OT OT OT *Dogmeat Soup - ban it? regulate? - Bardot says NO!
[sheesh! and I thought our politics were weird. Don't know why, Jon, but this one made me think of some of your OT's]
Pets vs Edible Dogs
05/20(¸ñ) 17:23
By Park Moo-jong
Economic Editor
Dogs are treated as members of the family in Britain, the United States, and elsewhere,
and particularly in Britain they are given a great deal of attention.
People sometimes talk about dogs as man's best friend.
As the summer is near at hand, a deep-rooted dispute has once more erupted over
''posintang'' or dog meat soup.
A best-selling novelist-turned-opposition lawmaker ignited the dispute by announcing
he was seeking legislation for the legalization of the sale of dog meat.
Rep. Kim Hong-shin of the Grand National Party said he would introduce a revision
bill of the Livestock Processing Law to include dog meat as a sanctioned food item.
A clear line was drawn immediately between dog lovers and dog meat lovers.
Posintang, whose original name was ''kaejang-guk'' (kae means dog), has a long
history in Korea.
Various sources show Koreans have for generations enjoyed dog meat because it was
raised as a kind of domestic cattle. It is also highly regarded as a health food,
posintang meaning ''soup of tonic.''
At present, there is no law regulating the process of butchering dogs or distributing the
meat. Neither is there is a law banning the sale of dog meat.
Since a few years ago the popularity of posintang has been ebbing remarkably, due to
in part to the high price and in part to the unsanitary process of butchering and retailing
the meat.
Indeed, the slaughtering and retailing of dog meat remains totally free of checks against
potential health risks, although dog meat is a time-honored food enjoyed by a
significant number of people.
Rep. Kim argues that now is the time for the government to take charge of the dog
meat ''industry'' to ensure that certain safety standards are met.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which handles livestock affairs, has adopted
a negative stance, noting that ''no country in the world recognizes dog meat as an
acceptable food.''
The government is also concerned that the legalization of dog meat would do ''damage
to Korea's image in the international community.''
Officials, whether dog meat lovers or not, fear such legislation might ignite a foreign
campaign to boycott Korean goods and the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.
Foreign pet lovers have long condemned Koreans as ''barbarians'' for eating dogs and
such criticism forced the government to officially prohibit the operation of posintang
restaurants before and during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, although this traditional food
was sold unchecked in back alleys under other names like ''sacholtang'' (four-season
soup) or ''yongyangtang'' (nutrition soup).
Animal lovers in Europe, particularly in Britain and France, including actress Brigitte
Bardot, have been campaigning against dog meat-eating by Koreans among others.
It is still vivid in the memory of Koreans that a group of British animal lovers staged
protests in London in December 1989 against the Korean food during a state visit by
then president Roh Tae-woo. Some demonstrators went so far as to hold up pickets
with the image of a dog being strangled.
Rep. Kim said he questioned 26 foreign ambassadors in Seoul about dog meat-eating
last year and 76.9 percent of them voiced no opposition to the ''posintang culture,''
while 15.4 percent supported it. Most of the envoys said cultural differences should be
respected.
Posintang lovers argue that dog meat does not differ all that much from beef, pork or
mutton in that they are all animal flesh.
Actually, dogs for posintang are quite different from pets like poodles, greyhounds, St.
Bernards, Yorkshire terriers or ''chindotkae.'' Dogs for this Korean delicacy are
exclusively bred by ranchers in the same way that cows, pigs and rams are raised for
slaughter. Each nation has its own unique culinary culture. Korea's posintang is no
exception.
What is crystal clear is that posintang is still a summer favorite for many Koreans.
The problem is the process of supplying the meat, from butchering to the dinner table.
Since there is no law governing the supply of dog meat, sanitary problems and the
price have been the main concerns of consumers.
The projected bill is expected to face rough sailing before it is passed by parliament
due to the objection by dog lovers.
Yet something has to be done about the hygiene problems associated with dog meat
so as to guarantee safety. Like beef and pork, dog meat must be strictly checked by
authorized organizations before it comes into the hands of consumers.
moojong@koreatimes.co.kr
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