Picture this: 

You and your friends are having a relaxing, fun day out and the hunger kicks in. One of your friends utters the phrase “Let’s go get halal!”. The word “halal” IMMEDIATELY gets you salivating as you think of your local chicken, burger, or gyro spot that you know and trust to feed your cravings. Your prompt reply is something along the lines of, “sure, I’m up for some halal right now.” 

 

“Let’s go get halal” has become a part of our daily lingo regardless of one’s ethnicity, race, and religion. You hear this word EVERYWHERE. Heck, you may even have heard it just yesterday or at lunch time today. The sheer diversity of people who have adopted this word definitely brings joy to us all.

The word “halal”, however, is truly one that is packed with meaning that goes beyond just referring to your local restaurant that bears the “halal certification” tag on the front window. Halal is not just a noun, in many way it’s a verb, as it names actions that must be taken in ensuring that halal meat comes from a trustable source.

We’re sure you’ve come across several horror stories in the form of news headlines or a documentary that mentions the horrible and torturous treatment of animals on farms before they make it to your table. Many, due this reason alone, make the choice of going vegan because they can’t come to terms with benefitting off of the emotional and physical pain of another living being.

This is where “halal” as a verb jumps in. Animals that are raised halal have to be treated in a HUMANE way. This means that no use of any artificial interventions WHATSOEVER from the birth to the remainder of the animals life. No steroid or hormone treatments are ever to be used to make the animal unnaturally bigger. Animals have to be allowed grazing grounds in a free range area. They cannot be fed anything that would disrupt their NATURAL growth. After all, you are what you eat, and you wouldn’t want  any unnatural ingredients going into your body, so why should animals be an exception!

Furthermore-and this is one of the most important parts of the act of making an animal halal-when the animal is slaughtered, it has to be done so in a way that it doesn’t feel fear or pain. How is that possible you may ask? This is a question that we’ve also found ourselves pondering on, especially when we’ve caught a sight of an animal being slaughtered. In order for an animal to qualify as “halal”, it must be in a completely fearless and stressless state. As such, it’s sight cannot be allowed to catch anything that will provoke unwanted emotions. In the case that an animal appears stressed or fearful, it cannot be slaughtered at that point in time. When the animal is being slaughtered, it has to be cut at a specific part that immediately severs the connection to the brain, as a result the animal doesn’t feel pain.

This did help to set our minds at ease knowing that our nutrition doesn’t come at the cost of fear and pain from another living being. We hope in reading this, you also feel informed on what “halal” actually means. So the next time you or your friend suggests, “let’s go get halal”, you not only salivate at the delicious food coming your way, but that you also feel guilt-free in knowing that the meal you are about to enjoy came from an animal that lived a natural, comfortable and happy life.

At Tex's, all of our food is sourced from certified halal farms, and distributed through a single channel. We do this to ensure the integrity of our supply chain, and it also allows us to serve fresh, non-frozen poultry and beef at all of our locations. Here's more information on why you should choose halal food at Tex's.