7 weeks

The Halal Journal

I picked up a copy in a bookshop, and it seems like it is sold in Australia as well, but I guess I just have never noticed - probably because the only time I buy magazines is when I'm abroad! :) Anyway, I was intrigued to see what a magazine with such a title would contain, and thought maybe I'd learn a bit more about the concept of Halal.

Did I learn more? Yes for sure! Do I understand the concept of Halal now? Less than ever! :( I always thought that Halal was about how food was prepared, in particular, how animals were slaughtered and the meat prepared. But the journal talked about Halal cosmestics, and the emerging area of Halal Science. Since being here I've heard something about dogs as pets not being Halal, and drinks can be Halal or non-Halal. I'm now more confused than ever. As such, I intend to undertake some research into the topic! I think a couple of girls at work can help me, and maybe websites of some official Halal certification organisations. I'll let you know what I find out :) Meanwhile, I've learnt that Malaysia is aiming to become a hub for Halal services (?) and distribution of Halal products. And that Melbourne recently hosted the first Halal Convention (or something along those lines) in Australia.

Durian

I guess it's the SE Asian Vegemite. Foreigners have to try durian, and while some like it, lots won't. Mostly cos of the smell, apparantly. It's famous for stinking, and yes, I saw the signs in the hotel lobbies in Singapore saying "No Durian"! But I've had two durian experiences and I'm pleased to say that they were both very positive! Yeah it does smell pretty strongly, and the smell does linger on your breath and your hands for, but it's not really that bad. These weird looking fruits come in different varieties, and you can eat them before they're ripe (Thailand) right through to super ripe and soft. I like them soft :) It's not like any fruit I've ever had before. It's really creamy and really rich, and just sits in your stomach (not unlike beer!) so you can't really eat heaps of it. There's a good Durian place in PJ that Jenny always goes to, and the "Uncle" there always picks out good fruit for us and makes sure we enjoy it! I have some pictures somewhere of my first time eating durian, I'll try to upload them later! Random info imparted to me during durian discussions includes that several people die each year from falling durian hitting them on the head (they're hard and spikey), and that you shouldn't drink alcohol after eating durian - seriously.

I'm keen to try durian ice-cream and durian cake soon...

Australia presentation

The other week Jeff and I went to our local AIESEC meeting (UKM) to do a presentation about Australia. We started off with a fun quiz, had some facts on a PPT and then mentioned a couple of the big "issues" in Australia at the moment and things up for questions. Oh, and made everyone try Vegemite too, we even sang them the song! We didn't really have enough time to cover everything we wanted to, but people seemed interested and although most were fairly quiet during (stereotypical Asian uni students?) lots were keen to come up and speak with us afterwards! We want to do something similar at work after Ramadan is finished, so our workmates can learn a bit more about what kind of place we come from. I've promised Norila her very own vegemite and cheese sandwich! :)