Monthly Archives: May 2013

Adelaide Central Market – Part 1

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Wow, what a place! A melting pot of people, cultures, languages – it’s the United Nations of Adelaide. More than 140 years old, it is supposedly the largest fresh produce market in the southern hemisphere. Food galore, too many to list but the three we bought from recently are:

  1. Springfield Butcher – Halal meats including beef, lamb and chicken
  2. Poultry Cuisine – Halal chicken
  3. Aubergine’s Fresh Produce – fruit and vegetables, not the cheapest but not the most expensive either – great balance between price and consistent quality.

You must visit this place if you are ever in Adelaide. Go to www.adelaidecentralmarket.com.au for more information.

Address: 44 – 60 Gouger Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000
Phone: +61 8 8203 7494 (dial 08 8203 7494 if in Australia)
Hours: 7am – 5:30pm Tuesday to Thursday / 7am – 9pm Friday / 7am – 3pm Saturday / closed on Sunday and Monday

Poultry Cuisine (Stall S51) – everything chicken, even eggs!
Roast beef w. steamed broccoli, roasted pumpkin, onions and garlic made with produce bought at the market.
Springfield Butchers (far east side of market close to Coles supemarket).
Aubergine’s Fresh Produce (Stall 57) – not just aubergines sold here as you can see.

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Some Interesting Facts & Figures

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Here they are:

  • There are approximately 1.7 billion Muslims currently growing at 1.5% annually to 2.2 billion by 2030 –> fastest growing population in the World [source: Pew Forum].
  • €102 billion was spent by Muslims on travelling in 2011 growing by 4.8% annually, faster than any other group –> expected to grow to more than €150 billion by 2020 [source: BBC].  This excludes Hajj and Umrah travel.
  • The global Halal consumer market is estimated at €2 trillion annually.

What does this all mean in the context of Muslim travel in particular?

As Muslims become more affluent, they seek to discover the World and many want to venture beyond Muslim countries but never compromising on things fundamental to their faith such as Halal food and prayer. Many countries like Australia are keen to attract Muslim travellers, recognising it to be a very lucrative market and have been as a result, positioning themselves as Muslim-friendly destinations. An article written by Shelina Janmohamed, Vice President of Ogilvy Noor which covers more on this can be found in Quran Focus.

We need to also make it easier for Muslims to find these places {Seek}, get there {Travel} and share their experiences so others can benefit from that information {Experience}. The Al-Musafir App aims to facilitate this via the approximately 300 million Muslims currently using smartphones, growing to just over 1 billion by 2030 (derived from information sourced mainly from Google).

Although a priority, Muslim travel is no longer just to Mecca to perform the Haj or Umrah

Although a priority, Muslim travel is no longer confined to just Mecca to perform the Haj or Umrah.

 

I Am Thai Takeaway

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It’s quite surprising to find Halal Thai food in Adelaide or anywhere for that matter other than the south of Thailand perhaps. Step into this place and you’ll immediately think that this is going to be an authentic experience given that the cooks are all Thais. Less authentic (but even less important) is the interior which is set up like a fish and chips shop. To summarise, this is authentic Thai food in a fast food setting. It is after all called I Am Thai TAKEAWAY. We decided to dine in anyway. There are three tables and a bar counter which can seat about 20 people all up. Note that this is not a full service restaurant.

We had beef Pad Thai (stir fried noodles), prawn Tom Yam Gung (sour + spicy soup) and green curry chicken. All were well executed with the flavours being well balanced between spicy, sour and sweet – not easy to achieve in Thai food. Each dish was AUD12 on average (approx. USD12) and of decent sized portions, enough for two. It’s cheaper still for lunch on weekdays for selected dishes priced at around AUD9 (approx. USD9). How does it stack up against Thai food in Thailand? Not quite there but it’s a good attempt and enough to satisfy the odd Thai food craving. We would have liked the food to be a little spicier but it was good on the whole. Give it a go.

Address: Shop 3, 200 Richmond Road, Marleston 5033, South Australia
Phone: +61 8 8352 3334 (dial 08 8352 3334 if in Australia)
Hours: 11:30am – 2:30pm Monday to Friday (lunch) / 5pm – 9:30pm daily (dinner)

Yes, it is actually authentic…
View of the kitchen.
Green curry chicken.
Tom Yum Gung (prawn).
Pad Thai (beef).

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Is Al-Musafir Just for Muslims?

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Certainly not.  While it focuses on the needs of Muslims, both as users of information and broadcasters of information (e.g. businesses), everyone should be able to use Al-Musafir.

Say you have a Muslim friend visiting and don’t know where to take him out for dinner.  Al-Musafir can help tell you where.  Perhaps he may ask you where the nearest mosque is?  Non-Muslim owned/managed businesses may also benefit by reaching out to the millions of Muslims – a unique opportunity to tap a lucrative market.

There is something to be gained for everyone.  Apart from connecting Muslims globally, Al-Musafir’s bigger mission is to promote peace, understanding and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.  We believe this can be achieved, Insha’ Allah.