China to Ban Eating Cats and Dogs

The old joke has been that in China when they walk their dog they really wok their dog. And catsup might have real cat. But no more:

From serving it with turtle to stewing it with snake, China has savoured the delights of dog and cat meat for thousands of years. But now, the country known for its experimental culinary traditions could be about to end a centuries-old custom and remove both animals from the menu.

In what would be China’s first law against animal abuse, anyone caught eating cat or dog meat would face a fine of as much as 5,000 yuan (£450) and up to 15 days in jail. Organisations involved in the sale of either meat could be fined between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan. A draft law is expected to be sent to parliament, the National People’s Congress, in April, according to state media.

Drat! Some gourmets will be whining:

Dog meat — known euphemistically as “fragrant meat” — is an age-old delicacy, believed to have warming properties that make it particularly favoured as a winter dish. Consumption is most widespread in the northeast, where temperatures plunge in the winter. Practitioners of Chinese medicine say that dog meat is high in protein and fat, good for the kidneys, and boosts energy levels and male virility. Some parts of China have large numbers of dog farms, particularly Peixian county in southeastern Jiangsu province, home 2,000 years ago of an emperor known for his love of stewed dog with soft-shell turtle. The animals are also raised for their fur.One waiter at the Cool Old Lady Dog Meat Restaurant in the northeastern city of Shenyang said that most customers were men in their 40s and 50s. “Dog meat is said to warm you up. When you boil it, it becomes very tender. We serve it with a sauce of ground coriander, spring onion, peanuts and sesame.” One serving costs 38 yuan.

Still, the appeal has been regional: most Americans would pass on grilled cocker spaniel or poached poodle. They’d likely say: “This it tastes like shhitzu” — or something like that.

Dog meat consumption is not unknown in several countries. One danger: getting rabies. The man biting the dog eventually gets bit from inside.

And the appeal of wolfing down deliciously prepared cat? Less appealing:

Cat, however, is less popular. Most Chinese avoid cat meat because of a superstition that the animal will return at night to wreak revenge.

Plus the whiskers could get stuck in your teeth…

Over the years there have been protests in China about cat consumption (“Protesters allege the felines are strays or stolen pets, crammed in wooden crates, and skinned and boiled alive”).

A MySpace page (which seems to be from several years ago but doesn’t have a date on it) trying to get signatures for a petition against legalizing dog and cat consumption in South Korea has some of the following:

On the 24th of March this year Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a “Dog Meat Hygiene Management Policy”, which lists dogs as “livestock”! And it is also expected that, that after Korea’s parliamentary elections end in April, and after holding a related hearing in May, a proposal will be made immediately to the Central Government to amend the “Livestock Products Processing Act”, officially legislating that dog meat be listed as a livestock product.

The purpose is to show people who are not familiar with Korean food, Seoul, and South Korea in general, what a dog meat farm is, what it looks like, what types of conditions the dogs being kept in such a farm live with, and to address the issue of people eating dog. Note: According to the Korean Society for the Protection of Animals, Koreans do go around in neighborhoods, find “edible” dogs, steal them and sell them for their meat. This is in Korea, we do not know of this going on outside of Korea. If you have a large dog with you in Korea, lock it up and keep it inside. It may be stolen, as dog meat is very profitable.

People in South Korea eat dogs and cats. People in India do not believe in eating cows and are horrified at the way cows are treated in the U.S. As one travels around the world you are bound to encounter things that you perceive as abnormal or unacceptable. Our goal is to show you what we found on 01 July 2002 at a local dog farm near Seoul. We are not making fun of eating dogs, and we are not making fun of the people, customs, culture or cuisine of Seoul or South Korea. As you look at these photographs, consider issues like animal rights. This is provided for informational purposes only.

Some have argued that publicity in the West about dog consumption meat is insulting since most Koreans don’t eat that meat at all and most Koreans would consider it animal cruelty.

But it’s clear that — regardless of the consumption numbers — in some countries that if kitty and fido are on the run it might not just be for the exercise.

Rather than post the shocking images GO HERE to see images related to cooked dog meat. A search does not turn up such a huge collection when you look for “cooked cat meat” or “cooked cat.”

Here is a petition that seeks banning dog and cat consumption in Japan.