No Dog on the Menu in Beijing
Go-to Chinese food expert Fuchsia Dunlop reported in the New York Times today on how dog meat will be taken off Beijing menus at the government's insistence, so as not to offend Western sensibilities. She points out that it was hardly a necessary step, as dog is largely a seasonal thing—it's one of the hottest of "hot" meats, according to Chinese folk dietetics and is "best eaten in midwinter, when you need warmth and vital energy."
Furthermore, she says that Chinese attitudes toward the dish are changing as more people there are keeping dogs as pets.
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12 Comments:
Really? It's best in winter? I'll remember that when it's -47 and I decide which of my 4 dogs to grill!!! Sick.sick.sick!!!!!!!
suzankar at 5:15PM on 08/04/08
Certainly no one would expect you -- or anyone -- to eat your own pet, but calling an element of another culture "sick sick sick" just because you disagree with it... that's a little xenophobic, is it not?
MichaelN at 5:29PM on 08/04/08
Actually I don't. That's what I happen to think about the element of another culture.Whether you agree or not it's what I happen to think about the disgusting practice.
suzankar at 5:41PM on 08/04/08
Well, I could mention that many Indians would have a thing or two to say about the disgusting practice of eating cows (a sacred animal in their part of the world), which you no doubt partake in, or at least don't find "sick sick sick"... but I can see your mind won't be changed. Have fun living in your self-imposed bubble, clucking your tongue and looking down upon anyone who does things slightly different than you.
MichaelN at 5:57PM on 08/04/08
Since I don't eat cows either,why should my mind be changed? You make it sound like I'm offending you.If my self-imposed bubble includes being kind to animals-I'm glad I'm in it.I feel the practice is sick and felt moved to post on a free forum. If you don't like it..............
suzankar at 6:12PM on 08/04/08
Let's keep the conversation civil if we can. This is a subject that arouses people's passions and can easily cause hard feelings. We posted about it because we thought Fuchsia placed the topic in proper perspective as far as China is concerned.
Ed Levine at 7:30PM on 08/04/08
Too bad it's only for the Olympics.
suzankar at 7:39PM on 08/04/08
That's too bad they took it off the menu. Fish, cows, snakes, horses are pets, but I eat them. I don't see dogs as any different. I would like to try a well made dish one of these days.
I am often ashamed of being an American. Our country, along with many western countries, love to boast that "we're right, everyone else is wrong," with this hypocritical need to CHANGE others to make them more like "us." It's quite sad.
Resistance is futile.
Cassaendra at 8:03PM on 08/04/08
When I was little I raised a number of baby chicks as pets. If they hadn't been eaten by the neighborhood cats, I'm sure they would have been delicious once matured.
AllenW at 9:27PM on 08/04/08
Cassaendra: Jesus. Comparing a pet snake or a fish to a dog? Are you serious? And you eat horses? Where can one find some nice horse loin around these parts?
Anyway, if you're a dog lover, you know why they're called man's best friend. They are truly unique in the animal world in terms of their relationship with humans. That's a fact. And if you've ever had a dog that you loved, you'd understand why many people are sickened by the thought of eating them. For most people there's a HUGE difference between dogs and the animals you mentioned.
I would never eat dog unless my survival absolutely depended on it. Still, I agree that other cultures shouldn't be chastised for practices that we would consider unorthodox and even offensive - just as many of our own practices are very offensive to cultures from the Middle East to Asia and beyond.
Mill76 at 9:49PM on 08/04/08
We are the world... (come on everyone, let's hold hands and sing together)
We are the children...
We are the ones who make a better place, so let's start giving...
FastFoodCritic at 10:52PM on 08/04/08
i really, really want to quote "team america" right now. but i shall refrain.
it's so easy to call other cultures wrong, especially if one has never experienced that culture.
Kaley at 10:01PM on 08/07/08