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:
Come on, don't be shy. What do you think the real story is? Be sure to tell me who you think FiJC really is.
(Hey Beckie, this could get amusing.)
If you're saying you're "Rebeckie", I found your article on Clinton interesting, that's why I bookmarked it. However, there is more to life than despising Bill Clinton.
You DO have a short memory don't you? I was stating the similarity in mindset of those who would sadistically TORTURE an animal and those who would TORTURE a human. That is the point I've made time and time again. I'm not in favor of eating dog or cat, as there is MUCH in the way of PROTEIN in KOREA. Fish, soy, chicken, and pork are ALL plentiful, so this isn't a matter of eating to survive, it's a matter of TORTURING the animal before eating it in order to increase its effect on VIRILITY. As a matter of FACT, it is usually only the RICH who can afford this delicacy, and those who ARE starving are not afforded such luxury.
For you to ignore these facts and keep spouting that it's "for the children" is reminiscent of Bill Clinton himself.
And THAT is what I'm saying when I question why you are spewing this 'it's for the children' crapola, where if you have any grey matter at all know that it is consumed not for it's dietary value, but for it's supposed value as an APHRODISIAC!
So yes, I do question your agendas, FJC, CJ, AJA, or whoever the hell you really are. Is doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out, nor does one need to read holy books to know that torture of ANY creature is wrong. The infliction of pain and suffering is evil, and to claim that GOD himself has given you the authority to commit such acts is blasphemy.
I have no idea why you have chosen to insinuate that I am posting here under other aliases. In fact, I have not even visited this thread before your ping was sent to me. You need to get a grip, buddy.
I've lived in Korea. This is not a small occurance. The torture and live butchering of animals is not unusual in Asian countries, especially in China.
There is nothing praiseworthy or noble about the torture of a living, sentient animal. Treating animals with dignity, even the animals we kill to eat, is a virtue, one that God commends. The sacrificial methods used in ancient Israel, for example, were designed to end the lives of the animals quickly and relatively painlessly.
Animals themselves have no such compunctions against inflicting pain on other animals. It is common for predators to eat their prey alive.
But men, made in the image of God, ought to strive for something better.
Then there are the froot loop animal rights activists who swing to ridiculuous extremes the other way. Their leader is Peter Singer who argues that one life form is not inherently more valuable than any other. A man is equivalent to a slug is equivalent to a paramecium is eqivalent to a giraffe. His argument actually devalues life.
The picture posted on this thread was from 1966, which is almost 40 years ago. Whoever wrote this article definately had an agenda and used it to overgeneralize Asian culture.
Hobbies: reading, slacking, and posting under the name "Cultural Jihad" after sniffing glue.
Sorry for the confusion, but looks like AJA is claiming to be you...
So much for self-avowed libertarians decrying fraud, eh? They can't even follow their own ideologue-based rules.
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