures with some crossover and sharing.
[/quote]Interesting. I work with and am close to a Muslim family originally from S.E. Asia. I used to do some shopping for them and was surprised to find that if the Halal products werenât available then they wanted Kosher. Howâs that for a crossover?
[quote=âbulavinaka, post:10, topic:5842â]
Social gatherings often excluded Muslims due to the mentioned issues which were further complicated by alcohol.
[/quote]âŚAnd this. They are really cool and I love them. They have met family members of mine one-on-one. But I have yet to invite them to a party even though they have expressed interest. They are very strict Muslim. My peeps can go pretty hard with the drinking. What to do?
This is a good topic. Serious food for thought.
The alcohol issue is a hard call. I donât know these folks but if they are devout, Iâd think the heavy drinking (and the behavior it can enable) might be troublesome.
Yep and add the working together thing - I think not.
But you could have them decide. Inviting them is obviously the cordial thing to do. But letting them know what to expect, r.e. drinking culture, allows them to expect the potential issues relative to them.