DIVERSE GROCERY CULTURE IN DUBLIN 8

An ethnic food shop owner said that owning a store that provides ethnic food was beneficial due to the increase of different nationalities in Dublin 8. Jack* owner of Halal Grocery Store on Clanbrassil Street said, “in Dublin 8, I noticed there are a lot of international people, students from other countries and that is why I have decided to open another branch of my shop here in Dublin 8. Along this street I have two of my grocery stores to serve people not only of the international community and also the indigene [Irish].”

In Dublin 8, there are currently different kinds of stores that provide and sell food that is not usually found in local grocery stores. “I have a lot of stores, not only in Dublin 8 and also all over Dublin, because I can see the increase of different national40

ities all over the place.” Samuel Oluwatobi, an African student from Nigeria who studies at Griffith College Dublin said, “I have been in Dublin for ten months and anytime I feel like having my homemade country’s food if I can’t go to town [Dublin City] to buy or get the cooked food so I go to the nearby stores to buy my foodstuff.”

“Selling pork meat is against my religion”

Furthermore he said, getting food from those stores is very expensive. That was the reason his parents packed a lot of food for him before coming to Ireland. Jack, the shop owner, says, “It is a store whereby anybody can walk in to get what they need.” Jack added that the store not only sells Halal food, aimed primarily at a Muslim consumer basis

Photograph by Joshua Teoh ‘Fruit and vegetables for sale in the Halal grocery’

but also sells food for the general population. Although, the store does not sell any pork or pork related products. A Dublin Business School (DBS) student, Lovely, who is from India, said, “I used to hear that [Muslims don’t consume pork] but I dont believe that because I eat pork too [it’s not against my religion].”

Halal Grocery Store sell a variety of goods from across the globe. Spain, England, Pakistan and India are the most popular sources of import. Jack said the goods usually take 5-7 days to arrive from Spain, England and India while from Pakistan it is monthly. The store opened in 1999 and celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The store has faced many challenges over its 20 year lifespan. It experienced more profitable periods of time and then periods of economic hardship. Indians do consume pork, although a small minority do not. Those of the Muslim faith do not eat pork, as it it against their religious beliefs. There’s about 150 million Muslims in India which makes up about 12% of the total population. It’s more popular in the Northeast of India, as they have a culture similar to South East Asia, where pork is popular. A majority of people from India do in fact eat pork in a state in India called Goa. Pork is a major part of their diet and eaten during celebration. The majority of Indians consist of Hindus and they do not eat pork or beef.