5 August 2008
It makes me feel much better to hear that China has taken dog off the menu in 112 designated Olympic restaurants. Dogs raised for human consumption, have been eaten in China for thousands of years. The Chinese do not wish to offend tourists so Chinese citizens have been asked by the government not to spit (believe me the smog really makes everyone want to spit), and not to ask personal questions about their ages, salaries and love lives. They have also been asked to line up nicely. With hoards of people competing for everything, I did notice people pushing to get ahead of others everywhere lines were formed, when I was in China.
I may have eaten dog, cat or monkey while traveling in Southeast Asia when I found bones that I did not recognize in stews or soups. I preferred not to know what kind of meat it was so I didn’t ask. Just go with the flow was my motto. Whatever it was, it was tasty. I’ve heard that some tourists may even ask for dog while in China. Ugh!!! To my mind it was much better not knowing. Fortunately dog is not usually on summer menus but rather, a winter dish. I guess that I shouldn’t put down what the Chinese eat as during WW II we ate horse meat and when I lived in Japan I ate whale. It seems that the Chinese government cares more about offending dietary prejudice than important issues like human rights in Tibet.
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