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 Is it better to farm chili peppers or dog meat?

9/15/2015

7 Comments

 
 Vegetarians abhor eating animals of any kind. They claim to have moved on from the caveman. However, nowadays, many westerners eat sheep, cow and chicken. Besides flavor, is there any difference in the type of meat we eat?

Would you eat a creature who is revered as a pet? Could you entertain the thought of eating a feline or a canine companion?

Countries develop different customs. In the Western countries, dogs are so beloved they have even become fashion accessories, peeking from glitzy bags in shopping areas of the rich and famous.

PictureGaegogi Jeongol - dog meat consumption in south Korea. en.wikipedia.org
 But, eating dog is ingrained in Korean culture, particularly at the height of summer. Following an ancient tradition, Koreans designate three days for special festivals when thousands of spiced dishes made from dog meat are served. Eating dog has traditionally been associated with virility, so fathers often used to take sons to eat it as part of the ritual of growing up.

Westerners find this practice of eating dog one of the most difficult things to accept about living in South Korea, and some other Asian countries.


And many Koreans believe Westerners shouldn't tell them how to live their lives.

Nobody knows how many dog farms there are in Korea. Closing them would be a big task.

But one group of campaigners from Humane Society International and the Change For Animals Foundation is working on a way of breaking the deadlock.

This week, opponents have come to an amicable agreement. They have listened to each other and found a way forward.

A farmer will free more than 100 of his dogs in return for cash and a business plan for a different kind of business. The vaccinated dogs will be flown out to new homes in California this week, starting on Tuesday.

Since signing a legally binding contract, the farmer's activities will be monitored to ensure he doesn't return to the dog industry, or any other business that involves the slaughter of animals for meat.

He has also agreed to encourage other dog farmers to make the change.

Meanwhile, due to customers' swing in preferences, dog restaurants are closing. Seoul once had 1,500 serving dog, now that figure has fallen to about 700. Source: BBC.  

This is an ongoing project. In mid March, nearly 60 South Korean dogs raised for slaughter arrived in Northern California to begin new lives as human companions instead of dinner.

The same Society rescued canines ranging from beagles, poodles and Korean Jindos to mastiff-like Tosas from a dog-meat farm outside Seoul, whose owner agreed to get out of the business and grow chili peppers instead.

I've loved many dogs over the 70 year span of my life. I often link with them in my mind, and I hope to find them waiting for me when I enter the pearly gates. I could no more eat a dog than devour one of my own babies. In fact, I don't eat any animal by option, although my husband and I eat chicken.

By attempting to influence other cultures in their diet, the human race are acting with one consciousness. 'All for one, and one for all.'

Would you choose to eat dog?


7 Comments
Nabanita link
9/15/2015 02:33:48 am

No, I could never eat a dog..Not because I have a special place for dogs in my heart..I'm not really very much of a pet person..But I just couldn't because dogs are perhaps the most popular pets around...About influencing someone else's choice of eating, just as I wouldn't want anyone to tell me what I should eat I would probably not interfere in someone else's food habits..But only till a line is not crossed... I believe we need to be humane to each other first and then move over to animals...All this love for animals while we go on killing and molesting humans doesn't make sense for me at all...

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Laurel Regan link
9/15/2015 07:33:19 am

I can't wrap my mind around eating dog - or any domesticated animal, for that matter. Perhaps that's hypocritical considering I have no problem eating chicken, beef, pork, etc.

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Kathy29156 link
9/15/2015 07:56:46 am

UGH (shudder)...I could never eat dog meat...no....never.

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Amy Bovaird link
9/15/2015 10:53:36 am

I'm sure you know by now what my response will be. I have fought hard to save these animals in South Korea through the SOI Dog Foundation. I've lived abroad in several countries that have eaten dog meat and have been invited to taste it. I'm afraid I am one of those people trying to tell them how to live their lives and to change this part of their culture. There is a lot of horrific abuse associated with the way these dogs are butchered as well. I champion each successful life saved. I don't typically question many aspects of another culture but this is one that I cannot condone. :( Thank you for highlighting it in your post.

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Amy link
9/15/2015 03:43:27 pm

Ugh, although I'm trying to think this through in a fair manner, I don't think I could ever eat a dog. Dogs are bred nowadays to be companions, in a way that cows or chickens or pigs are not. The way my own dogs stare up at me in adoration is something that is unique to them. More than any other animal, dogs have become the quintessential beloved pet.

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Lozelle Mathai link
9/15/2015 08:51:57 pm

I don't believe I can knowingly eat dog. The thought of doing such is not very appealing.

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Shannon Seek link
9/16/2015 06:48:48 pm

I am vegan. I grew up eating meat. I try not to judge. And, absolutely cannot imagine it. And, I am so grateful I don't have to imagine it! Tough topic, Francene!

A little too hard to stomach, if you don't mind me saying so!

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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