I have never ordered at a Halal cart, I don’t even know what Halal carts serve, but I guess I’m about to find out. Because of my Kosher dietary restrictions, I have only ever smelled Halal carts, and been jealous at how conveniently placed they are around the city. I never realized how many different things went into the Halal cart business. I always just assumed that the one or two guys in the cart did everything. On my strolls by Halal carts I have noticed that primarily immigrants are working inside, but it is never really something I thought about.
To be honest, before this semester, immigration was never really something I thought about. After talking about Korean owned groceries today, I realized that I have never really considered what ethnic groups did what jobs or anything of the like. I did not know what the class People of New York City was going to be about when I first walked in, but I find that I’m learning new things and encountering new things that I never knew and have never encountered before. This class has been a great opportunity for me to be able to step outside of my comfort zone and learn about different types of cultures.
While I unfortunately will never be able to eat at a Halal cart, I think it’s important to learn about the immigration aspect of Halal carts and the dietary restrictions of Islam. I have always gotten a little annoyed when someone had no idea what Kosher is and I had to explain it to them, but now I realize that I know nothing about Halal and I probably should never have gotten annoyed. I think this class is really helping me get over some ethnocentrism that I might have felt being raised in a mostly Orthodox Jewish community. While it is great to be part of a community, I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the outside world, and become more acclimated with other cultures.
Hey Evan,
I think I really relate to your post. Although despite never eating Halal food, there is a lot of overlap between what Middle Eastern Jews eat and what they serve at Halal Carts. For me, this project will allow me to compare how kosher middle eastern food compares to its Halal counterpart. I really look forward to exploring another culture as you mentioned.
Evan,
Just like you, before enrolling into this class I’ve never given the issue of immigration a serious thought. However, I also feel that it is crucial to learn about the immigration aspect of the different cultures’ dietaries, because by doing so it would allow us to analyze and appreciate other cultures in a non-ethnocentric manner. For instance, before doing the Neighborhood Visit Project I had absolutely no idea that meat would play a very crucial role in the Filipinos’ culture. The Filipinos would have family gatherings whenever they’re off from work, and the gatherings always center around barbecue. In other words, meat serves to tie all the family members together.
I also hope that we can have more opportunities from now on to be exposed to different cultures in New York City.
Are there any kosher carts in NYC? I bet there are.
I’ve only seen one.