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:
Your cohort AJA claimed to be Cultural Jihad on his/her/its profile page.
You see, these kind of ridiculous assumptions are what happens when someone has not much going for them in the way of a legitimate and viable argument.
Yeah right. That's why you keep saying they're feeding dog meat to the "starving children" over there. You're pathetic.
The picture might be old, but the practice is as new as today. I remember vividly seeing trucks daily trundling down the Korean roads stacked with cages filled with yipping mutts of that orange short-hair variety common to Korea. They were destined for the butcher--not homes.
As far as eating dog, it sounds disgusting to me and I have never tried it. But it is a protein source as are silkworm larvae--which are boiled and eaten by the tons every day in Korea.
Thus illustrating the point of the insult. Namely, you're really, really whacked out.
I didn't know anyone would take it seriously. I mean, we've argued. How am I supposed to sniff enough glue your stuff makes sense, and then get back to normal quickly enough to write my regular stuff?
Yeah. After you've gotten a snootful of airplane glue, you really post under the name "tpaine."
But were they hung and beaten to death?
Now that you know that your 'practical joke' crossed the borderline into fraud, we are certain you'll rush right over to not edit the profile page.
How humane of you.
I didn't witness their butchering. I have spoken with Koreans who told me that the torture of food animals is thought to make the flesh more palatable and tasty.
Are dogs tortured incident to their butchering? All I can say is, I wouldn't be surprised.
You might be saying that now, but you've sided with FJC in his/her flat out indifference to that side of the story. As the SOLE reason they consume dogs and cats is due to the notion that they are aphrodisiacs, or that it they be blended into a "health tonic", I find it to be totally unnecessary. I do, however, have less of a problem with the simple consumption of said animals than I have with the TORTURE inflicted upon them and the extreme indifference to their general well-being.
And BTW, CJ is a different person. That line from my profile is a joke.
Yeah, NOW you tell us.
O enlightened yogi, you know all the ways of fraud, and I will not dispute you.
As are a lot of animals here, what's your point? What I want to know is if you actually saw the scenes that were depicted in the picture above from 1966. Otherwise, your observations are pretty irrelevant.
Actually, dog meat is quite expensive in Korea. During my time there I never heard of it being fed to the poor. I suppose someone who was really hungry might butcher one on their own and eat it.
Pork and chicken are the cheap meats of Korea.
You really know how to blur the line between fact and opinion.
Having actually lived in the culture, I would say my observations are vastly more relevant and accurate than yours.
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