After uploading my pics of Snoop on Flickr yesterday, I did a search for “dog” on it. To my surprise, I found a series of photos about eating dogs in Vietnam. The photos are graphic, and are definitely not safe for work or children. Or if you are squeamish or a vegetarian.
As a dog lover, I am naturally disgusted but I don’t condemn the behaviour. Why? Because to condemn it would be hypocritical of a meat eater. I love my meat: beef, mutton, chicken, seafood, fish, and I’ve even tried kangaroo and crocodile. The only distinction is that dogs are traditionally kept as pets in Western society and increasingly in modern Asian homes.
Dogs bred for their meat are farmed just like any other meat. If you view it purely from a humanitarian perspective, how then is this different to the cows, pigs and chickens slaughtered for our consumption? For example, to Hindus we are eating their sacred animal and thus would come across as equally barbaric to them.
Also, culturally the practice itself has existed for a very long time – two thousand years at least in China. Other countries that consume dog include Korea and Vietnam. (source: Wikipedia)
Hmm, food for thought? Ok bad pun but view this gallery with an open mind as the photographer did when he took these photos. He even tried some of the meat!
Link to photo gallery on Flickr, along with an informative and thought provoking piece written by the photographer – “Thịt chó” means eating a (hot) dog – literally. (Warning: Not Safe For Work, Children, Vegetarians and the Squeamish)
If the above is not for you, his other photos are excellent.
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10 Responses to “Dog eating vs. meat eating”
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if u enjoy eating that, u can also ask for a doggy bag~
personally I have tried dog when I was a kid (living in China) and from what I remember it was pretty gamey. Not my taste but I can see people who like strong flavoured meats liking it.
it’s interesting that dog owner’s generally are disgusted when talking about dog being meat. I wonder if people who have pigs as pets feel the same disgust about pork.
on a side note I wonder what the resource efficiency is of farming dogs as meat? (ie resources consumed to produce per kg of meat) I wouldn’t think it would be very high.
Ronnie: dude, that’s just crass.
Rob: on your last note, I believe that’s a reason that dog meat is highly expensive – due to the resources consumed vs. meat produced, compared to other livestocks.
Funnyly how ppl can eat rabbit but not dog. And why ppl eat dog but not cat.
Hijackqueen: cultural perceptions and whether an animal is kept as a pet or not, all of which varies around the world. Which is why, if you eat meat then you are really in no position to be criticising. Not unless you are a vegan.
Agree on the hypocrisy of criticising those who would eat dog or horse or kangaroo or whatever, and then turn around and eat cow, rabbit, deer…
On another note (dogs as pets), have you ever looked at the Daily Oliver before? I am a cat person, but Oliver (and his brother Hugo) almost make me want a Weimaraner.. It’s at http://www.textism.com/oliver/daily/
i heard that some of these people after rearing these dogs, they start to have feelings for these dogs & can’t bear the thought of eating them..
well, what they did was, they exchange these animals with their neighbour’s dogs.. a clever way to ease the guilt..
CW: haha thanks for the link to the blog. It’s quite surreal and endearing at the same time. Those dogs are huge! Definitely gonna be a handful.
Ronnie: sounds plausible but I don’t think that would ease my guilt if I was in the same position.
Cos dogs are more often regarded as pets then the other animals. You dun often see people having cows, chickens, horses etc. as pets, do you? And perhaps, the antics, loyalty of dogs and the way they follow you around the house, endeared them to you such that you would not bear the tot of having them as food on the table.
It’s also ingrained in us liao and we are influenced by the Western culture too. Dogs are pets, not food.
However, for countries like you mentioned, they were poor in the past and especially in those poverty strickened villages, anything goes. Thus insects, dogs etc. can be eaten. As long as it can be eaten and you would not die from eating it, then they will eat it. It’s a matter of survival.
Then as generations pass, it also became a part of their culture. Dog meat becomes a delicacy…
[...] your mouth water? Mine did. Just like I don’t judge people who don’t mind eating dogs, I don’t think I should be looked at funny for even considering the idea. To judge other [...]