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:
Too bad not everyone is going to see it that way.
So the solution to the sourge of irresponsible dog breeding and overpopulation is to turn them into a exportable crop to Korea? - You are right... We aren't going to see it that way. The animals that vetvetdog puts down have already been betrayed once.
All the less competition for me...
Looks like this is going to boil down to a good old fist fight... between you and me... LOL
Korean and Chinese meat hot among trendy young dogs.
PLEASE do not go into any detail about your sex life at this point!
Do you have a fundamental objection to eating animals?
They do this in the Philippines too, and have been for generations. Been there, but haven't done that. Did you ping anyone else that you should have? LOL
First, this isn't meant to be an attack on you. Allow me to quote you and say that you seem to know what your animals would/wouldn't do for you. I also have a fair idea of what to expect from mine. I, myself, have seen my two dogs engage in all sorts of dominance behaviours, such as the humping you mention. They are dogs. But I have also seen them come to the aid of each other and show a great deal of concern when someone, especially a child, is upset or in pain. Of course, this could just be my interpretation of a simple random act of a "dumb" animal. Whatever.
There are countless stories of dogs, and even cats, coming to the aid of humans and, in some cases, other animals. It would seem that these capacities had been developed. Was it the environment or was it genetic? I don't know. But I don't think it was an accident of mere statistical probability. It appears to be a deliberate act that, if performed by a human, would be considered heroic or at the very least pro-social.
And as to loyalty being a human trait, I wouldn't count on people to do the right thing either. We have parents who celebrate their children's short career as suicide bombers or who beat their children or drown them or leave them in a hot car to die. And don't for get the famous case of Kitty Genovese, who was stabbed to death in an attack that lasted over a half an hour while 38 people listened, but no one called for help until 20 minutes after she died. The police arrived 2 minutes later.
Do these acts of the few negate the capacity or potential for human good? We still find humans enslaving other humans. Even human cannibalism is not unheard of, but hey, protein is protein. We are all strangers in a strange land.
Because a level of prosocial behaviour hasn't manifest itself or been developed doesn't negate its potential. Social behaviours, such as loyalty, are traits that intelligent mammals do seem to be capable of. Not just humans, but many other mammals. Perhaps it is that the mammalian brain (as opposed to the reptillian brain) is wired for this behaviour and that genetics and the environment develop it. It certainly provides evolutionary advantages.
My appologies if you are/were offended.
So was I. Send me to Clark any day of the week, if it were still there. On second thought, no need to. I already got one from the PI. Smartest move I ever made.
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