Halal day, every day

There are few situations I find more awkward than explaining why I don’t enjoy eating at JJ’s Place. Sure, the smoothies are pretty fantastic, and the staff contagiously energetic, but the buffalo wraps and cheeseburgers are all off-limits to me. Despite being an ardent carnivore, I’m left forcing down vegan nuggets that taste not quite, but almost entirely, unlike chicken: The meat at JJ’s Place is not halal. Although this is not such a major cause for concern, JJ’s Place, like Lit Hum reading, is mostly avoidable. Eating at Ferris Booth Commons on the weekends, however, is not, and Ferris, like JJ’s, has no halal option. This needs to change.

When I say I only eat halal meat, I’m referring to meat prepared in line with Islamic dietary laws that Muslims are permitted to eat. Like “kosher” for Jews, meat is only halal if the animal is slaughtered by a Muslim in the name of God and in a specific fashion. Seafood, however, is acceptable, no matter how it is prepared. As with kosher, pig meat is never halal, but halal differs in that it only really extends to meat and not to all foods. This is just one orthodox definition of halal—some Muslims will draw the line at foregoing pork, whilst some won’t even have candy that contains beef gelatin.

Fortunately, there is a halal option at John Jay Dining Hall and at Hewitt as well. In John Jay, you may have noticed that abrasively nondescript station by the deli items, but, to you, it has so far been nothing more than a counter atop which sits the George Foreman grills that you use to sear your delicious (though not halal) pastrami on rye. Eating halal means bypassing hungry and frustrated students in lines that stretch on special occasions such as Valentine’s Day.

Now, I genuinely appreciate all of Columbia’s efforts to accommodate my dietary needs. Muslim students simply add a little black-and-gold sticker to their ID cards that lets them enjoy the halal option at no extra charge. But there comes a time in a man’s life when he must speak on behalf of Muslims whose voices remain unheard. So, for the greater good, I must catalogue my concerns in the hopes that Dining Services will hear me. Ferris needs to have a halal option. For me, weekends, usually a cause to celebrate, are almost always marred by mealtimes where you’ll find me despondently nibbling at soggy slices of cheese pizza. There are only so many mozzarella and tomato paninis you can have before something snaps. Of course, there is a sizeable vegetarian population here at Columbia that manages just fine. But it’s much worse when you’re not eating meat because none of it adheres to your dietary needs than when you’re not eating meat as a voluntary choice.

I feel cheated by the lone presence of a single meat dish per mealtime, often the same chicken wishfully described with different names—Italian chicken, lemon chicken, seared chicken, Jerk Chicken, or even Coq Au Vin. Unschooled in French, I Wikipedia’d Coq Au Vin earlier this week, only to discover that it is literally “chicken with wine.” Given that alcohol is forbidden in Islam, I question whether the halal option is really halal, and my only hope is that Columbia Dining was attempting sophistication.

Although Muslims may be a small minority on campus, it is important that Columbia Dining expands and improves the halal option. There are many Muslim students here who would ideally eat halal but find it too inconvenient or difficult to maintain given their stressful lives as students and more. I think it is Columbia’s duty to make it easy for students to maintain their religious practices with minimal hassle should they want to observe them.

The author is a Columbia College first-year.