RIYADH, 13 October 2007 — Saudis visiting the tourist resort of Phuket in Thailand during the Eid holidays have been cautioned against eating fast food, since the beef or lamb used in the preparations there need not necessarily be halal.
Though the alert has come from Phuket, it is equally applicable to all places around the world where these international fast food chains operate.
Speaking to Arab News from Phuket, Ibrahim Khatib, a Jordanian businessman residing there for the last three years, said a large number of Saudis who visit the tourist resort told him that they all go for their meals at well-known international fast food chain outlets.
“I would like to inform Saudi and other Gulf visitors eating at these internationally renowned fast food outlets that the beef or the lamb used in their preparations may be halal in Saudi Arabia but is not so in Phuket and, by extension, elsewhere in other countries.”
Khatib, who jointly owns a food company along with a Thai businessman, said these international fast food outlets “are using pork in their fast food preparations. He pointed out that he had visited a number of these international fast food restaurants. “I am not even one percent sure they are not using the same facility to grill pork, meat and beef,” he said.
Khatib said that when he protested to the management, they said they would respond to his concerns through an e-mail. But no e-mail was received.
A 2007 World Trade and Tourism Council report covering the top 10 countries around the world, including China, India, Vietnam, and Hong Kong points out that tourists from the Middle East should familiarize themselves with the customs and traditions of the east Asian countries if they visit them during the vacation.
Tourist traffic is expected to increase substantially to this region between 2007 and 2017. Indigenous traditions are dying out rapidly but some still remain. Thus, for the Middle East visitors to Asia, they can be mighty confusing.
“In India and Indonesia, for instance, you should always clear your plate to indicate how delicious you found the food. In southern India, where curries are often served on a banana leaf, “you must fold the leaf after a meal to show that you are satisfied. ‘It’s considered rude to leave it open,” the report points out, quoting Deepak Bhatia, executive chef at the Hyatt Regency-Mumbai.
According to Andreas Stadler, vice president for food & beverage, Hyatt International Asia-Pacific, there is strict seating protocol to follow in China. The host must sit facing the door, with the guest of honor to the right. And in Korea, like in much of Asia, filial piety is paramount.
