Indonesian influencer Jovi Adhiguna Hunter found himself at the center of a fiery online controversy after a clip of him enjoying his meal at the halal-certified restaurant Bakso A Fung at Bali airport earlier this week went viral. The reason? He mixed his bowl of bakso (meatballs) with pork crackers that he bought from outside the dining place.
Known for his vibrant social media presence, Jovi Adhiguna was enjoying his bakso at Bakso A Fung last Sunday and decided to share his experience there in a clip that was shared on social media.
The influencer then reportedly inadvertently added pork crackers into his bowl.
Social media storms followed after that – since Bakso A Fung is certified halal by the Indonesian government – and many lamented Jovi Adhiguna’s seemingly absent-mindedness.
While Bali island’s population is predominantly Hindu, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority country. Indonesian Muslims who are strict with their halal diet due to their religious beliefs are notoriously cautious when visiting Bali, as expressed by another influencer here.
Bakso A Fung itself is a chain restaurant, and the Bali airport is just one of its outlets as they also open in Jakarta and Tangerang.
After the clip went viral, in an effort to protect their halal certification, Bakso A Fung shared a video showcasing the destruction of dining equipment used during Jovi’s visit. The footage captured Bakso A Fung employees carefully packing dining equipment, including the fateful bowls, into boxes and removing them from the restaurant premises.
One by one, they shattered the old bowls with hammers and promptly replaced them with brand new ones, as seen in another video. There were reportedly 88 bowls that were shattered in total.
“As a commitment to maintaining our Halal certification, Baso A Fung has taken the best step by destroying all the dining equipment present at Baso A Fung in the Domestic Departure area of Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. Once again, we sincerely apologize for this incident,” stated Bakso A Fung’s management on their official Instagram page.
It should be noted that obtaining a halal certification for a restaurant in Indonesia is not exactly a walk in the park as there are many steps involved, including assessments from the Indonesian Ulema Council Assessment Institute for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics (LPPOM MUI), before being approved by the Halal Certification Agency (BPJPH) under the Religious Affairs Ministry.
Apologies were swift to follow as both Jovi Adhiguna and the management of Bakso A Fung took to their respective social media platforms to address the incident.
In a heartfelt Instagram post on Wednesday, Jovi expressed his gratitude to the restaurant for the understanding shown and the opportunity to make amends:
“I and the Bakso Afung team have resolved everything amicably, and I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the owner of Bakso Afung and all the team members who have opened the door for forgiveness and allowed me to take responsibility and resolve everything.”
Jovi Adhiguna, in his defense, explained that the mix-up happened innocently as he had purchased the pork crackers from an external vendor, outside the confines of Bakso A Fung. The incident occurred within the premises of the Bali airport, and he was unaware that the restaurant strictly adhered to Halal guidelines when he combined the two elements.
“I want to apologize to those who feel harmed or disturbed. It was a genuine mistake, and I didn’t think it through,” expressed Jovi, offering a sincere mea culpa to those affected.”
