I was going to guess corn dogs.
“Our food is strictly Episcopalian. The Catholic food place is over there, but be careful; I’ve heard they have a couple of Methodist items on their menu. The other end of the food court covers Lutheran and Southern Baptist, but I’m afraid the Mormon franchise has closed down.”
My first thought was “loaves and fishes?”
There are those in Christian churches who would equate halal meat as having been sacrificed to an idol, and so isn’t suitable for Christians to eat. Paul lays out his position in 1 Corinthians 8
8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
So if you are a Christian, you should know that halal meat is of no import, because it is sacrificed to a false idol, which means nothing. This is wisdom. But if I know that a fellow Christian is sensitive about such things, I’d not take them to a specifically halal restaurant for a meal out. This is love.
Complaining about the next restaurant over because it is halal is just bigotry …
What the Romans used to feed the lions at the Circus?
Thanks, Senegold, for a real laugh.
Yes, Ma’am. That would be so that the workers your husband hire to do the job understand how to use this product.
@Capn_Carl I read your OP and your two replies. That’s it. I didn’t read the others’ replies yet.
I think you handled the situation well. And when she left you could’ve said, Muchas gracias to her. And, que tenga un buen dia, too.
Now that I’ve read the thread… some thoughts:
Yep, you can’t fix stupid.
I liked @Horatius’s first suggestion, with the 10 second pause. That’s powerful, if it works. It may not work but it’s a good thing to try.
If you let such customers beat the joy out of your job, you’re not being strong. People will be stupid, and you can’t fix that. Oh well, just sigh and shrug and move on.
Yes, like @Andy_L said, the USA does not have an official language.
Hey, I’m a Christian and I’ve never heard that I can’t eat halal. Eating halal doesn’t bother me one bit.
As for Paul’s teaching in 1Co 8:1-13, I don’t think it has many applications to today, except for if you know someone is not strong in their faith, then you shouldn’t perform any compromising actions in their presence. That’s about it, methinks.
I loved the Christian food and lions reply! LOL
Yeah, I especially like Horatius’ 10 second pause suggestion. Unintentionally, I did pause for 4-5 seconds, while I mentally crossed off the list of inappropriate responses that flooded my brain.
Was it The Halal Guys? I like them, and if it was, it makes me wonder whether this poor fool had ever been in a Greek restaurant before.
I didn’t think it was possible for a Chick-Fil-A to close down.
Well, if you’re Catholic, there’s fish and chips on Friday.
Seriously. There used to be a prohibition on eating meat on Fridays, but the Pope, in his wisdom, degreed that fish was not meat. So that’s what a lot of Catholics would eat on Fridays. This evolved culturally in some places to the traditional Fish and Chips meal being a typical Friday dinner.
It’s not officially observed any more, but at least here in Canada, there is still a hold over in that a lot of pubs have a fish and chips special on Fridays. Usually a discount on their normal F&C dinner, but sometimes something fancier.
Whereas my religion commands me to eat a hot dog every Friday, partly to remonstrate against this prohibition, and partly to protest my own religion’s prohibition on eating hot dog buns.
Oh, I understand that about Catholics and fish on friday and all ( plus I’m technically catholic, but not practicing ) but my question of just WTF is “christian food” in the context of that halal hating woman at the food court upthread. I’m assuming the woman was framing it from a southern/midwest evangelical perspective in a superior/competitive sense. ( Though it’s obvious she wasn’t asking the question in good faith, but was just using the food court as a forum to throw her bigotry around )
She can have at her bland 'murkin casseroles.
This was in Toronto, for what it’s worth.
So, just like all the other Catholics I know! Myself included.
I think you just answered your own question there. If people from other faiths are allowed to eat it, it’s clearly tainted by the devil, or some such thing. You’ll become Muslim by infection or something.
Were I in a more evil mood, I’d be tempted to point out all the commercial suppliers who just happen to be certified as Halal.
Well, it still is during Lent, to be fair.
Which always kinda bugged me, you know. Like, how is it “fasting” to be able to go out and have a big fancy lobster dinner, but cold meat loaf isn’t?
The Lord works cooks in mysterious ways.
This is perhaps the smoothest response, but I don’t think I could bring myself to say it.
I mean, I share the opinion of the OP.