HALAL Food

[Peace.... 281]

Hello,

I have found a Middle Eastern place to buy Halal food and products near our local mosque. I know my fiance wants to continue this way, but has anyone out there had any issues with there fiance/husband not being able to find Halal products. Isn't Kosher close to the say way as Halal?

I don't have a problem at all buying him Halal meat etc., as I will continue buying things for me and my daughter at Kroger etc. I really want to respect his way of living when he arrives, and I plan to stock the freezer with whatever he needs. I don't want him to change his way of living just because he may think it's a burden for me to travel just for Halal products. I feel, he is giving up his life, family to be here with me, and it's the least I can do for him as well.

Has anyone has any issues with this as a couple?

Have a great day yall.....

Edited November 11, 2010 by foreverwaiting

[dolphin1 5]

I am Moroccan too, i do all my islamic duties and fast every ramadan just like when i was back home. We buy meat from grocery stores in here. Although the meat has to be Halal which means the cow, lamb or the sheep have to be slaughterd in the islamic way, which of course is not done in this country by whoever slaughters the meat found in grocery stores. I dont think it's a big deal, because here is a non islamic country and sometimes it's not easy to get halal meat or it's just expensive. My wife (USc) bought me one day two pieces of lamb from an arabic store, it was frozen, small amd expensive.

Neither you nor him has to change your life at home, you will eat the same things except he cant eat pork or drink wine. By the way in case you dont know, pepperoni in general has pork. We didnt know about that, so we had some pepperoni pizzas when we were in Morocco (from pizza hut) and when i came here.

[Peace.... 281]

I am Moroccan too, i do all my islamic duties and fast every ramadan just like when i was back home. We buy meat from grocery stores in here. Although the meat has to be Halal which means the cow, lamb or the sheep have to be slaughterd in the islamic way, which of course is not done in this country by whoever slaughters the meat found in grocery stores. I dont think it's a big deal, because here is a non islamic country and sometimes it's not easy to get halal meat or it's just expensive. My wife (USc) bought me one day two pieces of lamb from an arabic store, it was frozen, small amd expensive.

Neither you nor him has to change your life at home, you will eat the same things except he cant eat pork or drink wine. By the way in case you dont know, pepperoni in general has pork. We didnt know about that, so we had some pepperoni pizzas when we were in Morocco (from pizza hut) and when i came here.

Oh thanks for your reply. Oh that pepperoni pizza LOL yes it does contain pork and most do not realize this here in the U.S. Pizza Hut or other local pizza places in Morocco use cow pepperoni so it's acceptable and good too.

I did notice that Halal meat is somewhat more expensive than our normal grocery stores for sure. We have a huge International Grocery store here called Jungle Jims. It has every isle for every country you can imagine. I will do some research on Halal meat there as well. Here in Cincinnati, we have a large Islamic community, maybe I will chit chat with them as well.

Have a good day...

[nab 74]

i make pepperoni rolls with turkey pepperoni, which is also low fat... the pork ones are grossly fat! you can also make summer sausage from beef, not same taste as "pork pepperoni" but definitely tastes good and depending on the spices you use can be flavorful. this is NOT a quick thing though, takes many many hours cooking on low in oven.

if you have option of backyard, raising your own chickens is nice thing, it only takes 7-8 weeks for broilers from chicks to slaughter and you have halal meat ... you know everything about it from what it was fed to how it was treated to how it was slaughtered. you only need a 16'x28' area for 8 chickens comfortably. let me know if you need more info. the cost of the coop is high at first but if it is something you plan to repeat, then it is worth it.

if you have more room than that, taking a goat for Eid days is also an option. or, you can do like some are doing now and just buy during this time in anticipation of the upcoming holiday rather than raising and keeping long term.

if you dont like the idea of doing the slaughtering yourself, there are many butchers who do it for you... just ask around.

be careful of many foods at grocery, especially Kroger! if you have a Meijer near you it's a better option if you want a large retail market with good prices and more safe foods. most of Kroger's store brands are loaded with hydrogenated oils... very unsafe thing.

many 'ready to eat' store bought foods have haraam things (i.e. many yogurts have gelatin) but most are easy to make at home and much more tasty as well.

read labels. educate yourself on what those ingredients are... some of those names can be daunting!!

do a search and look for a few websites... here's one:

http://www.eathalalonly.com/

even be careful with medicines... cold season is coming up and you know alcohol is haraam; many nighttime cold/flu 'remedies' have it. better to get a nice home herbal remedy encyclopedia instead.

good luck!

[nab 74]

this is a lovely informational site, i knew i had a better one than one above!

http://www.ifanca.org/what/

[thelastpetitioner 218]

we will have issues with finding halal food.im not a great muslim,but i believe eating halal meat is good for you regardless of your religion.my fiance agrees,we have also agreed on a no bacon no ham diet.

but since he is in the military and stationed nearly in the middle of nowhere,i think we will have issues finding halal meat near our place.

[Mithra 1,185]

Yes and no. When halal is readily available we get it (because it's generally fresher in regards to meat) but if it's not then we don't sweat it. You commented about "stocking your freezer" with halal meat. Be prepared for the possibility of your husband being weirded out by frozen meats. I know where my husband is from they rarely, if ever, freeze meat so he's dead set on thinking that freezing meat does something to the taste and quality. Which, I believe, is correct but I'm not as weirded out about eating meat that has once been frozen. If we have frozen meat/poultry at home it MUST be soaked/marinated in either vinegar or lemon juice and salt in order for my husband to feel comfortable eating it.

[Used to be broken 147]

i make pepperoni rolls with turkey pepperoni, which is also low fat... the pork ones are grossly fat! you can also make summer sausage from beef, not same taste as "pork pepperoni" but definitely tastes good and depending on the spices you use can be flavorful. this is NOT a quick thing though, takes many many hours cooking on low in oven.

if you have option of backyard, raising your own chickens is nice thing, it only takes 7-8 weeks for broilers from chicks to slaughter and you have halal meat ... you know everything about it from what it was fed to how it was treated to how it was slaughtered. you only need a 16'x28' area for 8 chickens comfortably. let me know if you need more info. the cost of the coop is high at first but if it is something you plan to repeat, then it is worth it.

if you have more room than that, taking a goat for Eid days is also an option. or, you can do like some are doing now and just buy during this time in anticipation of the upcoming holiday rather than raising and keeping long term.

if you dont like the idea of doing the slaughtering yourself, there are many butchers who do it for you... just ask around.

http://www.eathalalonly.com/

even be careful with medicines... cold season is coming up and you know alcohol is haraam; many nighttime cold/flu 'remedies' have it. better to get a nice home herbal remedy encyclopedia instead.

good luck!

FYI its a little more complicated in the States to raise your own livestock than just having a backyard. In most of the United States unless you live in a rural area its against local zoning regulations to have farm animals and even where its not against zoning regulations its more than likely against the homeowners regulations in most subdivisions. Even where its not specifically against the zoning regulations if its not the normal custom in your neighborhood to raise livestock it will alienate your neighbors.

My brothers in-laws live in the city and their neighbors came from Asia and decided to create some weird garden that contains a squash type plant that hangs from a trellis. Apparently in Asia it is the custom to scour the landscape for scrap metal and wood to create these structures, which here in the city are regarded as Trash so the new neighbors are now constantly in litigation with the city over creating a junk yard in a residential neighborhood. I think a chicken coop might fall into that same category.

Edited November 11, 2010 by brokenfamily

[Kenza 1]

I don't know where you live but the lamb at Rayleys/bel air is halal. Costco also has halal but I'm not sure if it's the lamb or beef. My family always buys halal even if the market is 40 min away

[nab 74]

FYI its a little more complicated in the States to raise your own livestock than just having a backyard. In most of the United States unless you live in a rural area its against local zoning regulations to have farm animals and even where its not against zoning regulations its more than likely against the homeowners regulations in most subdivisions. Even where its not specifically against the zoning regulations if its not the normal custom in your neighborhood to raise livestock it will alienate your neighbors.

My brothers in-laws live in the city and their neighbors came from Asia and decided to create some weird garden that contains a squash type plant that hangs from a trellis. Apparently in Asia it is the custom to scour the landscape for scrap metal and wood to create these structures, which here in the city are regarded as Trash so the new neighbors are now constantly in litigation with the city over creating a junk yard in a residential neighborhood. I think a chicken coop might fall into that same category.

if you live in a subdivision with HOA you're probably NOT the type who would consider growing your own natural foods and natural way of life and even if you are, i agree, common sense rules, you shouldn't shack up with a goat in your condo till Eid days or try to slaughter it on your carport... the neighbors might not like that.

the person i was originally responding to resides in same state as i and we're very blessed here because even in the urban areas most (not all) are allowing chickens to be raised. some are banning roosters, which are not necessary unless you want to hatch your own chicks... again not necessary as you can buy many varieties of chicks cheaply. the turn back to the land is nice becasue children should be taught where their food comes from so they can learn to care about what they put into their bodies.

Edited November 11, 2010 by nab

[Peace.... 281]

Hi all, thanks for some great advice here on this forum so far. Well, I can't raise any chickens LOL nor a goat as I do live in a Condo LOL and yes my neighbors would probably boot me out of the neighborhood for sure. I went to the Halal Market we have here and they have a whole case of meats laid out fresh daily he said, none which have been previously frozen. Lots of fish too from the local lakes here. I enjoy cooking Tajine and Couscous a lot, and I found all the vegetables there as well, as our local Meijers, and Krogers do not offer these different vegetables as in Morocco. This market is really nice, they even have a restaurant inside just for Halal soups and sandwiches which is hard to find here. I also, found a restaurant about 15 min from me that serves Middle Eastern food like tajine and couscous, etc. My fiance says, well you are from Alabama and I want to try some of your cooking. LOL, I said well honey, we were raised eating fried this and fried that every day, he will probably gain 20 pounds the first year.

As for Eid next year, my fiance said he will buy the goat and have a local butcher prepare the meat for him and give away what we don't use or cannot fit into the freezer.

Well all, thanks for some good reading, enjoyed it all very much. Hope to hear some more good ideas.

[yassinerabat1 14]

Hello,

I have found a Middle Eastern place to buy Halal food and products near our local mosque. I know my fiance wants to continue this way, but has anyone out there had any issues with there fiance/husband not being able to find Halal products. Isn't Kosher close to the say way as Halal?

I don't have a problem at all buying him Halal meat etc., as I will continue buying things for me and my daughter at Kroger etc. I really want to respect his way of living when he arrives, and I plan to stock the freezer with whatever he needs. I don't want him to change his way of living just because he may think it's a burden for me to travel just for Halal products. I feel, he is giving up his life, family to be here with me, and it's the least I can do for him as well.

Has anyone has any issues with this as a couple?

Have a great day yall.....

it's simple, ask him to become a vegetarian

[KittyPollitt 284]

My husband doesn't eat halal here. Just abstains from swine. He's disgusted with the cost of halal meat here, says it's haraam to make profit by selling halal food at high prices, and I explained to him that they're not doing it for profit, it's because it's a niche market in the states. No matter where you buy it, it costs twice as much as going to a regular grocery store. And his cheapness won over. He just says a prayer over his food before eating. We did manage to find a halal pizza place near us owned by Egyptians, and for take out, most Indian restaurants don't serve pork at all. Good luck, girl.

[nab 74]

Hi all, thanks for some great advice here on this forum so far. Well, I can't raise any chickens LOL nor a goat as I do live in a Condo LOL and yes my neighbors would probably boot me out of the neighborhood for sure. I went to the Halal Market we have here and they have a whole case of meats laid out fresh daily he said, none which have been previously frozen. Lots of fish too from the local lakes here. I enjoy cooking Tajine and Couscous a lot, and I found all the vegetables there as well, as our local Meijers, and Krogers do not offer these different vegetables as in Morocco. This market is really nice, they even have a restaurant inside just for Halal soups and sandwiches which is hard to find here. I also, found a restaurant about 15 min from me that serves Middle Eastern food like tajine and couscous, etc. My fiance says, well you are from Alabama and I want to try some of your cooking. LOL, I said well honey, we were raised eating fried this and fried that every day, he will probably gain 20 pounds the first year.

As for Eid next year, my fiance said he will buy the goat and have a local butcher prepare the meat for him and give away what we don't use or cannot fit into the freezer.

Well all, thanks for some good reading, enjoyed it all very much. Hope to hear some more good ideas.

some apartment dwellers here do this... they will go together with neighbors/friends/relatives (or do as your husband said and give excess away) or freeze too, and buy a goat or sheep and have the muslim butcher do the slaughter for them.

many butchers are not in phone books but they have to be licensed so call your local USDA office or even local EPA office (since they have to have septic/sewage license), they should have list or can direct you which agency will have list of butchers. i cant recall how i got our list but i remember that's how i began. Seem to remember EPA gave me local county agency but while i was awaiting call back i think it was USDA who gave me list of butchers, even those who were smaller and who were muslim...? but think it depends on who you get though to and if they're busy. with holidays they may be in good mood. you could always get the info for next year and have butcher phone number ready ...

another thing to do if you have a special brand of packaged halal food is check with the manager in that dept in Meijer... they have always been good about ordering items and soemtimes it's on their order list but i've just never got to store in time before they run out! one item i was getting at another store for long time (the only place i could find it!) when they stopped carrying it i found out meijer had been carrying all along and reason i never saw it was because it was 1/2 the price for the same item/same brand at meijer so it was always gone!

their produce is so nice, prices so good, store brands good quality and employees usually very helpful. (no affliation other than been shopping there for so long!) they also price match so take your ads when you shop... no need for those cards from other stores

when i lived in the city something i noticed, if i went one direction the grocery stores had a lot of variety, good quality, etc... in the other direction there was just basic fruits, veggies, etc and quality and variety/selection wasn't so great. if you are noticing that, try a different area for grocery like when you go to work or when you go to visit a friend or any time you are going to be out of your area put a cooler in your car (especially now that cooler weather is here, groceries will stay cooler longer) and swing by the grocery in that area. if it is an ethnic area especially you may notice difference types of fruits and veggies than at your markets. we're blessed here that we have a very diverse community becasue of the universities and immigration and big city so it's not hard to get things though the prices on some of my favs are not near as cheap as NY but still much more cheap than if you dont live near city.

good and safe food ... i'm passionate about it!

[Peace.... 281]

it's simple, ask him to become a vegetarian

Ohhhhh please, I would never ask him to do that, you have to be kidding right? That is like SELLING YOUR HOUSE & BUYING AN AIRLINE TICKET before your Visa is Issued. LOL have a great day