YOURSAY | ‘So now we have to say ‘the country’s economy has gone to the sausages’?’

Jakim wants Auntie Anne's 'dog' changed to 'sausage'

Kubang: Once again, Malaysia is going to make the global news again and provide much needed comic relief to a world weary of wars, terrorism, natural disasters, sluggish economic growth and divisive politics.

Well done, Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim).

Commentable: Stupid as stupid does. It's only the name of the product, not that the food has anything related to the canine animal or even has dog meat in it. Going by their reasoning, the good old hot dog has got to make its way to a new name then?

Religious authorities such as this who doggedly undermine Malaysia's fast declining moderate image is worrisome.

Nil: You do not really need a halal certificate, do you? I would suggest ‘Pretzel Franks’.

I have no objection to ‘dog’, but the word does sound a bit offish (nothing to do with religion) unless it is ‘hot dog’, so even without Jakim's objection, I think ‘dog’ does not fit in well (from a sales and marketing point of view).

‘Sausage’ is, of course, unimaginative. Well, ‘Pretzel Dog’, ‘Pretzel Frank’ or whatever, goes down well with root beer... ugh, ask for sarsi. It is incredible how religion is creeping into the names of food.

Ipoh PP: What’s in a name? Hot dogs or cold dogs, they are still sausages. Wonder what will be next?

The Analyser: Please look up the definition of 'pretzel'. These things are nothing like pretzels.

Hang Babeuf: Yes, (The Analyser) and while you are at it, look up the origin and history of the term ‘pretzel’.

These twisty bread things are deeply tied in with Christian prayer, training and practice. So these things, whatever they are, should not be called pretzels either. Why not just call them ‘Jakim pastries’?

There are numerous unreliable accounts regarding the origin of pretzels, as well as the origin of the name; most assume that they have Christian backgrounds and were invented by European monks.

According to legend, as cited by several sources, including ‘The History of Science and Technology’, by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, in 610AD "...[a]n Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers. He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, 'pretiola' (‘little reward[s]’)".

Anonymous 1281621434255574: You want foreign food but you want to change the name.

Next time your kid goes overseas and the seller tells you this is a hot dog and the kid will just answer back, “No, this a sausage.”

1 M Robber Hood: I would suggest Auntie Anne to change it to ‘Pretzel K9'.

Headhunter: They have gone to the dogs, haven't they? So now we have to say "the country’s economy has gone to the sausages"?

Kiankoh: Next they will banned are “piggy bank” and “Ramlee Hotdog”.

Exec: Auntie Anne's halal application rejected over 'Pretzel Dog'

Mechi: More rules lead to more bureaucracy, perfect conditions for more corruption and making it difficult for business. No wonder Malaysia is on a downtrend.

Shouldn't we go into details of how corruption is so rampant and nip it in the bud to assist business. Where are our priorities? Does the government know how to manage the economy effectively?

Oscar Kilo: "...the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) urged a two-tier halal certificate to assist small traders who have difficulty meeting Jakim's requirements."

You mean Muslims also have trouble meeting Jakim's halal certification requirements? So which aspects of the halal certification can be ‘dilonggarkan’ for small traders?

Fair Play: Either it is halal or non-halal. If you want to split hairs by having halal tier 1 and halal tier 2, might as well go all the way and also have non-halal tier 1 and non-halal tier 2 as well.

Jaycee: Unbelievable. In Dubai, the breakfast buffet spread in the hotel served bacon and pork sausages.

Even though the Arabs do not eat the non-halal dishes, they have no problem eating there. My goodness, Jakim would have a fit in Dubai.

Tok Karut: Is the problem with the Muslim authorities over the word ‘dog’ (anjing)?

We have local sausages made from halal meats and I believe dog meat is not included, because that will be very expensive as it is ‘exotic’.

I am confused as Malays and Muslims eat fast food hot dogs. The fact that the Auntie Anne company will propose a new name for their merchandise tells all.

FairMind: There are Malay burger sellers on every street corner with big signboards advertising every variety of ‘hot dogs’, whose customers are mainly Malays and that has posed no problem.

How different are the food with the word ‘dog’ sold by Malay hot dog sellers and those sold by Auntie Anne?

Sleepy: I subscribe to "mind over matter" on this issue. "I do not mind and you do not matter."

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