Organic. Broccolis are organic. Hyenas are organic. Even when Ripley discovered the Alien slime on the spaceship's floor, you expected for her to say "Hey, that looks organic".
So, now, explain to me why are my plain Jane veggies considered to be 'non-organic', compared to those fancy, 'organic'-labelled veggies at the special section of the hypermarket? Why with the biased treatment...the double standard...the prejudice...the bigotry?
I think I almost did my version of the 'I have a dream' speech, before I was later shot with the fact that 'organic' here means things that we grow, without using manufactured chemicals as fertilizers and pesticides.
If that’s the case, then, is the concept applicable to…let say...my baby beard and moustache?
Anyway, I was tempted to go to the annual Country Farm Warehouse Sale at Sunway Damansara last Saturday. It was my third and only successful attempt for the past three years, after a mixed process of procrastination, doubt and laziness.
The Country Farm Warehouse Sale
It is true that determination can give you
wings to go far, even if the actual venue was just less than 1km away. So, I
drove, I sought, and I conquered a parking space in front of the warehouse.
I have a set of rules when it comes to
warehouse sales, and the first one is ‘Always be the earliest in the very first
day’. The sale started last Thursday, and I was only able to be there last
Saturday. Oh, well…rules are meant to be… (*you get the idea).
Don't judge a warehouse sale by its...erm...main entrance
When I came in, a lot of the non-edible
stuffs were already gone. The first thing that I saw was a display of organic
towels, organic baby clothes, organic liquid dishwasher, plus other redundant
and unnecessary things that I may never buy in my lifetime.
Organic fabrics and liquid dishwasher
Bottled things that I don't need
The food section was the real deal. But the
main problem was the lack of the halal logo on basically all of the products
that day. I was really attracted to the Crofter jams. They were claimed to be
organic, with no added colouring and preservatives. But the halal status was a
factor…so I didn’t buy the jams.
“But, the jams are basically fruit and
sugar” you say? Well, you also have to take note of the nature, and the ‘environment’
of the products; the facility, the equipments, and the packaging process. I was
approached by three salespersons that day, and all of them revealed that they
used to have a halal status for the products, and the company is in the process
of reapplying for the certification.
The main area
Manuka honey! Damn, they're still expensive
Jamming around
Spice routes
Oats. Is it halal?
The packagings were nice to look at
Arabica coffee...good addictive stuffs
Tea hehe
Before bread...there were flour, and other powdery substances...
"Uh, oh, we're in trouble...something's come along, and it's burst our bubble" (A Shampoo song)
Organic veggies and eggs
In the end, I only dared to buy a type of
organic coffee, tea, and some spices. It’s not that the products are not good.
They actually looked like super-cool, high-quality goods with nice packaging
and stuffs. But the ambiguity of the halal status made it hard for a Muslim
like me to buy things that day.
Coffee, spice, and everything's nice
Organic receipt?
It was an interesting visit, and I later managed to taste the organic coffee and tea. They were ok, and with the knowledge that the products are chemical-free and natural, I actually felt healthier and happier. Hope the company will get the halal cert soon :)
p/s: I was a little bit frustrated for not buying any honey and jam. So, I went to Giant KD for alternatives :)
"Honey, I'm cheaper"
Let's jam!
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