Dog eating

[LPC]

This article is indeed a case of purrs and hisses:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33283694

The Chinese writer (Juliana Liu) tells her own tragic story of how her beloved pet dog was killed when she was a child, and how she would never eat dog meat. That's both tragic (her story) and wonderful (her resolve).

On the other hand, in the middle of the article there a brief, intruding insertion by Fuchsia Dunlop, an alleged western expert on Chinese food. She openly admits about her eating dog meat on several occasions and even goes as far as to mention how to cook it. Her attitude seems to be defending the practice, whilst limiting damage by claiming that it is not often consumed. Her attitude may be inferred also from the title of one her books, "Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper".

The rest of the article is resumed by Julia Liu. The bit at the end, where she describes how she named her fluffy toy dog the same name as the poor real dog who was killed, really gets to you....

[Tobi]

It's good that particularly this year, a great deal of attention seems to be on Yu lin and the eating of dog meat. Public response has been powerful. I'm glad to see attention given to this horrible tradition, and efforts to have the festival banned. That will mean very little to those involved however. To them it is no different to us eating bacon, or chicken....
Let's just hope that laws will enforce change. We can fight -and hope.

Fuchsia Dunlop didn't need to explain dog meat recipes to us, or to tell us how infrequently dog meat is eaten, thus almost 'normalising' the practice. That's unnecessary. 10.000 dogs are killed usually for Yu Lin, in the most horrendous ways imaginable. That is more than enough for us to hear about.

I am very sorry Juliana had to have that sad experience with her "Doggie". The little stuffed toy will help her focus her love on the Soul of her dog, and her dog will 'hear' that. Their love never dies even from the other side.


To me the idea of eating dog is abhorrent, horrific, very sad...
That's because I have known dogs as dear friends, family, deeply loved ones, often far moreso than humans I have known. Dogs form unbreakable deep bonds with their loved ones. How could I torture and kill someone I felt that way about -deliberately, for food? Especially when I know there is other food available which I could eat happily and thrive on?
That's not just sentimentality. It would be literally like killing and eating my own mother.

But this brings all other animal killings for food under the spotlight too. What about those who have experienced deep personal bonds with other species -like cows, goats, pigs, chickens, sheep? Someone like that couldn't bear the thought of killing a lamb for food -or a pig.

Yes these dogs are killed inhumanely with tremendous suffering, and tragically many were once family pets. Well many factory-farmed (intelligent and potentially affectionate) animals are tortured over a whole lifetime in the West -in England, and the USA etc. and their slaughter is not necessarily instant, humane, and free from trauma.

The world reels from the horror of these dogs killed in horrific ways for food in China and other countries. And quite rightly so. We must all fight to stop this happening.
But I honestly think this should make us all, worldwide, consider the treatment and slaughter methods of ALL animals we use for food. Or even if we should be eating and exploiting them in the first place. Every single one of those "food source" animals is potentially capable of forming a loving loyal bond with a human.

[Catherine]

I feel for the writer and her loss as a child. It must have felt like a terrible betrayal by her parents.

She really analyzes the situation well. It seems that the dog eating festival is becoming unpopular with the younger people. That is good news. If enough people turn against it then it will be possible to stop it. I am amazed at the number of dogs that have been rescued by activists. I have no idea that there were thousands.
This is just one more fight to end animal cruelty, but it is an important one and it is one where there is some progress being made.

You are right that all meat eating is a problem. No animals are raised without cruelty. None are killed without cruelty. So, to live cruelty free one has to live meat free. Even reducing meat intake helps.
We want China to change we will have to do some changing ourselves.

I could have done without the dog meat recipes.