Restaurants in Malaysia told to rename hot dogs or be banned

[The Brain]

But Freedom Fries do contain freedom.

[Malthus]

The halal certification issue aside, this is really no different from rules requiring companies to avoid calling products "milk" when they are not dairy (as in "Soy Milk" or "Almond Milk").

It's the exact opposite.  The no milk rule is a prohibition of a false positive association.  The hot dog rule is a prohibition of a false negative association.

Not so.

For example, the "almond milk" manufacturer could plausibly argue that the reason his or her product exists in the first place is that customers want an *alternative* to dairy products because dairy contains cholesterol and lactose - that "milk", in short, is a "false negative association". So leave them alone, right?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond_milk

Almond milk is a plant milk with a creamy texture and nutty taste. It contains neither cholesterol nor lactose, and is often consumed by the lactose-intolerant and others who wish to avoid dairy products, including vegans.

Even if you could prove it was a "false positive", it is still an issue of confusion. Why allow a false association at all? If only associations creating "false positives" are regulated, that forces the regulator into judging which false associations are "positive" and which are "negative", rather than the far easier task of judging which are "false".

Most regulators are reluctant to get involved in arguments of that sort, for obvious reasons, and simply police whether a label is "misleading". 

[Admiral Yi]

It's about people thinking a product is something that it is not.  The sentiment people hold towards the confusor is irrelevant.

What's extra ridiculous about this case is that the name "hot dog" is itself a made-up name that resulted from anti-German sentiments in the US during WWI.  It's essentially an instance of "freedom fries" that actually stuck.

It's relevant because businesses generally don't have an incentive to drive away customers through misleading labeling.

[Malthus]

It's about people thinking a product is something that it is not.  The sentiment people hold towards the confusor is irrelevant.

What's extra ridiculous about this case is that the name "hot dog" is itself a made-up name that resulted from anti-German sentiments in the US during WWI.  It's essentially an instance of "freedom fries" that actually stuck.

It's relevant because businesses generally don't have an incentive to drive away customers through misleading labeling.

Sure.

But in this specific case, attracting or repelling customers by deliberately misleadingly naming the food wasn't, apparently, an issue: a "hot dog" is simply the traditional name of the food (as is "almond milk" for that matter).

The error in your logic is assuming that the regulator is concerned with the business motivations for the business choosing the name. Typically, they aren't; they are concerned with the potential for the name misleading the customer, regardless of why it was chosen.

[garbon]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

[Malthus]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

The city of Hamburg likewise does not consist of ham. 

[alfred russel]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

The city of Hamburg likewise does not consist of ham. 

[garbon]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

The city of Hamburg likewise does not consist of ham. 

I considered noting potential confusion that the sandwich is made out of the ground up citizens of hamburg but figured that to be too dark!

[Malthus]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

The city of Hamburg likewise does not consist of ham. 

I considered noting potential confusion that the sandwich is made out of the ground up citizens of hamburg but figured that to be too dark!

Seriously though - the potential for "confusion" in that case really doesn't exist for non-Westerners. The "confusion" is the result of back-formation: people in the West use the term "burger", a neologism derived from "hamburger", to refer to other foods (for example, "chicken burger" or "veggie burger"). This leads to the (jokingly) erroneous impression that "hamburger" should have "ham" in it.

For those not already used to this quirk of etymology, there is no reason to suspect that a "hamburger" is really a "ham burger", a burger made of ham, rather than to conclude (properly as it turns out) that the word "hamburger" is  a proper name for the food (derived, in fact, from "Hamburg Steak").

[Zoupa]

How would a Malaysian know offhand that a hot dog doesn't contain dog meat?

Seems pretty reasonable to clarify/change the name over there. I don't know what they eat regularly and what are the ingredients. Why would they know ours?

[11B4V]

US fast food chain in Malaysia told to change hot dog name

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Hot dogs, or at least the name, will soon be off the menu for a U.S. fast food chain selling the popular snack in Malaysia.

The chain, Auntie Anne's, has been told by Islamic authorities that its popular Pretzel Dog, which contains no dog meat, has to be renamed as it is confusing for Muslim consumers.

The Malaysian Islamic Development Department has told the U.S. company to banish the word "dog" from its menu and suggested that the frankfurter wrapped in a pretzel be called Pretzel Sausage as part of conditions to obtain halal certification based on Islamic dietary laws. Dogs are deemed unclean in Islam.

"It is more appropriate to use the name Pretzel Sausage," the department's halal director Sirajuddin Suhaimee told local media.

The move is not surprising in mainly Muslim Malaysia, where conservative attitudes have been on the rise. A wide range of products have been certified halal, from mineral water to a newly launched Internet browser and household products to appeal to Muslims, who make up about 60 percent of the country's 30 million people.

Auntie Anne's said it will comply with the request. Its halal executive, Farhatul Kamilah, said on her Facebook page that the chain has proposed several new names and was waiting for the Islamic department's approval.

Other food outlets selling hot dogs face similar rules. U.S. fast food chain A&W earlier obtained its halal certification in Malaysia. In return, its famous root beer is simply called RB on its menu and hot dogs are coneys and franks, short for frankfurters.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-fast-food-chain-in-malaysia-told-to-change-hot-dog-name/2016/10/18/2f40cc82-95a0-11e6-9cae-2a3574e296a6_story.html

You can't make this shit up.

Religion FTW. Backwards ignorant sods.

[Tonitrus]

Of course where the line is drawn is a bit arbitrary, if they are just choosing what may be confusing. Halal hamburger malaysia gets hits even though burgers generally do not contain ham.

The city of Hamburg likewise does not consist of ham. 

I considered noting potential confusion that the sandwich is made out of the ground up citizens of hamburg but figured that to be too dark!

Are humans halal?  Or are they considered unclean (maybe just Germans)?