Don't let this happen to you... I ate pork

It is hard not to eat pork in non muslim lands. They put it in everything

format_quote Originally Posted by Reminder

Today I accidentally ate pork.

Here in Mexico almost everyone eats it.

I also don't speak Spanish, and don't understand labels. In Walmart here are prepared, self-serve hot dishes. Normally I get this green dish with chicken, but today it has a different label so I ask the cashier what it is and she says chicken, although not paying much attention. After a few bites it is clear this is either extremely soft chicken or pork because it doesn't taste normal so I ask the guy beside me and he very confidently says it's pork. If you aren't 100% sure, always get a second or third opinion!

Shukran For that reminder - we all need to be on the ball.

It can be so hard to properly regulate your diet sometimes!

I mean, even in food products which you wouldn't assume would have anything suspicious in them, end up being haram. Like candies, or ice creams, or even some cheeses! I've had a few close calls myself. When I can, I like to prep most of my food at home...then I know exactly what's going in (for the most part, at least!).

SubhanAllah, may Allah swt make it easy for us to keep firmly upon what is halal. Ameen.

Yea spanish labels arent the best to understand and its my 2nd language
I usually look for somewhere stating "para vegenitarinarios or sutable para vegetarinarios or Apto para vegetarianos y veganos" on stuff like yogurts, sweets, desserts etc

If it says "jamon - hamon - cerdo" then 100% stay away as its ham pork pig

Even then finding halal chicken beef or lamb in those countries (spain or south American) would be very rare/harder to come by as theyre mainly catholic countries and heavily cook with pork & alcohol,
Look for halal signs if in doubt just have fish - pescado

I would defo try to learn the names of stuff with regards to food so you can avoid accidently picking up something haram, if in any doubt you can always google translate labels so you don't have to be there 10mins tryna translate

Heres basics

Lamb - cordero or borrdero (may be different depending on which spanish country)
Chicken - pollo
Beef - carne de vaca, carne de res, carne asada (may be different depending on which spanish country)
Fish - pescado


But yea even in uk still have to read labels as alot of desserts & sweets have pork or beef gelatine just have to be carefull now in sha Allah

format_quote Originally Posted by ahmed.younes

Even in the United Arab Emirates, some supermarket (spinneys) started putting items with pork ingredients right at the cashier.

Is the owner of the shop a Muslim ?

format_quote Originally Posted by anatolian

It is hard not to eat pork in non muslim lands. They put it in everything

It's easy. When you know it's pork just don't put it in your mouth.

Simple.

format_quote Originally Posted by 'Abd-al Latif

It's easy. When you know it's pork just don't put it in your mouth.

Simple.

But when you don´t know... and hear later it included pork.

format_quote Originally Posted by sister herb

But when you don´t know... and hear later it included pork.

Allah will not punish you for mistakes you made in ignorance. When you find out it's pork you should stop eating it.

format_quote Originally Posted by 'Abd-al Latif

It's easy. When you know it's pork just don't put it in your mouth.

Simple.

Hard part is to know whether it contains pork or not

I used to live with non practicing brothers

I used to only eat halal meat but they didn't care as long as it wasn't pork they'd eat it
Problem was things like sausages say they are beef but contain a percentage of pork and they'd wind up eating it as they didn't check labels

This reinforced for me the importance of eating halal