No Dog Meat During Olympics
In a move that demonstrates the increasing power that Cup of Cha has with the Chinese Government, news outlets are reporting that dog meat restaurants are being forced to shut down in the nation’s capital. Loyal reader “OtherRichard” passed along this article from Sky News.
The move comes a week after popular blog Cup of Cha posted a picture of a Beijing dog meat restaurant and wisecracked about the fact that China would be unlikely to advertise the type of meat, which many Westerners find objectionable, during the Olympics. Chinese officials were quick to dismiss any connection between the post and ban, responding, “Huh?” when asked about it.
More seriously, foreign groups have responded skeptically to the move. Sky reports:
British environmental activists say the dog-meat ban is a cynical, cosmetic move while appalling animal cruelty continues throughout China.
Investigation agency Ecostorm gained access to China’s dog-meat industry and secured pictures of dogs being brutally killed with clubs and knives.
The images show the animals taking up to seven minutes to die before they are boiled and skinned to be eaten.
What a bunch of cynical bastards! I always take the Chinese Government at its word, never criticize it and would never ever question its assertions.
Incidentally, I figured that dogs were raised specifically for eating, but it turns out that the truth is somewhat different:
[A] restaurant owner, Mr. Chu, claims his dogs are ’rounded-up’ from the local neighbourhood. Dishes on the menu include, ‘Five Spice Leg’.
The lesson from all of this, of course, is keep your dog on a leash. And if sparky goes missing check your local eatery.
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No More Dog Meat at Dog and Puppy Stories responds:
Posted: March 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm →
[...] Josh put up a good read today.Here’s a quick excerpt:In a move that demonstrates the increasing power that Cup of Cha has with the Chinese Government, news outlets are reporting that dog meat restaurants are being forced to shut down in the nation’s capital. … [...]
Chris Devonshire-Ellis responds:
Posted: March 13th, 2008 at 9:02 am →
If you’ve been in China any length of time you’ve probably eaten dog meat without knowing it. And cat. In fact, on Shanghai’s infamous Ju Lu Lu, the night time stick kebab sellers grilling those meat kebabs - cat. Dog turns up just about anywhere you find an unidentified chunk of gristle in your bowl. However it can be very good, A high end restaurant in Harbin I once went to in mid-winter served a very good dog meat dish. It’s reputed to be a ‘heating’ food which is ideal for temparatures of -20. So mock not, prepared properly it has it’s value; it was certainly delicious. But generally speaking, eating dog meat from stray woofers rounded up from the street is not a good idea. You don’t know where they’ve been, and what diseases they may carry. As the old joke goes: “I used to be a werewolf. But I’m alright Nooooooooooowwwwwwwww” - Chris
Bobby responds:
Posted: March 13th, 2008 at 10:49 am →
Can’t wait until October so I can get a nice heaping bowl of puppy chowder.
Chris Devonshire-Ellis responds:
Posted: March 13th, 2008 at 1:16 pm →
Well how about something even more gross ? Ever heard of “Kopi Luwak” ? I just bought some in Singapore - it’s the worlds most expensive coffee. An Indonesian speciality, it comes from Civet Cat poo. Civet Cats love coffee beans. Apparently, they eat the fruit, and pass the bean through their gut and then poo it out. During this process, the bean goes through a kind of chemical fermentation in the cats stomach. Anyway, they collect all the civet cat poo, clean it, get the beans out, grind it and then use it as coffee. I had some. It’s…er, like fresh roast coffee, but a bit nuttier. Yummy. See: http://www.animalcoffee.com
Now, who here is going to top that disgusting idea (tastes good though) and entertain us with stories of Phillipine “Balut” ? - Chris
Chip responds:
Posted: March 13th, 2008 at 1:50 pm →
Until somebody is willing to give up leather shoes and going stricly vegetarian, then I don’t think they have much room to speak about eating dog meat. Now, having an issue with HOW the dog is killed/meat prepared/etc.., I can understand. But to get all self-righteous about what animals are proper to eat and which aren’t , is pretty stupid. I mean, what makes a cow a less worthy animal than a Shih-Tzu.
How can you tell a Korean has broken into your apartment? Your dog is missing, and your homework is done.
Stuart responds:
Posted: March 13th, 2008 at 8:54 pm →
I’m with the skeptics; this is just more window dressing for the rank ‘n file tourist.