By Ming Teoh | The Star |
Throughout history, food is often tied to culture, religion and identity, but one tradition has transcended these boundaries: the Sikh practice of langar, where the community kitchen of a gurdwara serves meals to people – irrespective of religion, gender, economic standing or ethnicity – for free.
Often, these kitchens are maintained and serviced by Sikh community volunteers.
For Swedish social anthropologist Joey Belmondo, this communal meal practice is a source of personal fascination that has become the subject of his academic research.
Belmondo says inclusivity is something that can be practised through sharing a meal, and one of the best ways to show this is through the Sikh langar community meal tradition.
The postgraduate student chose Malaysia as a place to study how this centuries-old Sikh practice fosters harmony in a multicultural society.
“Food has the power to unite, and the langar is a perfect example of this,” he adds, reflecting on his experiences in gurdwaras across the country.
Belmondo’s interest in the langar goes beyond academic endeavour. His personal experiences with hardship lend him a unique perspective on what it means to receive a meal prepared with dignity, respect and care.
Belmondo was born in France to jazz musician parents of mixed heritage – his father is French-Italian and his mother, West African-Greek. Raised as a Christian, he converted to Islam in his 20s as a university student, after years of researching various religious traditions.
Following his parents’ divorce, his family moved to New York and they were struggling financially.
“There was a year when we – my mum, younger brother and I – were homeless,” he reveals.
“We had assistance, so we were never on the streets. But I remember an incident at an emergency assistance unit in the Bronx where the food given to us was past its expiry date.”
The experience of being at the mercy of food aid left a lasting impression on him.
“This happens a lot, where the poor and needy are provided for, but they’re given leftovers or expired food that other people don’t want, and they even have to queue for it,” he says.
That is why Belmondo describes his first experience of having a langar meal in New Delhi, India, in 2015 as a “transformative moment.”
“I realised it was the most inclusive space I had ever been to,” he recalls. “It gave people a basic human need – food – for free. And it wasn’t leftovers. The vegetarian meal was freshly cooked and it was served with dignity. It was meant for everyone, whether they were rich or poor, and irrespective of race or religion,” he says.
“When I had the langar, I remembered my experience of being homeless and in need, in the United States. And that’s why I could appreciate it – because I knew how it felt to be hungry and to not have any food.”
Belmondo’s academic journey led him to the University of Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied social anthropology and focused his Bachelor’s and Master’s research on the langar tradition.
He chose Malaysia for his fieldwork due to its multicultural setting, warm climate and because he felt comfortable here as someone from a mixed race and cultural background.
“Through the langar, the Sikhs put their religion into practice and serve the community through their community kitchen.”
In Malaysia, Belmondo immersed himself in the langar tradition, visiting several gurdwaras, including Gurdwara Sahib Tatt Khalsa and Gurdwara Sahib Sungai Besi (Shapha) in Kuala Lumpur and Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Temple in Petaling Jaya.
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