McDonald is not popular here

O you people, eat of what is on earth lawful and good, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy.
Al-Baqarah: 168
There is French saying ‘you are what you eat’. Islam, being holistic as a way of life has put a great deal of emphasis on food. The above verse of the Quran is one of the many verses talking about food and drink. I choose this verse because it put ‘halal’ and ‘toyyib’ together.
In tafsir Ibn Abbas, as being explained by Qurtubi, halal is that different from haram. This word encapsulates more than just having ‘bismillah’ when you slaughter an animal. It goes further beyond. The source of the food should be halal, it must not be stolen or got by oppressing others or by destroying the environment to get it.
The next word ‘toyyib’ is a subset of halal but it further emphasis the necessity. Imam Syafie interpreted ‘toyyib’ as something that brings worldly pleasure. This could be taste wise (which explains why we are forbidden from taking filthy food) and I personally think it can also mean health wise.
Often times when we go for a fast food such as McDonald in or out of Malaysia, we are very concern about it being halal. Have we ever take a pause and go to the next question, is it toyyib? We all know the clear answer to that.
Being here, far away from Malaysia, I find it very different. People here do go for fast food, more than half the time I can say. But McDonald is not their choice. You’ll be surprised to see a KFC doesn’t have a restaurant here. You can find one buries amongst the many food stalls in a mall. But a restaurant… that is rare. Here they sought after sandwiches or at the least doughnut. I made a random survey asking them why such a choice? The answers came back in variety. Some said they were looking for a more decent food, while others think McDonald is food for the homeless.
We now have the responsibility to not only teach the young generation about halal food but also educate them on consumerism and go for the toyyib when it comes down to the final decision. After all, eating halal and toyyib food is one of the knowledge perfection and the first in leading to secure lives here and hereafter.