Have you heard the word HALAL? I had never heard of this word until I lived in Singapore, and I guess most Japanese haven’t heard it either. Even for persons who have been abroad and exposed to international situations outside Japan, the word HALAL is somehow new.

I am not very familiar with it yet (so, please forgive me if I am wrong!), however, simply speaking, it means the foods permitted under Muslim regulations.

I guess the food restriction on pork is rather well known. However it is not only pork but beef and chicken should also be prepared according to the Islamic regulations.

And, more than that, the cooking utensils and plates/cups should be clearly separated for the use of non-HALAL and HALAL people.

One day, I invited Muslim colleagues to my house. Having known that they are Muslim, I avoided all pork dishes and prepared mainly salad, eggs, and tofu dishes. I also prepared juice and soda. It was actually well-done….. delicious!

However, they didn’t eat anything. I reminded them it had neither pork nor any meat, and then, they gave me stunning information;

The ingredients had been chopped on a cutting board on which non-HALAL meat had once been cut; the eggs had been fried on a pan in which non-HALAL meat had once been cooked; and the juice glasses had been used by me who had eaten non-HALAL foods with my mouth!

Since then, I always ordered pizza from Pizza Hut, and prepared paper plate and cups when inviting Muslim friends to my house.

You can easily find a “HALAL” sticker at many restaurants in South East Asia.