By Nadrat
Siddique
February 2, 2018
I love spaghetti and meatballs. They are an ideal
carbohydrate offering for endurance athletes like me. I don’t eat them often,
and in general, I eat meat at most once a week. The last time I had spaghetti
and meatballs prior to the occasion I describe here was 5 – 8 years ago. Eating
the fare infrequently, I like it to be high quality.
Recently, I went to Maggiano’s (Italian restaurant) for
the dish. It was really good, and nothing seemed amiss about it. A close Christian friend accompanied me. Although
he, too, is a runner, likes spaghetti and meatballs, and has ordered them
previously at Maggiano’s, he opted for a chicken pasta that day.
The restaurant is an old favorite, and I have been going there
for at least a decade. (By comparison,
my friend is quite new to it.) I feel quite comfortable there, and did not
think to question the composition of the meatballs.
The very next day, my friend texted me the following: “I
called Maggiano’s, and their meatballs are made of beef, pork, bread crumbs,
and herb mix. I’m so sorry.”
Referring to another Italian (primarily carryout)
restaurant where we’d planned to do our next round of carbo-loading, he said,
“I also called Cantina out of curiosity, and theirs are made of ground beef and
herbs, no pork!”
My friend, who is not a Muslim, had taken the trouble to
call both restaurants to get the low down on the ingredients of their
meatballs—all because he knew I am quite serious about my faith, and that it mattered
to me! He apologized for my inadvertent consumption of the pork-containing
meatballs repeatedly, even though he was clearly not at fault.
The feelings of being besieged by pork and alcohol, which
I frequently experience as a Muslim living in the West, surfaced yet again. Two
incredibly nutritionally deficient, toxic, and revolting products were
introduced, again and again, into facets of Western cuisine where it would seem
they had no place, and were completely unnecessary. As Americans’ waistlines
burgeoned and the dialysis industry flourished, these twin toxins seemed to
have the vast majority of Americans in their vice-like grip. I thanked the
Creator for the simplicity of a faith which allowed me avoid such Trojan horses
as these.
Simultaneously, I was floored by my friend’s level of
conscientiousness. It reminded me of how the Christians of the Prophet‘s (PBUH)
time provided strong support for the Muslims, who faced stiff persecution as
they went up against the prevailing (pagan Arab) power structure. In fact, it
seemed to me that some Christians were better friends of Muslims than some who
claimed the title "Muslim."
It also reminded me of the pitfalls of consuming any
non-Halal meat. It is a practice I unfortunately do engage in occasionally,
consuming the meat after saying “Bismillah.” But—the whole affair reminded me that
I must ultimately abandon all non-Halal (ie non-zabiha) meat. And meat, in
general, is nutritionally devoid carrion, and ought to be consumed very
sparingly, per our Prophet’s example,
