I appreciate your long, well thought out comment, and wanted to take a minute to reply on several of the issues you have raised. Firstly, I would disagree with your veterinarian that a dog has the intellect of a 6 year old. 6 year old humans are able to converse fluently in multiple languages, perform basic arithmetic, and solve complex problems (i.e. using logic to figure out where you have hidden their toys, food, etc.), none of which could be tackled by a dog. A good friend of mine has a 3 year old daughter whom I have watched grow up since she was an infant, and already her cognitive capacity is far beyond anything I’ve ever seen done by even the most intelligent dog. Even with a chimpanzee (the most intelligent of the non-human animals) it would be pushing it a bit to suggest they had the mental capacity of a 6 year old.

Interestingly enough however, when it comes to animals that humans eat, pigs have shown to be the most intelligent. When brought up as pets, pigs can be trained more effectively (and respond to more commands) than dogs.

As for what you have seen on television, it is always vital to put television reports in perspective. American TV tends to over-emphasize the sensational aspects of every day issues. Therefore, it is likely that what you saw on television is in fact real, however it is likely not a representative sample of dog slaughter as a whole. It’s just like how whenever I turn on the local news (which is almost never) I’m immediately bombarded with stories of the various Chicagoans who have been abducted, raped, and brutally murdered on their way to work. What I don’t hear about is the other several million people who had completely ordinary days without any major catastrophe. Animal cruelty does happen in China, but if we are going to use cruelty as a reason not to eat dogs, why not extend it to pigs, chickens, and cattle as well? Only opposing dog consumption would stand to undercut the defense other animals which animal rights activists would stand to support as well.

Again, these are only my views. I eat virtually any animal put on my plate, without thought or concern to how it got there, so I really have no moral high ground to stand upon when it comes to these issues. Thanks again for sharing your view. One of my main aims of this blog has always been to promote mutual understanding of different issues from a variety of cultural viewpoints.

I dont understand the double standard for not being ok with eating dog meat and being ok with eating pigs. Pigs are by all measures more intelligent than dogs… they just haven’t been incorporated in Western culture as “man’s best friend.” Why is eating one animal any more or less barbaric than eating another?

Secondly, I would caution against your use of the term barbaric… a highly loaded and culturally insensitive term to say the least. I would wager that many Chinese would find the European practice of eating rotting congealed dairy… which you white people call “CHEESE”… to be barbaric as well.

In the end, just shut up.

one says “even gods can not resist the smell of hot pot 36

jim

From what I have gathered (and I am no nutritionist, so take my information with a grain of salt), dog is actually one of the more nutritious meats, in terms of having a low fat content, definitely more healthy than eating pork or beef. Like Chris says, it’s also considered a warming food in China. Another explanation I have heard is that it is good for the stomach.

As for the taste, I didn’t find it particularly tasty, nor particularly bad…it was just, well…meat. I also didn’t grow up eating dog meat, and a great deal of one’s individual eating preferences is based on what was around when they grew up. I’d imagine, had grown up in China, occasionally eating dog as a delicacy, I probably would have appreciated it more.

Peter, notice everybody said dog is eaten in the winter? It’s a heating food, makes you warm. I’ve also heard some say it’s an aphrodisiac.

From Ben’s description, it doesn’t sound like it tastes better than either mainstream meat.