I understand that and agree. However, I still think wet markets should be ended if there are not strict food safety measures in place.
We have dodged many bullets. These markets remain the most likely accidental vector of a pandemic for humanity. They are not regulated or monitored.
Thirty years ago I would not care, but in a world where people travel from one end of the globe to the other within a day via air travel the risks have never been greater that a person infected because of “bat soup” could potentially infect dozens via air travel who end up in dozens of locations.
It is very real. It was real in the early 90’s when I was a grad student and it is no better today. In fact, I am surprised we have not had a wet market pandemic in the past few decades. It is just a different world. Open borders, easy international travel, and populations with no immunity or awareness of pathogens that have been around for centuries in some of these places.
Yeah, I have been in those wet markets in Mainland China, they’re gross. Also the street food vendors in the night markets sell all sorts of gross things like scorpions and centipedes on a stick (scorpions are alive, their stingers have been removed). But frankly we have them here in the U.S. too, we have them here in our local Chinatown and also Filipino communities. I am only assuming that our State Department of Health keeps closer supervision on them than they do in China.
It’s partly cultural, concepts of hygiene are pretty lacking in Mainland China. In distinction, when I am in Korea and Japan, I have no concern buying things from street food vendors, because they have good hygiene cultures. I’ve never gotten sick from any food I’ve bought in Japan or Korea.