Fasting, halal, and food for thought

George P. Moya

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Fasting, halal, and food for thought

George P. Moya

Some food for thought as the nation observes Eid al-Fitr or the Feast of Breaking of the Fast: Can we finally break bread and find peace?

MANILA, Philippines — After the fasting comes the feasting. As Ramadan comes to an end, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, or the Feast of Breaking of the Fast.

On the eve of Eid al-Fitr – celebrated this year on Friday, July 17 – food stalls, eateries, and restaurants near the Golden Mosque in Quiapo were busy preparing for the upcoming feast.

Ironically, during the month-long fasting for Ramadan, food businesses along Globo de Oro Street increased their daily sales by as much as 50%.

Tintingan Midtimbang, a barangay councilor who runs a 24-hour restaurant just outside the gates of the Golden Mosque, revealed that traditionally, food orders are higher during Ramadan.

“Orders usually pour in before the fasting begins at 4:30 am and after it ends at 6:30 pm. So our daily sales increased by 50% because of this,” said the 37-year-old Midtimbang, who has been in business for over 10 years.

Muslims are only allowed to eat before sunrise and after sundown during the observance of Ramadan.

FOOD DURING RAMADAN. Some food businesses claimed to have increased their daily sales by as much as 50% during the month-long fasting.

Midtimbang’s bestseller and specialty is patir, a ball of rice topped with crunchy chicken flakes, and wrapped in banana leaf. She said she learned the recipe from her grandmother when she was growing up in Maguindanao.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Saleh Shaheen, whose family owns the Muod Halal Restaurant, also expects to reach a 50% sales increase during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. He estimated that Muod – popular among Muslims, Christian patrons, and foodies, for its roasted chicken and pure beef burgers – posted between 30 to 40 % increase in sales during Ramadan.

Jasmin Amir, 26, said she expects to sell over 200 kilos of carabao meat on the eve of Eid al-Fitr. Her stall is among 5 selling carabao meat. Her sales spike during the first and last days of Ramadan.

“Carabao meat is allowed during these days only,” Amir said.

BRISK SALES. Carabao meat reportedly enjoys brisk sales during the frist and last days of Ramadan.

Chulyka Tauan, a 45-year-old street vendor from Lanao del Sur, is bottling palapa, a Maranao delicacy made of chopped sakurab (an onion variety said to grow exclusively in Mindanao), sliced chili, and crushed ginger. She expects her freshly-bottled palapa to be sold out before the last day of Ramadan ends.

Consecrated food

Magtimbang’s patir, Shaheen’s roasted chicken and beef burger, Amir’s carabao meat, and Tauan’s palapa, along with the other food products sold along Globo de Oro Street, are all halal.

“Halal just means ‘allowed’,” said George Alamada, the nephew of Midtimbang’s husband, who also helps in the kitchen.

Halal refers to food  permitted to be eaten by Muslims. It is food prepared according to Islamic tradition. Its opposite is “haram.”

“‘Haram’ means forbidden,” Alamada explained. “Pork is haram.”

MARANAO DELICACY. Chulyka Tauan,45, prepares palapa, a mixture of onion, chilli, and ginger.

Beef, chicken, and goat meat are among those generally considered halal. But Shaheen clarified that even these may be considered haram, if they are not properly prepared during slaughter.

“One has to pray, ‘Bismillah Allahu Akbar!’ before slicing the animal’s throat,” he said.

Jamail Abdulrahman, 37, who sells smoked yellow-fin tuna in his street stall, and has himself slaughtered carabaos, added, “Before these animals are slaughtered, they have to be offered to Allah.”

Meat of the matter

While fasting is considered a pious act in Islam, it is forbidden during the celebration of Eid al-Fitr.

Although Eid al-Fitr is considered a time for feasting, it is still a time for prayer.

“On the last day of fasting, we pray to Allah that we will be able to live on to experience the next Ramadan,” said Abdulrahman.

YOUNG RESTAURATEUR. Saleh Shaheen is only 19. But he helps in the operation of the family's food business, the popular Halal restaurant, Muod.

Alamada said, “We also pray for good fortune, a bright future, and peace.” 

By peace, Alamada meant an end to the conflict in Mindanao. He is from Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which has become infamous because of the armed encounter that resulted in the deaths of 44 Special Action Force troopers, 18 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), several civilians, and global terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan.

But the biggest casualty of the encounter seems to be the  proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). It endangered the peace process between the MILF and the Philippine government. (READ: 4 scenarios if Bangsamoro bill is not passed)

“For us in Mindanao, we ask the President, the Senate, and Congress, to pass the BBL. We are pushing for the BBL because we want peace, not just for Muslims, but for the Philippines, and the entire world. We need to show the world that our nation is united,” Alamad said. (READ: Half a million signatures for Bangsamoro law)

“I’ve talked to our Muslim brothers at the Golden Mosque. When the topic is about the BBL, we are just thinking about the safety of the people, whether they’re Muslim or Christian. There’s this belief among Muslims, ‘A life is a life’,” Shaheen explained.

CELEBRATION. Eid al-Fitr also means sharing your blessings by feeding the poor.

As Filipino Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr, they share their blessings by feeding the poor. The likes of Abdulrahman, Alamad, and Shaheen, also share with us some food for thought: Can we finally break bread and find peace? – Rappler.com

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