Woman baffled after waffle guy refused her order — until he explained why

People of the world are divided into cultural and ethnic groups, religions, and communities based on the languages they speak, their food habits, and values. Despite the world being so dynamic and diverse, there is a beautiful kind of unity existing somewhere deep within us that often goes unnoticed and unappreciated. A page on Instagram, run by Miran and Alina — going by the username @miran_and_alina — posted a video of a surprising and wholesome moment of humanity and kindness during a Muslim family’s vacation in Europe.

Hailing from Muscat, Oman, Miran and Alina, along with their parents — who run the Instagram account — went on a trip to Europe for their summer holidays. Amid the sightseeing and discovering new places, the family stopped at a cozy waffle shop where the kids could customize all the toppings they desired. A Jewish man stood behind the counter making waffles for them, suggesting what they could add. The mother asked him to add some marshmallows to the waffles — what the man did next warmed her heart and the internet’s, simultaneously.

Without second thoughts, the waffle shop worker stated, pointing at the marshmallows, “That’s not halal.” For those who follow Islam, there are certain dietary restrictions — Halal includes edibles that are permitted by the religion, and Haram includes those that are restricted, per the Halal Research Council. The nature of a certain food preparation is determined by the ingredients chosen for it. Therefore, the 3-worded sentence was enough to express that he was looking out for the Muslim family while they were unconscious of it. He set an example of how the world could be a more peaceful place if all communities looked out for each other.

According to the results of an experiment conducted by Bennett M.R., religion often plays a role in people’s prosocial behaviors — it teaches them to be kind to strangers and helpful to the community by giving back and serving. The Jewish man’s values must be top-tier for helping the family learn about how the food they chose did not match their preferences! Further, it is essential to highlight that Halal food includes plant-based foods, items not including pork, gelatin, lipase, pepsin, alcohol, and animal meats slaughtered in ways not followed by Islamic dietary laws, per the Halal Research Council.

After watching the wholesome video, many viewers commented their hearts out. @stroopperie, the waffle shop, wrote, “Thank you for sharing this! We would love to see you back,” while the Jewish man in the video, @b_nissanjg, wrote, “Aww, thank you guys so much for coming to @stroopperie, we love all.” @nargis_xo_ shared, “As it should be. As it is… love between cousins. Love between family,” and @newnamecurfas shared an anecdote, “This has happened to me so often, where I'm looking to buy something to eat and the person selling looks out for me and says to be, ‘Just so that you know, that's not halal,’ or ‘Just that you know, that has pork in it.’ Love it when we can look out for one another.”

You can follow Miran and Alina (@miran_and_alina) on Instagram for more family-related content.