Jump to content


Indian/Chinese restaurants & free range meat

Recommended Posts

am i wrong in thinking that all indian/chinese/thai/japanese restaurants in sheffield never use free range organic meat?

 

some of these places are so called 'upmarket' (aroma/wasabi sabi for example) and i am sure they have never served free range organic chicken. i would put money on it that they use the same 80 pence baby chickens that are served up at some of those places on the wicker.

 

i would like to eat in these places with the satisfaction that we are getting meat from a good reputable source. i just very much doubt it.

 

do we deserve better? i think so.

 

Maybe someone can prove me wrong? i hope so.

 

i know the majority of so called english run restaurants serve poor meat as well but there is the exception (for example the cricket at totley) i would like to know if there are indian/chinese restaurants too cos i am considering what i eat more these days.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I doubt very much that all that many restaurants use free range meat - not just chinese, indian etc.

 

I personally try to skip as much chicken as possible when eating out. Go for beef, lamb and british pork and the animal will most likely have had a better life than a battery chicken.

 

But then there's the whole question of halal meat......!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
isn't halal chicken basically free range?

 

I quick wiki search revealed that Hala translates as lawful and applies to the Islamic rules about what can and can't be eaten.

 

In rgards to meat, aside from not eating pork and some other quite complex rules about fanged predators and confusion over sea food, it basically means that the meat must have been sacrificed in God's name.

 

The rules seem to be:

The Islamic (halal) method of slaughter can be described as follows:

 

The animal has to be lawful to eat, alive, healthy, to be slaughtered only for the reason of food, in the name of The Creator, ALLAH (s.w.t) and not for any other reasons (it has to be well-fed, not thirsty handled and moved gently and individually).

 

The slaughter-man must be in possession of a clear mind and not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, trained in the job, with an awareness of what he is doing.

 

The act of slaughter (Al-Dhabh) starts by pronouncing the name of ALLAH (s.w.t), The Creator (BISMILLAH ALLAHU AKBAR ), to take His permission and in order to make the Slaughter-man accountable and responsible and to give compassion and mercy to the animal during this act. Besides, any action we do in our daily life should be commenced with the mention of the name of ALLAH (s.w.t ) The Most Kind, The Most Merciful.

 

from: http://www.azhar.jp/info/halal-eng/halal5.html#dhabh

 

It does suggest that the animal should have been well looked after in life, but that doesn't necessarily mean free range.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

found this on the website you provided a link to - and it sounds pretty good to me, and evidence of islamic farmers being decent souls.....

 

The Qur’an says, ‘they are a community like you.’ So the rights of the animals in Islam, and their need for normal physiological behavior are::

 

Food (no genetically modified food) and drink (healthy, natural), suckling;

Facilities for normal elimination (defecation and urination);

Facilities for normal standing, walking, running and flying;

Facilities for normal mating and copulation (with no outside interference of their reproductive system) and normal rearing of their offspring (full motherhood and no separation of mother and baby); no beating, cruelty or any harsh treatment to be treated individually with full respect for the body;

Facilities for recreation; resting, dozing, lying-down and play facilities;

Facilities for social behavior;

Full sleeping facilities and protection from harsh weather;

Facilities for individual comfort; grooming, playing etc.

There should be full recognition of the psychological needs; animals should not be slaughtered in front of others nor should the knife be sharpened before them; the baby should not be forcibly removed from the mother.

 

The welfare of the animals must come first, before monetary profit.

 

It is forbidden in Islam, to kill an animal in a cruel way or for pleasure, to use an animal as a target, to cut a part of it whilst still alive or finally, to set animals fighting against each other.

 

i'm sure not all islamic farmers follow the letter of the law, but at least they have it spelt out for them. I'm not a great fan of religion of any flavour, but I like the above, and trust halal meat as a result.....

 

:)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

As Claret explained, unless it's Halal, which I have no experience or knowledge beyond the basics of, it's unlikely to be free-range in most establishments, unless "otherwise specified". It's a risk / chance you take when you eat out - it's simply best to check beforehand if it's a concern. Of course, the safest option imo is to eat in - plus it's a lot cheaper - obviously it helps having a good chef / cook to hand!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not certain that all Halal meat will be raised as nicely as that seems to suggest, but it is likely it will bet better than intensively raised meat.

 

Of course, if we all start asking restaurants for free range/ethical meat options then they will see a demand and start making changes. If we accept that we can't get the products we want in a restaurant then it will never change!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Just assuming they don't use a type of meat you'd prefer seems odd - why not just ask the restaurant staff and then make an informed decision? Seems more sensible than just assuming it's of a type you disagree with and getting down in the dumps about it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.