Deva, John and Robert were working as temporary sales promoters during an IT (Information Technology) fair in Suntec City Convention Hall. Naturally, there were a lot of buyers and viewers present at the fair since it was held during the weekend as well as in conjunction with the school holidays. Hence, business was relatively good as many people came by their booth to inquire about the IT products that they were selling. It was approaching near to dinner time but the crowd in the convention hall remained almost fully packed with the continuous influx of people coming in to explore the fair.
While Deva was handling some customers, John signaled to Robert that he was hungry already and was going out to buy dinner. Robert approved of the idea since he was also hungry and thus asked John to help get dinner back for everyone instead. Amidst the noise of the crowd, John called out to Deva that he was getting dinner and Deva consented briefly with a quick nod before returning back to the customers that wanted to make some goods purchase.
Due to the fact that most of the other eateries were experiencing long queues during the dinner peak hours, John decided to choose the fastest option available so that he could go back to assist at the booth as soon as possible. In the end, John bought three burger meals at a fast food restaurant and made his way back to the convention hall.
Later while all of them were preparing to eat, Deva realized that the burger was a beef burger and being a devote believer of his Hindu religion and traditions, he was forbidden to consume beef since the cow was revered as a sacred and holy animal in Hinduism. In shock and anger, Deva questioned John about this matter and John being ignorant about Deva’s beliefs, was also surprised at Deva’s outrage. After hearing Deva’s explanation about not being able to consume beef, John apologized profusely and volunteered to treat Deva to another meal as a form of compensation for his mistake. Deva forgave John this time round since it was John’s first time and also because they had only known each other that morning at the start of the job.
From the above scenario, we can see that John does not really know much about Hinduism and he assumed that whatever he could eat, Deva also could eat, which was wrong in this case. I think that we should not be ignorant or complacent about other cultures and religions especially since Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious country, thus it is unavoidable for us not to interact with people from different backgrounds. We should also try to practice understanding and tolerance for various cultures so as to preserve the harmony and stability in our multi-diverse society. In addition, I feel that John could improve on his communication skills so as to prevent this kind of misunderstanding from happening again. He should have approached Deva directly and asked him face-to-face what he wanted to eat as well as was there any special preferences or prohibitions instead of just calling out to him from a distance. Moreover, Deva may not have been able to hear clearly what John was trying to say due to the noisy environment. Furthermore, John could have waited till a better time to approach Deva and asked him about dinner instead of while he was busy handling customers and may not be able to pay full attention to what John was trying to say.
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4 comments:
hey Zhi Lian, I agree with the points that you've stated at the last paragraph. I think people are pretty ignorant about the taboos and restrictions in religions. Except probably everyone knows that Muslims cannot eat pork. I guess the reason why people know about this fact is that it is very prevalent in the society and there were emphasis in our education to respect the religion. I think if the other religions were given the same amount of emphasis when we were growing up, such redundant incidents wouldn't take place. It was totally uncalled for.
In any case, both John and Deva had faults in that situation. If John was sensitive enough, he would have asked for preference. If Deva was alert enough, he would have told John his preference.
Hi Zhilian, I believe that before buying takeaway for anyone, you should first ask what he or she wants to eat. This is basic courtesy. For example a person may be allergic to certain foods and it is the responsibility of the buyer to check.
The conflict you mentioned was worsened because John almost caused Deva to consume beef, which is forbidden by her religion. Religious misunderstandings frequently arise because people of different religions do not bother to understand each other's practices. Hence we should make it a point to learn about other cultures to improve our relationships with our friends of other races and religions.
Communication is a two-way street. Actually I believe that Deva should have been sharp enough to tell John that she cannot eat beef. John should also have been considerate enough to ask what she wanted. So I agree with Miranda that both contributed to this situation.
Hi Zhi Lian, I think you have brought up a interesting point that Singaporeans should not be ignorant about other religions especially when Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religion country. But isn't it ironic that after 43 years of independence, some Singaporeans are still clueless about the social norms and behaviours of other cultures in the country? I think in this situation you have mentioned, both Deva and John cannot really be blamed. However, it was really gracious of Deva not to get angry at John for buying him beef for dinner. In fostering intercultural communication, it is important for everyone to have patience and understanding so that tensions and arguments would not arise.
Cheers,
Chong Guan
Hey guys, I got to admit that sometimes I do forget that devote believers of Hindu religion do not consume beef. If I were John, I would probably have done the same mistake. Like Yun Nian said, its basic courtesy to ask what the other person would like to eat. At least that clears all misunderstanding that may happen. However, if Deva had said "Anything!", totally forgetting to remind John that he doesn't eat beef, John would have literally took that answer without thinking.
Oh well, I guess its best that we brush up on our knowledge about other culture's do's and don'ts to avoid any misunderstanding
Like Miranda mentioned, people can be ignorant towards other religion except Muslims where it is generally known that they don't eat pork. I bet after years of hanging out with me, her first question whenever we go out for lunch was to ask whether that stall is halal.
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