# Taboo Or Not Taboo . That Is The Question



## IJSingh (Mar 12, 2010)

*Taboo or Not Taboo ... That is the Question ...<small>by I.J.  SINGH</small>*

*With apologies to Will Shakespeare ...* 

  The first response to the title of this essay is predictable: certainly there are no food taboos in Sikhism.  

This is after all a young, modern, vibrant faith, very practical in its doctrines and sensible in its beliefs. But there is always a hooker.  

What set me thinking about food restrictions was something that happened about twenty-five years ago; I have heard periodic echoes of the issue over the years. For about three months, I was the Secretary of our major, and at that time the only, gurdwara in New York. We used to meet once a month, then it became once a week.  

More regular in attendance than any others were some young, single Sikhs, mostly students, living in the city. I think what attracted them was the socializing and the free community lunch that always followed the service. I could relate to that and to them. Often we would spend half a Sunday at the gurdwara and then gather at someone's apartment to shoot the breeze and solve the problems of the world. 
  One day a group of young friends volunteered to provide the community lunch following the weekly service. Of course, they would not prepare a traditional meal but offered to serve ham and cheese sandwiches instead. I thought it was a great idea. When I broached the management committee however, all hell broke loose. How could I think of sandwiches, I was asked? I offered pizza but the reaction was not much better. I was told in no uncertain terms that the meal must be a simple Punjabi meal - vegetables, beans, unleavened flat bread (_chappaties_). Rice  could be added or substituted for the bread, if necessary. Accompaniment of pickle and a good dessert would round up the menu. The preparations did not have to be simple and, depending upon the host, could be elaborate, but the menu was to be strictly vegetarian and under no circumstances was it to depart substantially from the traditional Punjabi meal. 

I too adore Punjabi food and more so with each passing year that I live outside a Punjabi milieu. But I wonder at the unwritten code on food proscription that seems to operate at Sikh gatherings. Where in Sikh history or theology does it say that all meals are to be vegetarian or prepared in a particular way? And following religious services at homes I have partaken of community meals which were so extensive and elaborate that they would rival the spread at the fanciest restaurant. 

Such a feast raises the obvious question: Is that what the Guru intended when he initiated the concept of a community meal (_langar_)  following a religious service? 

History provides us some sensible ways of looking at what we believe and what we actually do.  

Indeed Sikhs observe no food taboos as are found among the Jews, Muslims or Hindus, among others. Of the two dominant religions in India, the Hindus eat no beef while the Muslims will not come near pork. The Sikhs find common ground by finding both kinds of flesh acceptable. It is true nevertheless, that a great majority of Sikhs do not eat beef since many of them come from a Hindu background. In fact in Punjab,  before India was partitioned in 1947, neither beef nor pork was easily available in deference to the strong beliefs of the two majority religions. Also many if not most Hindus are obligatory vegetarians. Observing Jains eat no eggs or onions either.  

Consequently, most Sikhs never acquired a taste for either beef or pork but are content with chicken, mutton or lamb. Landlocked Punjab does not have much of a variety in fish, but it  is enjoyed in the limited quantity that it is available. 

Throughout Sikh history, there have been movements or subsects of Sikhism which have espoused vegetarianism. I think there is no basis for such dogma or practice in Sikhism. Certainly Sikhs do not think that a vegetarian's achievements in spirituality are easier or higher. It is surprising to see that vegetarianism is such an important facet of Hindu practice in light of the fact that animal sacrifice was a significant and much valued Hindu Vedic ritual for ages.  

Guru Nanak in his writings clearly rejected both sides of the arguments - on the virtues of vegetarianism or meat eating - as banal and so much nonsense. Nor did he accept the idea that a cow was somehow more sacred than a horse or a chicken. He also refused to be drawn into a contention on the differences between flesh and greens, for instance. 

History tells us that to impart his message, Nanak cooked meat at an important Hindu festival in Kurukshetra. Having cooked it,  he certainly did not waste it, but probably served it to his followers and ate himself. History is quite clear that Guru Hargobind and Guru Gobind Singh were accomplished and avid hunters. The game was cooked and put to good use, to throw it away would have been an awful waste. 

Sikhs also do not respond to the Semitic commandment on avoiding animals with cloven hoofs. And one Semitic practice clearly rejected in the Sikh code of conduct is eating flesh of an animal cooked in a ritualistic manner; this would mean kosher and _halal_ meat. The reason again does not lie in religious tenet but in the view that killing an animal with a prayer is not going to ennoble the flesh. No ritual, regardless of who conducts it, is going to do any good either to the animal or to the diner. Let man do what he must to assuage his hunger. If what he gets, he puts to good use and shares with the needy, then it is well used and well spent, otherwise not.  

The community meal (_langar_) that the Sikhs serve in their  gurdwaras has several purposes. Much of India even now is bound in traditions of caste. In the Hindu caste system, the high and the low castes do not mix socially, do not eat from the same kitchen. The food of a Brahmin is considered defiled if the shadow of an untouchable or a Muslim falls upon it.  

Sikhism set out to break these barriers. In the gurdwara, the meal is served to people who sit in a row. You may not chose who to sit next to; it may even be an 'untouchable'. You may not ask to be served by someone special. The food is prepared by volunteers from the community in a community kitchen. Men, women and children, rich and poor alike, work together to cook and to serve.  
  This is also where young and old, children and adults, learn the concept of service. The food is available to all; kings and the homeless have partaken of it. Emperor Akbar who ruled India in the  sixteenth century enjoyed such a meal. In this country, most _gurdwaras  _do not have _langar_ service operating all day but one that serves only one meal at the conclusion of a service. Therefore, whatever food is left over is either carted home by those who wish, or is delivered to a center for the needy. 

In the sixties many hippies trekking through India found _gurdwaras_ an easy place for a quick and free meal; countless homeless people enjoy this Sikh hospitality every day. It is a way for the ordinary Sikh to thank God from whom all blessings flow. Service to the needy and sharing one's blessings with others is a cornerstone of the Sikh way of life and it starts in the community kitchen. It is a recognition of the principle that even God has little meaning or relevance to an empty belly. The prayers of the congregation and their spirit of service make the meal special, not the variety in the menu. 

The usual menu in a gurdwara is simple - one vegetable, some beans, a  handful of rice and one or two pieces of flat bread (_chappaties_).  This is what the poorest people in Punjab eat. The ingredients are what  the simplest home in Punjab would have. Fancier dishes are avoided even if one can afford them for the purpose is not to instill envy in others or to show off one's own riches. If meat is avoided, it is not because of any canon but because the menu should be such that everybody can afford and anybody can eat; something nobody will have any compunctions or reservations about. 

Remember that gurdwaras are open to all and often frequented by Hindus and Muslims alike. The menu for the langar at the gurdwara has to provide the least common denominator in the local cultural tradition.  

I have heard there are a few, rare _gurdwaras_ in India where  meat is served at times. I emphasize that such _gurdwaras_ are few and in them, service of meat is rare. I suppose the practice started sometime ago for certain historical reasons and has continued.  No harm in it as long the people coming there are aware of it.  

It is not a matter of Sikh doctrine but of consideration for others and common sense. Some historians contend that meat was often served in _langar_ at the time of Guru Angad. History has it that Guru Amar Das, well before he became a Guru, visited Guru Angad. On that day, some Sikh had donated a large quantity of fish which was being served in the community meal. Amar Das had been a devout Hindu and a vegetarian until that time. Some historians say that he was somewhat squeamish about it but, now that he had become a Sikh, accepted the fish as a gift from the Guru's kitchen.  

Others suggest that Guru Angad, knowing full well that Amar Das was a vegetarian, directed the _sevadars_ not to offer him the fish. Considering the love of nature and of God's creation in the writings of the Gurus, wanton killing of animals would not be condoned, not would be their ritual sacrifice for gustatory satisfaction or otherwise. 

There are other benefits to a simple but sufficient lunch after a service. The attendees know that they do not have to rush home and feed the kids or themselves. The mind is not distracted by the chores waiting at home; time off from them is a welcome respite, however brief. 

One can relax and enjoy the service single-mindedly.  

Hindus have often debated if what you eat determines your spiritual status. Sikhs do not believe that. With such practical and liberal reasoning, some strange and unorthodox practices can also arise. Khushwant Singh speaks of a  gurdwara in Australia which serves beer with the food. Given Sikh history and teaching, that just wouldn't do.  

In his many writings, Guru Nanak offered only two criteria for food taboos, both are based on common sense. Anything that will harm the body or mind is to be shunned. And all things edible are available and permissible in moderation. 

Over the years, I have seen many variations on the theme but to discuss and debate unnecessarily what to eat or not to eat in Sikhism is to transform what a modicum of intelligence and common sense can easily resolve into a mesh with the complexity of the Gordion knot. 

  [_This article was first published as an essay, "Food Taboos", in _Sikhism:  A View With a Bias_*, *by I.J. Singh*,*  The Centennial Foundation, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1998_.] 
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March 10, 2010 
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## Mai Harinder Kaur (Mar 12, 2010)

I hope what I write will not anger anyone, but I know it will.

I am a lifelong vegetarian (except for a short period of time when I was unable to prepare my own food and had to eat what was offered or starve.)  I grew up thinking this was just the way it was for Sikhs.  Certainly meat was eaten in my French Canadian mother's family's home, but I was always able to find something to eat when I was there.  For a long time, I believed that only a lactovegetarian (or vegan) could be a good Sikh.

Something bothered me, though.  If meat was totally forbidden, why did the SRM make a point of the taboo on Khalsa eating "meat killed in the Muslim way."  If all meat was forbidden, wouldn't it just say that? 

I am still a lactovegetarian for some very good reasons involving health of my body and the ecological balance of the earth.  If one were to make an argument of Sikhi as a vegetarian religion, I think that would be the place to start, the respectful and careful use of our natural resources on the planet, with the raising of animals for food being wasteful.  This would also, of course, include dairy animals.  So then would we also eschew paneer and gulab jaman, not to mention anything containing butter ghee, such as parshad?  Perhaps we have reached a stage where we wish to avoid meat, rather than killing an innocent animal for our sensuous pleasure.  This would be a good thing, I think, but not a part of Sikhi.  On a personal level, the idea of consuming a corpse nauseates me.  

As an adult, I have known several omnivorous Amritdhari Sikhs whom I highly admire.  Far be it from me to criticise these Khalsa who are much ****her on this journey than am I.  LOL, our censor is working overtime;  let me change the "a" to a "u" in that very innocuous word:  further

As for langar, that really should remain vegetarian for several reasons. The langar should be inclusive.  Anybody should be welcome and able to eat there. Many Sikhs are vegetarian and we most certainly should be able to eat without violating our own principles.  

I believe the SGGS ji advises us that we have more important things to concern ourselves with than eating meat or not.  (Someone more knowledgeable than I can provide the reverence.)  I believe this whole issue is a diversion from the really important principles of the Sikh way of life.  Much more dangerous than chomping on a Big Mac is the possibility of Sikhi degenerating into a legalistic religion.  YECH!!  We are facing serious divisions in the Panth about really important matters that threaten a schism in the Panth.  Our time and energy would be better spent uniting us as one people than arguing about diet.

:whisling:


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## Gyani Jarnail Singh (Mar 13, 2010)

The Hallal restriction also applies to...KOSHER....and also.... JHATKA !!.............
That aside "being FORCED" to eat something...encroaches on FREEDOM which the KHALSA never liked in any form....whether it is the FREEDOM to wear a Dastaar...ride a horse....keep a weapon.....Hallal is "banned" simply becasue it ENCROACHES ON A FREEDOM !! The FREEDOM to eat. WE FORGET..that "keeping a weapon by a Non-Muslim was also BANNED....a Non-Muslim couldnt ride/keep a HORSE....a non-muslim wasnt allowed to wear the SARDAREE INDICATOR DASTAAR !! ALL those "political/religious TABOOS were smashed to dust by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Halaal FOOD was one of the BIGGEST "CONTROL" methods employed by the Oppressor to mind-control the slaves !!

2. This is one reason why the FRENCH are resisting Food chains like MCDonalds going Halaal in EUROPE....THESE ALREADY ONLY SERVE HALAL FOOD IN Countries like MALAYSIA.ALL MCDonalds, KFC, A&W, Kenny Rogers etc etc ONLY serve HALLAL FOOD. Pork products cannot be sold openly in FRESH Marts.(Walled up stalls sell pork )......in Supermarts even TINNED PORK products are placed in far away sealed off corners and have to go through a separate "CASHIER"....evn this being a country that has over 50% NON-MUSLIM population...Many foreign supermarts just avoid the "hassle" and dont stock any Pork products !!!

3. Such is also being subtly done in Australia..and the SIKHS of Australia are in the Forefront to have this stopped as it INFRINGES on SIKH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM....

Majority religions always try to do likewise to MINORITIES...thats why in India a Muslim would have a hard time trying to slaughter his cow.....SIKHS acnnot sell their male buffaloes/bulls etc for cash to butchers and just have to chase them away..and they becoem STREET STRAYS....one can see thousands of such strays..some living in disease..some broken legs...etc etc... on Delhi streets and in Punjab towns...what a waste fo RESOURCES...??? but then its "religious"..so who dares to touch this subject ??..BUT then INDIA is also Malaysia Largest Supplier of hallal BUFFALO MEAT !!! Who supplies this meat and from where ??

SO there is a lot of HIDDEN AGENDAS....taboos and no taboos...a SIKH has been given the BEST PATH to follow...SGGS..is jug mehn Channan..LIGHT of this World and the NEXT....get out of thsi Taboo-non taboo MESS..its NOT SIKHI at all....No one is bothered about asking you what you ate/didnt eat (read Sidh ghost by guru nanak ji )..BUT what YOU DID...any Naam kamaii..any Good services to fellow mankind...any waand chhaking...any Kirt ...honest labour..any following Gurbani in your life...etc etc will be WEIGHED...a BUTCHER like Sadhnna can be "SAVED"....!!!!:happysingh::welcome:


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