[VIDEO] To buffet or not to buffet: looking into Muslims’ Ramadan appetites

  

KUALA LUMPUR – Lavish iftar buffets at hotels and restaurants are popular during Ramadan. However, the culture of breaking fast with extravagant buffet spreads during this holy month has raised concerns of food wastage. 

So, to buffet or not to buffet?

Muslims met by The Vibes in Kuala Lumpur agreed that the buffets may be a feast for the eyes and stomach, after a long day of fasting, but warned of the danger of attractively piled-high food that would go to waste if left uneaten.  

Although it goes against the essence of the holy month, Nurazimah Mohamed Amin admitted that she sometimes overindulges when facing a sumptuous feast of local, Asian, and international food.  

“When it’s the fasting month, we become greedy, you know? It’s obvious,” the 56-year-old retiree said.

“I would say I’m the same too. You’d take loads of food and you don’t know how they taste. You’d just take and then leave it (uneaten). 

“I think it’s true there’s food wastage. But if we go to Ramadan buffets at hotels, we are paying a lot. So if we don’t try all the food, we’d feel it’s a waste. That’s the problem.”

However, insurance agent Abdul Muhaimin Mohamad Shukri, an avid fan of Ramadan buffets, said it comes down to self-control when filling up one’s plate. 

I love breaking fast at buffets! But it really depends on us, how we control ourselves.  

“Personally, I know I’m not a big eater. So I always manage to control the amount of food on my plate,” he said. 

 The same sentiments were shared by outlet staffer Siti Nuralia Ahmad Rashideen. 

 “For me, food wastage is up to each individual. If we feel like we can eat a lot at buffets, we can always go a few rounds to take the food. 

“It’s better that we take what we can eat, and when we have finished and feel like eating more, we can take more.

“Don’t take it all at once. Because when we are full, it’s really a waste,” Siti said.  

Meanwhile, others said Ramadan has been misconstrued as a food festival, rather than a month of devotion and spiritual reflection. 

Hence, they said they have made a conscious decision to try to avoid breaking fast at hotel or restaurant buffets. 

“It may be expensive (to eat at buffets) and a waste. It’s better for us to go to Ramadan bazaars and buy just enough food to break fast with our families at home. That way, we get to spend time with our families as well,” said graduate student Nor Fazriani Jimlani.  

 Saleswoman Yuliani Mulyono also shared Nor Fazriani’s views, saying that she prefers preparing her iftar meals at home, as her children love her cooking very much.  

We can save and cook for ourselves. We know that it’s clean and the quality can be maintained. 

“Sometimes when we dine out, we don’t know how they prepare the food.

“That being said, it’s all right to eat at buffets once in a while to help food businesses,” she said.  

Student Ismail Kasim, 21, reminded his Muslim brothers and sisters of the true meaning behind this holy month, which includes recognising the plight of those who routinely live in poverty.

“We are fasting because we have to remember those who do not have food. For instance, in Africa, there are people who do not have food. When we fast, we have to appreciate things like that. 

“If we eat at a restaurant buffet, we have to pay through the nose, but we can only eat a little. It’s like we do not respect this fasting month.  

“My advice to all is to appreciate what we have and practice self-reflection,” Ismail said. 

According to a 2016 report published by the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Corporation, 200,000 tonnes of food went straight into the rubbish bin every fasting month. 

Last week, the Consumers’ Association of Penang urged Muslims to stop the practice of breaking fast at hotel buffets, in a bid to reduce food wastage during Ramadan. 

Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the culture of breaking fast at buffets has turned what is supposed to be a period of devotion for Muslims into a feast with a 100-dish spread in hotels and restaurants. – The Vibes, April 7, 2022