Posted on 06/30/2002 5:51:46 AM PDT by csvset
Dog meat hot among Korea and China's trendy young
Animal-rights activists say it is a food fad fuelled in part by a desire to rebel against Western criticism
By Ng Hui Hui
CANINE cuisine is becoming a fad among the young in South Korea and China, much to the dismay of animal-rights activists.
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| The cruelty in the handling of dogs during their slaughter has raised the ire of animal-rights activists. Strung by their necks, the dogs are beaten to death. |
Restaurant owners and dog-meat watchers confirm that youngsters are now taking dog meat as part of their regular diet - much like beef or chicken - as food joints dish out trendy new recipes to whet appetites.
According to one estimate, 92 per cent of men and 68 per cent of women above 20 in South Korea have tasted dog meat recently.
In China, dog breeders are saying that in a few years, there will be as many Saint Bernard dogs on the mainland as cows and sheep.(?)
Although past data on dog-meat consumption is not available, those concerned say the numbers would have been low earlier - since dog meat was considered a type of tonic for the older generation, eaten to increase libido and treat illnesses.
Catering to the fad, on sale now are hotdogs with real dog meat, dog cookies and sandwiches and even dog noodles as restaurants come up with fast-food variations.
Traditional recipes such as kimchi, a spicy fermented vegetable dish, are being given a make- over and are now prepared with dog meat extracts.
Dog meat chefs hope to add more varieties soon.
South Korean nutritionist Ahn Young Geun, who wrote a book titled Koreans and Dogmeat, has come up with more than 350 new recipes.
The professor, who is often referred to as Dr Dogmeat, believes dog-meat consumption should be increased because it offers three times more calcium than other types of meat.
Besides the nutritional value, nationalistic pride seems to be playing a part, said Ms Kyenan Kum, founder of the animal-rights group International Aid for Korean Animals.
About 2.6 million dogs are killed yearly for food in South Korea, Mr Louis Ng, president of Singapore-based Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), told The Sunday Times.
This is a 30 per cent increase over the 1993 figures.
'Eating dog meat is a show of defiance, especially among rebellious young people. They feel that the West has no right to criticise their culture,' he said.
Reflecting this sentiment, a group of students from Seoul University set up a website recently to promote the virtues of dog meat and secured 11,000 signatures in support of its campaign.
But it is the cruelty in the handling of dogs - man's best friend in the West - that is raising hackles among animal-rights activists.
Dogs are usually strung up by their necks and beaten repeatedly to increase the flow of adrenaline in their flesh. Consumers believe the more pain the animals suffer, the more tender the meat becomes.
The dogs would struggle, howl, urinate and bleed till they become unconscious. Finally, they are chopped into pieces. All these are done in front of other dogs awaiting the same fate.
Now, for the first time, an Asian grouping called Asia Link - made up of 14 animal welfare societies from 12 nations - has decided to join the protest and has sent a letter to the South Korean government urging a ban on dog meat.
Said Mr Ng of Acres, an Asia Link member: 'The Koreans say eating dog meat is part of their culture, but one cannot use culture to justify violence.'
Mounting criticisms made South Korea and China ban the trade for short periods in 1988 and 1999 respectively. But that has not kept South Koreans and Chinese from hankering for their dog burgers and dog noodles.
KOREAN CUISINE: Dog dishes
New dishes:
It's still the case. The dark skin tends to expose the defects on the body (of Asians). Also dark skin is usually rough and light skin feels tender and soft.
What I think these men appreciate about their wives the most is that they do not complain a lot and are always grateful for everything that God has blessed them with. I mean, these two women came from nothing and are very happy to have seemingly simple things like carpet and a stove in their house. They also work very hard outside the house.
The History of Dog & Cat Abuse in Korea
From the above link.
"The reason why dogs are beaten for so long is that there is a belief that the slower & more painful the death is, the more potent the dog's meat will be. Killing the dog slowly causes the dog's adrenaline to flow, & this flow of adrenaline throughout the dog is believed to increase the aphrodisiac power of the meat. While the dog is slowly being killed, it is of course screaming in pain, and trying to resist the grip of the man doing the killing. One method is to tie the dog from his hind legs upside down. The man or men than beat the dog's body all over with clubs or bats. Beating it this way is said to do 2 things. One is to increase the flow of adrenalin and the other is to tenderize the meat. While the dog is being beaten, it gets to the point where it urinates and defecates on itself, and the urine & feces typically flow down the dog's body, getting in it's eyes and causing more pain. Eventually, during this intensive beating, blood flows out of the dog's mouth and nose due to internal bleeding, and it finally dies. The most common method is to hang the dog from its neck. The rope is slowly tightened and loosened to prolong the agony of the hanging while the dog is being tortured to death. This beating process has no set time....It can be a few minutes or it can take an hour, depending on the man doing the killing and how much he is into the belief that beating it slowly is best for a quality aphrodisiac. Most times the dog is still alive while his fur is being blowtorched off. I hope this clarifies why the dogs are beaten first. In a large facility, the dogs may not be hung by their neck or hind legs. Instead the man enters the large dog cage, selects the dog, grabs it, and while holding it by the neck, begins to beat it in the head in order to crush the skull." |
Are you aware of the many starving children in North and South Korea, among countless other Asian countries? Do you think they even care if meat is from a dog, cat, or cow over there, if they are STARVING?
You only think it's weird because you were brought up to believe that way. Animals are animals, and God never stated that some animals had more worth than others. Animals were put on this planet for humans to eat. Get over it.
Why don't you go over there and visit the country some time before you pass judgement as if you've lived there your entire life.
You might also want to consider that people in Asian countries do not eat large quantities of meat, period. Things like rice and noodles are the main meal course for them, meat is usually a side dish, if eaten at all.
Are you a female, an Asian female?
Not quite. Family pets, guard dogs, ect, trust and serve their owners, not humanity in general. I'm not a party to any agreement or contract with dogs.
We have not bred cows to have the same level of attachment to us... their personalities have not been nurtured to adore and seek our affection, and they don't perform work for us in the hope of gaining our approval.
We couldn't get cows to be like dogs if we wanted to. What dogs do is half genetic.
Our contract with cattle is "free food".... I think our contract with dogs is higher.
I don't think "we" have a contract with either dogs or cows. The alledged parties are to numerous, varied, ignorant of this supposed contract, and in the case of the animals, unable to think abstractly for any contract to exist.
Obviously mine is an abstract argument that your aren't able/willing to consider either. OK.
Why don't you go living in a generally poor country, experience the feeling of what starving is like, and then come back and lecture everyone else in here who is rational enough to understand that when one is STARVING, one also cannot be too choosy about what they eat.
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