yeah, i wonder where is all the fun travelling can offer? all the way to japan just to see neon lights? goto paris and hv kebab? goto london and hv maggi mee? best bet, china i guess or kampung's backyard?
HAhahaha very interesting read.
Life is so cumbersome for people who are too religious and don't want to integrate with the world.
Nobody is obligated to accomodate them either.
The world shall not bow to the lifestyle of those who interferes with that of others.
keatix... a waste of resources to come all the way here... btw, might be heading to bangkok in a while for a conference... might go hunt for some absolutely 'non-halal delicacies'... heheheee....
ShadowFox... 'The world shall not bow to the lifestyle of those who interferes with that of others.' hahaahaaa... well said, my friend...
In Tokyo, I found quite a few shops that were halal, but it's Arab food and Malaysian food. haha. Most of them are at Shinjyuku. There's nasi lemak also cooked by a malay dude. Then there's roti canai cooked by an Arab dude.
but I forgot to say.. yes, it's true. When you're traveling, it's a pain if you're picky about food even if it's religious. But as far as I'm in Japan... as long as I don't ask what's inside, it's ok to eat I guess.
noor hidayat... thanks for dropping by... In Tokyo, yes lah, but in my inaka town called Takamatsu, they are few and far in between... there is a Nepali Restaurant that I frequent... altho I don't order it, they serve pork curry too... your flexibility puts you in the 'right' mode of mind, I must add...
Oh wow.. I didn't notice that you were in Takamatsu. That's in Kagawa right? If my geography is not wrong, that's near Okinawa. I have to go down south one day... （｀д´）ノ
noor... yeap, Kagawa... about three hours from Osaka by shinkansen and local train... Okinawa would be way down south... 1.5 hours by flight...
It's pretty difficult for my muslim friends to find 'halal' food in Bangkok as well. One fellow I was on a flight back with even lamented that there was pork everywhere in sight and he was right 
Lrong Sinseh, absolute must tries in BKK is the "Khau Kham Moo". Broiled meat in soya sauce and spice ala Bak Kut Teh, albeit a little sweeter.
UnkaLeong... I have a very good buddy, a Thai professor teaching in BKK... will certainly ask him to do a 'Khau Kham Moo' on me when I am there in December... *slurp*
taihen desu ne for those who seek halal food strictly and their hosts who are doing their best to be hospitable.
dude, tell me about it, when u r here(bkk) ok? m back in kl most of the time lately, alhamdulilah. but in bkk at least once a month, by month end. keep me informed dude.
non halal delicacies aplenty. tuck in! lol
I live in Japan too. A good read. I can tell that you are a down-to-earth man. I guess as long as a Muslim eats with ignorance, it is not a sin.
Forgot to tell you that I am a Malaysian too.
Dear Lrong,
Great one here and I have to admit when I read it I felt shame and then pity for those students.
I have friends studying overseas and they are what we call 'liberal' Muslims. They try not to eat pork but you know, staying overseas it's not as easy to find something that complies to your religious needs. It's either you go back to your maggi mee (which my friend is totally against) or go with the flow.
This particular friend of mine has got loads of Chinese friends and hates to be treated differently just because of her religion. She had once told me 'I am born into Islam and I'll respect that. I'll try to observe the rules but that's not my first priority'. Meaning if we (a whole group of Chinese and her one Muslim) were to go into a Chinese restaurant, she'll eat the vege, chicken and beef dishes. If we insist on a halal place, she'll tell us 'no need la. I makan the things that are not pork la'.
I truly believe while travelling there are certain liberties that must be taken into account la...
If they are that religious and would not even eat from the dishes that had once held pork or alcohol, they should bring plastic plates and forks.
I think, correct me if I'm wrong, the quran says 'Do not take alcohol as it will cloud your judgement' so I guess if it's minimal, maybe that could pass?
Just my dua sen...
P/S: Shame cause I could imagine if the kids that went for the visit read the host's comments. I would have felt very bad if I knew my host went to such extremes to accomodate me.
Sigh...
Hmm, I thought I read the same posting on someone's blog and little that I know that it was written by you. Seems like you are a victim of plagiarism too haha
Anyway, back to the topic, I guess as long as there is no knowledge of the ingredient used, then it should be ok. A man is innoncent if he doesnt know what he is doing is not right? No?
I think I would be in a worse situation as I am vegetarian. No problems here in the UK though.
But I think it was wrong on the part of the Japanese host to act the way they did. If they didn't want to accommodate the request of the guests, they should just refuse to host them. That's what tolerance is all about.
Adriene... yeap, certainly taihen desu ne for our friends... but what to do lah...
Keatix... am set to fly into the 'city of angels' on 6th evening... staying at the Ambassador for three nights... and flying back to Osaka on 9th late night... would be a pleasure to meet up for some chow...
Alice... danke for dropping by... a Malaysian izzzeeet... somemore living in yappun ah... yeap, as they say, ignorance is a bliss... sometimes...
Pink... I do have a couple of 'liberal', as per Alice, 'down to earth' Muslim friends too... while a student at Texas Tech University, my 'signature' dish (actually the only one...) was grilled charsiew... we had a huge oven there, so why not... and there was a malay friend who enjoyed the dish just like the rest of us... and the fried rice and noodles too...
Maggi mee can be yakky after a while... and a little alcohol is certainly good for the system...
About the host, she is a good friend of mine, so the 'honest' response... but officially, she may probably just let it go without mention...
I shall be in touch with my friend to see what happened during the homestay... probably nothing much except eating the meals quietly because the Malaysian kids cannot speak Nihongo and the host, little English...
Mmulibra... I am a victim of plagiarism too??? Are you kidding me? If so, someone better report to our good old Jeff Ooi then... do you recall what blog? As per Alice again, true about pleading innocence through ignorance... if there is no 'victim', ok lah... but if there is a 'victim', then different story... as in the Livedoor case... how can the president of a company, and a cocky one at that, say that he does not know what was happening in his company... cannot lah, like that...
Adam... on the contrary my friend, Japanese food is quite well known for their vegetarian dishes... at least, non-meat ones... a vegetarian would probably fare better here than a Muslim would... about the family refusing to host thingy... not quite, because there are not very many Japanese families who are willing to host foreigners... this particular family friend of mine is a 'veteran' in hosting foreigners... so Kagawa Prefecture was adamant in having her to host a kid... if she refused, I would think several other families would follow suit... this domino effect would kill off the event and Kagawa Prefecture would certainly want to avoid that for obvious reasons... so, she did it as a 'favor' (lack of a better word...) for the prefecture...
Oh, I am talking only about eating non-halal food through ignorance for Muslims. Of course, one can't claim ignorance when one knowingly commits a crime like the livedoor case or whatsoever. Nice knowing you, sensei. I tried to have my comments published just now but something went wrong. Sorry, if it is published twice.
alice... while 18, was nuts about a girl called 'alice'... but it is comedy-history now... hehehehe... nice knowing you too, alice...
We had a breaking ice banquet before a conference in Osaka, I was really touched by the host who prepared a table only for muslims. And there were like only two of us, could not really tell the difference accept for no pork and alcohol there. Think that was one of the best meals I had in my life, I thought I'd faint for eating too much. When hubby joined me later for the trip, he said no wonder sedap, he said everything must had been dipped in sake...haha, I didn't know that, Think I'm more guilty of being ignorant then eating the non-halal food.
Anyway, enjoy this entry and glad to see it in your perspective.
mama23beas... long time no hear eh... hope all is fine with your gang... your Osaka host was most gracious... still, your hubby is probably right... reason is, if we take away the sake component from japanese cooking, you take away a large portion of the essence of japanese food... just like our sambal belacan or kicap manis... remove it, it taste somewhat odd...
Hey Prof, is this "alice " a white? I am perhaps your age group. Who knows I might be the girl u fell head over heels with! :D (just teasing you!)
alice... a very sweet and charming Malaysian girl loh... and if that description fits you... hmmm... hmmm... hmmm...
dude, wil call up ambasador if i happen to b in bkk. right now....50-50. meantime, u hv a good flight my man.
Konichiwa Sensei,
Read with interest on this topic. It was just a couple of days ago, at Tana International Lounge, Yokohama, where I am now learning Nihongo, my sensei asked me questions on how the malay muslim live or study abroad if they have so many dont?!?!Even my husband despites living in KL for so many years still asked me the same question. This sensei of mine happened to host two Malay students hence the questions and yes, she said there are so many things the host have to look into and the host also need to prepare a space for students to pray 5 times a day. I think she will reconsider to host again.
It is true that in Malaysia one can rest assured of the halal food but once a broad it became a nuisance to others. Why? cos I have foreign friends who dare not mix with muslims as they are not sure what to do?!?!
Too restrictive is taihen ne dakara how to muhibbah ?!?!
Jya, maggie mee dake ne - can store and easy to cook!
Jya ne
Pamela - KL Jin
Pamela... good to hear from you... how is living in Japan? My fried who hosted the malaysian boy had the same feeling... too much trouble to host him, and worse, not fun... probably next time no more lah... if only they could be more flexible, then the world would be a better place to live...
Dear Sensei
I am trying to live in Japan and trying very hard to adapt and first thing first....the language la.
Thanks for asking and maybe you could give me some tips how you could live here for so many yearsss ne....?!?!
I enjoy very much living here in Yappun... yeap, language is always the first priority... no two ways about it... just have to 'thrash' it out alphabet by alphabet, and word by word until a certain extent when you can pay less attention to the technicalities and more on communication... also, you need to 'Japanese' yourself in thoughts, behaviors, manner of speech, etc... but most of all, enjoy the process and laugh away any 'failures'...
I am rather sad reading this entry.
Being a tolerant race (Muslim Malay) in Malaysia with other races, when we just keep silent even the Chinese make noise with crackers on Chinese New Year or during funeral, and say nothing when the Indians carry kawadee... my brothers and sisters we talked badly at the back, rather than honestly advised. Especially by a Kedahan Chinese, who I believe had good Malay neighbours backhome.
We were always thought in our country to respect each other including religion. It is a pity when we tend to lose the lesson after living some years abroad.
I am now living in Japan, and to my surprise, I am treated rather nicely by Japanese friends who respect me and my belief.
I once asked her, did I trouble you with my restrictions? She replied: We are free to belief what to belief and respect each other the most important things in any relationship. After all, human is still human. We are different but the same.
By the way, if you change your mind to help your Muslim friends next time, here is the link: Listing of Halal food in Japan.
http://kammi-jepang.net/
halalfoo...d.php#fast_food
Thank you. Have a nice day!
SitiNur... hmmm, am not very sure on how to respond to you... the contents of your comments seem unrelated to the contents of this post...
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