ACCORDING to Merriam-Webster, the phrase “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” means you face a no-win situation where you will be criticized, blamed or suffer negative consequences no matter what choice you make.
This seemed to be the overwhelming sentiment to a complaint by Threader Azhan Darus (@azhandarus) over a F&B (food & beverage) outlet’s loud proclamation of its non-halal status, proudly advertising that the establishment “got pork, got lard”.
According to this rightist poster, even advertisements for tobacco and alcohol-related products are banned, insinuating that porcine consumption be treated in a similar fashion.
This indignant citizen’s self-righteous complaint has generated 1.6K likes, 1.4K comments, 96 re-posts and 163 shares at time of writing.
View on Threads
However, not everyone who was in agreement with this poster that this restaurant had behaved in a “biadap” (rude) manner with its banner of Indian-styled porky goodies, namely Pork Vindaloo (fiery and tangy curry), Pork Peratta (dry curry) and Pork Varuval (heavily spiced and pan-fried curry)
Echoing the “damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ sentiment”, some commenters remarked that when a restaurant doesn’t make it clear, it is an issue yet some are apparently offended by outward proclamations of non-halal status.
Make up your mind. What do rightist posters such as this actually want?
This move was loudly applauded to ensure no Muslim diners would confuse the eatery as halal or Muslim-friendly. In fact, it was opined that ALL non-halal restaurants should do this.
As a Muslim social media influencer Mein Moktar (@meinmoktar) succinctly noted, (some) “Muslims think they own the world and that it revolves around them”.
Some commenters thought that it was better to fend off such an entitled world view with a touch of humour or more precisely, sarcasm.
One commenter feigned outrage before gleefully declaring he would be dropping by with his family and friends to taste this restaurant’s sumptuous fare.
Another remarked that it was imperative to make such loud proclamations in the land of the easily confused.
There were quite a few enquiries as to the whereabouts of this restaurant as some were clearly enticed by its mouth-watering menu.
The establishment in question was more than happy to ride on this free publicity provided by this Thread.
More than a few bemused Muslim commenters were also perplexed as to why the poster took offence at the banner. Wasn’t it preferable that it is clearly stated that the establishment serves pork? One observer applauded this shop for being honest and transparent.
It was also argued that in a melting pot society, it was necessary to see things from different perspectives. Above all else, selling pork was not illegal and this signage precludes Muslims from mistakenly patronising said eatery.
Interestingly, one commenter spilled the beans by exposing the poster who as a full-time, self-confessed “pot stirrer” (most likely a paid cybertrooper) and perhaps the best thing is to starve him the oxygen of virality.
Malaysians do need to take a step back and not react to every tiny provocation. Because under every statement aimed at raising heckles of ordinary citizens, there lies an underlying agenda to posting inflammatory content – it is to generate eyeballs.
Don’t be so quick to fall for such (obvious) mischief-making. – Oct 7, 2026
