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Preserving a halal diet is one of the obligations that Muslims have that highlights their presence as minorities among non-Muslims in a distinct way. Keeping a halal diet in a non-Islamic country reminds Muslims of their religious identity. Unlike the wearing of the veil that reveals a woman publicly as a Muslim, halal food requires a Muslim to be conscientious of their own difference from the non-Muslim majorities they live among. While it is an aspect of religious observance, it is also a very practical reminder to Muslims of their minority status. It is therefore odd for those who have no special dietary requirements to imagine what sort of impact an abstinence from pork might have on everyday life. In Muslim countries the injunction against pork is of little consequence, as the meat is not available because it is neither a part of the region’s diet nor culture (Pillsbury 1978, p. 659). Muslims in the West are, however, living amid a culture in which pork is popularly accepted and they are therefore constantly on guard about what they eat. This chapter highlights how problematic a halal diet can be for Muslims living amid a Chinese food culture, where pork is a cherished ingredient in Chinese cooking. Against the culinary cultural background of Hong Kong, young Muslims make conflicting decisions about what foods are suitably halal and what is not acceptable for them to consume. In some ways this is compounded by language ability; most non-Chinese Muslims have better English-language skills than Chinese skills (Tang 2006, pp. 25–26; Detaramani and Lock 2003), which presents another barrier in obtaining information about the spectrum of food available to them. While racism is an issue for many Muslims in Hong Kong, halal food poses a distinct obstacle that is perhaps more tangible and problematic than incidents of prejudice. The everyday challenges of living as a Muslim in Hong Kong are arguably most distinct with regard to keeping a halal diet. That is not to say that it is impossible or even very difficult, 7 The ambiguity of halal food in Hong Kong 98 Islam in Hong Kong it is however awkward to live, as many of the participants do, away from Islamic businesses and attend school or work with non-Muslims, and to socialise in the city eating only halal foods. Pillsbury’s anthropology of Hui in Taiwan highlights the realignment that Islam takes in fusion with Chinese culture. She notes that in conversation with one elderly Hui it is claimed that the need to avoid pork is more important than the requirement to pray five times a day (1975, p. 142). Vigilance for the Chinese Muslim is thus reoriented not on attention to prayer, but upon avoidance of pork. In highlighting the central nature of pork in Chinese cooking and culture, Pillsbury explains that the Chinese ideogram for ‘home’ (家) contains symbols for both ‘pig’ (豕) and ‘roof’ (宀) (Pillsbury 1975, p. 142). This example shows precisely how important and fondly the pig is viewed in Chinese culture. The pork proscription is arguably the key cultural signifier of Hui in Chinese society. Writing on the large Hui community in the Chinese city of Xian, Gillette gives some in-depth detail about the lengths that Muslims will go to in order to avoid the perceived polluting effects of pork. Crucially, this leads to an abrupt boundary construction between Hui and Han in that they are unable to eat together and therefore socialise. The polluting effects of pork are felt to even prevent Hui from drinking tea from a cup in a Han house or restaurant as it will have most likely been washed in water that cleaned utensils that cooked, held, or cut pork (Gillette 2000, p. 121). Stereotypes and prejudicial proverbs from China again show that pork is a fundamental boundary between Hui and Han identity. One Chinese proverb suggests that a Muslim travelling alone will become fat, while two travelling together would waste away (Israeli 2002, p. 302). This proverb, like others which speak of Muslims, shows how the Han perceive them to be duplicitous secret pork-eaters. Offence and avoidance of pork is even entwined in the way Hui choose to speak, avoiding the word ‘pig’ even when discussing its representation in the Chinese zodiac, but articulating it as a profane and derogatory expression when using foul language (Gillette 2000, p.122). Highlighting once more the association between Han Chinese and Hui, Gillette states that Hui who...

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