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AIBU?

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Original poster

To serve these foods to muslim friends

603 replies

MissMildred · 04/08/2018 19:03

Hi - posting here for traffic but also because I don't want to BU. I invited some new school friends and their parents for a bbq in a couple of weeks and two of the families are muslim and mentioned they only eat halal.
I want to make an effort to make them feel comfortable, and it has also been very interesting learning all about what is halal or haram. Obviously no pork will be served. However, some of the guidance on the internet is not clear, so I wondered if anyone with this diet could help me with these items and whether it would BU to serve them up:

Vinegar - if I served this in eg. a coleslaw, are all types of vinegar fine? (Eg is the vinegar not seen as alcohol anymore?)
Butter - Am I overthinking this? Would you eat butter?
Alcohol - I know you wouldn't drink this, but is it acceptable for others in the group to be drinking a glass of wine?
Halloumi - I can't figure out if this is okay or not.

Also - any tips you might have would be great, especially if there are brands of crisps, bread, butter etc....you might use.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Sunnymeg · 05/08/2018 15:13

Fair enough. Shall I say evangelical Christians of certain denominations may have an issue with halal meat due to the Muslim prayer. Others take the view that saying Grace over the food is much more important and negates any issues.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:14

Firstly it’s not racist to disagree with halal meat. It IS Islamophobic to disagree with it solely because it’s Islamic.

Point me in the direction of the race which requires non halal meat and I’ll answer the second part.

Justinonmybroomstick · 05/08/2018 15:14

Vinegar - if I served this in eg. a coleslaw, are all types of vinegar fine? (Eg is the vinegar not seen as alcohol anymore?)*
Butter - Am I overthinking this? Would you eat butter?
Alcohol - I know you wouldn't drink this, but is it acceptable for others in the group to be drinking a glass of wine?
Halloumi - I can't figure out if this is okay or not

Op, Im not wading through 14 pages of whats probably a load of nonsense but just in case youre still here.

All sort of vinegar on the shelves in country I live in. It wouldn't be there if it was a problem.

Butter - same applies.

Alcohol when Muslim guests are present? Ive never known it to be a problem but it is good manners to tell them beforehand.

Halloumi - there are 5 varieties in the fridge where I shop.

NidaS · 05/08/2018 15:15

Hi there, I am Muslim and eating butter, halloumi, vinegar is perfectly fine. I have no problem with people drinking alcohol around me, I also join friends at bars. All types of seafood are halal, so no problem there either.
The main thing is just for the meat to be halal. I would not mind if it's cooked on the same BBQ as other meat, as long as no pork.
Hope this helps!!

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:16

Actually using Sikhs as the perfect example, their faith prevents them from eating meat which has been ritualistically slaughtered. Thus conforming to the rules of their own faith without condemning anyone else’s faith.

They are meeting their own requirements by not eating ritualistically slaughtered meat.

worriedupstairsneighbour · 05/08/2018 15:16

I don't understand how anyone can oppose to eating halal meat because of " welfare reasons " or " animal cruelty " but will still happily eat a dead animal?!

How does that make sense? Is there a kind and non cruel way to kill an animal to eat?

derxa · 05/08/2018 15:19

Yes, there is a tiny (in volume) proportion of meat which is not stunned before slaughter, but this tends to be sold in specialist kosher and Islamic butchers, mainly because it is too expensive for supermarket and regular butchers. Well that's OK then Hmm

sonarbear · 05/08/2018 15:22

Point me in the direction of the race which requires non-halal meat and I’ll answer the second part.

Sikhs

I'm not Islamaphobic and I don't want to eat halal meat. That is my right and I shouldn't have to justify myself.

sonarbear · 05/08/2018 15:23

10% is not tiny.

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 15:25

Actually using Sikhs as the perfect example, their faith prevents them from eating meat which has been ritualistically slaughtered. Thus conforming to the rules of their own faith without condemning anyone else’s faith.

They are meeting their own requirements by not eating ritualistically slaughtered meat.

Thank you for finally grasping the rights that I would like non-religious people to have - the exact same rights that the religious do.

sonarbear · 05/08/2018 15:31

Sikhs and Muslims have historically not got on. Why are some of the posters not questioning whether some Sikhs are choosing not to eat halal due to Islamaphobia?

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 15:32

Thank you for finally grasping the rights that I would like non-religious people to have - the exact same rights that the religious do.

As someone who apparently isn't religious in any way, you DO have the same rights as you can eat whichever way you choose to without being shackled to a way of eating!
You can eat halal, non halal, whatever.

petrolpump28 · 05/08/2018 15:33

play it safe and serve a lovely veggie feast and maybe some grilled fish.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 05/08/2018 15:33

I'd say refusing to eat halal meat is slightly more stupid than muslims demanding to only eat halal meat – at least they can't help being brainwashed

Why can't they help being brainwashed, please?

At least in the UK we have a choice whether or not to get involved in religious practise, do we not?

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 15:34

I'm not Islamaphobic and I don't want to eat halal meat. That is my right and I shouldn't have to justify myself.

So don't eat it then! Nobody's forcing you to.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:35

Thank you for finally grasping the rights that I would like non-religious people to have - the exact same rights that the religious do

Oh for fucks sake. It went right over your head again didn’t it?

Sikhs practice their own faith without imposing their will/beliefs on others, as do Muslims.

It is YOU who is so anti faith that you have decided nobody else should be able to practice theirs. If you cannot see the difference between the two I feel profoundly sorry for you because it really is very basic logic.

Along the lines of live and let live. Which is ironic given the content of this thread.

For the last time, Sikhs observing their faith are doing so without forcing their beliefs onto others. You are not.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:36

Why are some of the posters not questioning whether some Sikhs are choosing not to eat halal due to Islamaphobia?

Nobody is, apart from a couple of posters who are utterly determined to start an argument using Sikhs as their starting point.

Everybody else is agreeing that Sikhs have the right to practice their faith and are protected by law.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:38

Sorry I missed the not in your original post.

Sikhs are forbidden to eat ritualistically slaughtered meat as part of their faith. It’s to do with their own faith, not anyone else’s,

sonarbear · 05/08/2018 15:38

So don't eat it then! Nobody's forcing you to

Thanks, I will. Don't appreciate being considered an Islamaphobe either.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 15:45

Oh for fucks sake. It went right over your head again didn’t it?

Sikhs practice their own faith without imposing their will/beliefs on others, as do Muslims.

Exactly, live and let live. Each to their own. How is it not imposing your will and beliefs on others by saying "no halal meat?"
It is. You'd be imposing your views on others and telling them what to eat.
It's not rocket science.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 15:48

Thanks, I will. Don't appreciate being considered an Islamaphobe either

I didn't call you an Islamaphobe, I haven't called anyone that. Just wondering what on earth you've got against it if you're not religious. The words wouldn't mean anything to you.

sonarbear · 05/08/2018 15:51

rainbowsandsmiles no that wasn't directed at you. Some posters have explicitly stated that if you chose not to eat halal for non-religious reasons you are Islamophobic.

rainbowsandsmiles · 05/08/2018 15:53

Are there any non religious reasons apart from "don't like it" though?
I think that's what everyone's asking.
As in my book that's just being a fussy sod and it'd be a case of "get what you're given or bring your own" lol.

YeTalkShiteHen · 05/08/2018 15:54

sonarbear actually I stated that if the only reason someone objects to halal meat is that it’s Islamic then they are an Islamophobe. None of which I’ve directed at you.

The reason the word Islamophobia came up was the continual assertion that it was racist which is ridiculous unless you think only brown people are Muslim.

Nobody has called you an Islamophobe.

commonarewe · 05/08/2018 16:00

It is YOU who is so anti faith that you have decided nobody else should be able to practice theirs. If you cannot see the difference between the two I feel profoundly sorry for you because it really is very basic logic.

For the last time, Sikhs observing their faith are doing so without forcing their beliefs onto others. You are not.

No, learn to read - I want everyone, religious and non-religious alike, to have the same opportunity to either consume or avoid consuming ritually-slaughtered food. Simple!