Safa means tranquil, serene, calm…I try

I am a pretty open-minded and easy going person. I tend to get along with most people I come in contact with masha’Allah. I just started a new job that I love. I was at my previous job for over 6 years so everyone was pretty well informed about the muslim girl…ya know, she doesn’t shake hands with men, she doesn’t come to any holiday parties, doesn’t join in to sing happy birthday, etc. However, like I always told them, “I MAY NOT CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS, BUT I CELEBRATE CAKE:)…or I MAY NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, BUT I CELEBRATE HAVING DAYS OFF WORK” LOL. Anyway, starting a new job means having to go through the process all over again.

Having started my job right before thanksgiving, the office was ripe for a party or potluck every week! I didn’t go to any of the parties and everyone was cool with that. However, we had a potluck that was titled, “end of year luncheon”. I relented and went. The christmas potluck and party had already taken place so why not? I didn’t hang around, dropped off a dish and made a plate. I don’t mingle in any social way with men so I sat down and chatted with a female co-worker. It was all good. I left after 15 minutes. This was the 1st group lunch potluck thing I’ve done in a while and I have to tell you…..

Probably won’t again…I left STARVING…..almost everything had pork in it! I ate a salad and a couple of buffaloe wings! People kept asking, “is that all you’re eating”? I’m not the type to say, “Well, yeah I don’t eat pork”! I just smiled. Even when I get together with my non muslim family, they are now used to experimenting with smoked turkey and other meats….I don’t get together with them on non muslim holidays because I don’ t celebrate them but also because my family is gonna cook those chit’lins or ham at christmas whether I’m there or not!!! One time my sister had some G.lory greens with no meat in it. I started to eat them but I said, let me just look at these ingredients first…lo and behold…made with pork broth. My sister was hot when I told her I wasn’t eating it! Some family members are just plain evil. My aunt made stuffing one time and told us they were made with turkey sausage. Before I left home to travel to her house, my cousin called and told me not to eat it because her mom made it with pork instead. I didn’t even go to her house that day. She lives 3 hours away and wanted to know why we changed our minds…she was so upset. I didn’t even tell her!

I stopped eating pork when I was 15, years before I became muslim so it wasn’t something I had to “give up” when I became muslim almost 8 years ago. I’ve never been the type to be the vigilant pork police either. Ya know, inspecting all the monos and whatnot of every package with a pair of binoculars. However, if I know it’s made with pork or pork juice…I ain’t eating it.

On the other hand, I’m not gonna front and act like I don’t know what it tastes like either. I grew up in spanish harlem where egg rolls, wanton soup and rib tips was all a young girl could afford and it was GOOD:) But a’las,Allah knows best so no pork means no pork…unless I am starving to death and it’s the only thing available….this is from my religion. Don’t have the daleel (proof) so if anyone knows where that can be found please tell me:)

My son, who’s 5 has never eaten pork and he is the pork police. He’s so crazy, he will ask a waitress in a resturaunt if the french fries has pork in it! A healthy balance I say. I have a friend who was upset that a storybook at my house had pigs in it. I reminded her that pigs are usually on farms, begin with the letter “P” and do, infact say “oink”….geesh…just because your child knows this doesn’t mean he will eat pork..and Allah knows best.

This post was really a continued thought I had in my head as I remembered something funny from high school involving lipstick and a refused kiss because the lipstick was made from pork tallow….it was ‘88 and people were VIGILANT about these things…..ugghhh he was such a Pub.lic Enemy/X Clan wannabe. I digress…