Chicken, anyone?

Malaysia is approximately 60% Muslim. And Islam is the country religion though other religions are accepted here as well. The Muslim culture pervades many areas of living in Malaysia. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur (the capital of Malaysia) a month ago, during the month of Ramadan which is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar and consists of Muslims fasting from sunrise to sunset in order to contemplate and honor their god. Ramadan concludes with Hari Raya which lasts several days and is a very festive time of eating, drinking, and celebrating with friends and family. As many people leave the city, the roads here become much quieter and faster. 

When we moved into a condominium a few weeks ago, the Muslim influence impacted us greatly. Items that would normally have been included in a fully furnished condo were not included because of Muslim and Hindu food restrictions and requirements.  Muslims do not eat pork and cannot have it touch their dishes, plates, or cookware. And Hindus do not eat beef. Fortunately, a couple of trips to IKEA rectified the issue of missing kitchen accessories and linens.

As a result of Hindu and Muslim food restrictions, the many restaurants and outdoor food courts most popular meat is chicken. Often at a buffet, there will be 3 or 4 types of chicken served with a few veggies and a huge scoop or two of white rice. Additionally, the hotdogs and bacon are made of chicken unless you go to the non-halal area of the grocery store where non-Muslims can get pork products as well as other meats prepared in a non-Muslim manner. At a recent trip to a local pizzaria, the different pizzas offered were: spicy chicken delight, tandoori chicken, ranch style chicken, pesto lovers (with, you guessed it, chicken), bbq chicken bonanza, chicken fajita, mediterranean chicken, several italian and veggie pizzas, a mexican, a greek, and a seafood pizza. Joe has even taken to eating chicken for a while...

non-halal shopping area within the grocery store

non-halal shopping area, you must pay for stuff separately  in this area

non-Muslim grocery area