Beijing has asked hotels and restaurants in the city to take dog meat off the menu for the duration of next month's Olympics and September's Paralympics.
A directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered hotels and restaurants which are expected to be popular among foreign visitors not to provide any dishes made with dog meat “to respect the dining customs of different countries”. Beijing is concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and Western visitors.
The directive advocated that all restaurants serving dog suspend it during the Olympics but made no mention of the many popular establishments with donkey on the menu.
6 comments:
I have mixed feeling about this. As a dog owner I am repulsed by the idea that anyone could eat a dog. On the other hand, where do I draw the line? I eat chickens, lambs, cows, even calves and on a rare occasion have eaten rabbit and deer. So what is the difference? Is it because I can love a dog but have not had a doting relationship with a lamb? Yet still I cannot bear the idea of dogs on the menu or cats being used for their fur. If we tried to ban China from doing this, would they ban us from eating cow? I really don't know whether to stay on the fence or which side to jump onto. Difficult one, that.
I see that Gourou Dawang ("Dog Meat King") restaurant in South Beijing will still be serving it. They claim it's good for blood pressure.
If I were to visit these places that serve dog meat I would be highly offended, I am afraid to say. I know that in some parts of the world they don't think twice but it's just the way I am.
People will argue about beef, bacon, lamb etc etc etc and I guess we're all different. I think to take this meat off the menu is the right thing to do under the circumstances.
Crystal xx
I am torn like Rosiero who has put it very well. Of course I could not eat a dog but I eat the other things she lists. We even had elk burgers the other day, even though I could never shoot one.
Definitely a dilemma.
It is a difficult one, isn't it? Rosiero makes a fair point. It's the difference in culture.
Just leave my dogs alone. Rosiero has her finger on the button here I think. Goodness Eurowoof, its a hard call, but that photo tells me all I really need to know - I wouldn't even keep a chicken in those conditions.
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