UPDATE: And speaking of the sweetest of meats, Nathan reports that dog meat is so popular (and expensive!) in Uzbekistan that its leading to a spate of dog thefts. Why is it so popular? Well, besides tasting good, locals believe it’s good for preventing TB.
ORIGINAL POST: Korean netizens are irate following an MBC program exposing a dog-raising farm in Incheon that has been described as a “living hell for dogs” and “an Auschwitz for dogs.”
MBC’s “Current Events Magazine 2580″ exposed Sunday the terrible conditions found at one dog farm in Jangsu-dong, Nandong-gu, Incheon.
About 100 dogs were packed in open metal cages waiting to die. Five or six dogs were packed into each cage, which measured a mere 70cm x 60cm x 70cm and lacked protection against the cold winter wind. Conditions were so insanitary that according to OhMyNews, city workers couldn’t enter it without masks. Dog shit was piled more than a meter high just outside the farm. Dog carcases were packed into the farm’s refrigerator.
This sorry state of affairs is the result of a dispute between the dog farm’s owner and the local district office. The owner, who has been running a dog farm and selling dog meat since 1988, was forced by the district to move his farm, which was apparently unlicensed, in May 2005. The farm was moved to a temporary site, where the dogs were essentially left to die as the owner fought with district office over compensation. The owner is demanding 1 billion won, while the district is offering 34 million won.
Covered in excrement, the dogs are barely hanging on to life, fed rotten kimchi and left to sleep on cold asphalt. Dead dogs were left unattended to rot, some dogs were missing ears or tails (bitten off by other dogs in the cramped cages), and most were suffering from severe skin diseases. Perhaps 10 dogs froze to death during the winter, and the dogs were so hungry that newborn puppies were stolen by other dogs and eaten.
An official with one animal protection society said he’d seen a lot of things in his time, but this was the first time he’d seen anything so bad.
Needless to say, once photos from the site were released, Korea’s netizen population was incensed. The homepage of Nandong-gu Office has been flooded with angry comments, slamming the authorities for their failure to take necessary measures to protect the dogs after they moved the farm. Likewise, the owner of the farm is being condemned for essentially watching his dogs die without lifting a finger.
See also the video footage from OhMyTV.
NOTE: Lest anyone think this is a slam on the Korean practice of eating dog, let me say upfront that I’m a huge dogmeat fan; in fact, I consider it one of my favorite foods. But a fucked-up story is a fucked-up story, regardless of ones culinary tastes.
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49 Comments
If this is the Auschwitz for dogs then I can point people to the Bergen-belsen of dogs as well because there are plenty of these types of operations running in Northern Kyoengi-do where dogs are kept over packed in small cages and then beaten and killed so the adrenaline is in the meat when slaughtered.
Nothing like being up all night in OP listening to dogs being beaten and killed. It kept me up.
Like Robert said it is nothing against the practice of eating meat it just seems there should be a more humane way of treating the animals.
That is so fu*k*n disgusting. I hope Koreans see this and realize where their dog meat is coming from and maybe stop this nonesense (eating them) based on primitive voodoo science.
A huge dogmeat fan? Wow, that ought to impress your Korean friends, Robert. I have a feeling that if you lived in Mexico, tamales would be your favorite food.
Yes, it is a fucked-up story about a fucked-up custom. I can excuse starving North Korean for eating dogs, but sexually inadequate South Korean “ajoshis,” don’t-tell-us-what-to-do nationalists, and go-native, Korean-wanna-be’s should not be eating them.
In Korea, dogmeat eating is more of a ritual to prove one’s manhood than anything else. It is time Korean dogmeat eaters and others grow up and stop killing dogs as a means to prove something to their friends and peers.
Sometimes, just wanting to beat the living hell out of people like this just doesn’t cut it.
gbevers
You haven’t tried boshintang? You’re missing a lot. Dog meat is one of the yummiest meat around.
bow!
Only old people eat Boshintang and most of young people don’t eat them…. I have tried Boshintang when i was like 7years old with my grandfather but only once without knowing it was Boshintang…
I’m not up for it, but I don’t care about folks eating dog meat, just their process for killing it - the whole torture routine. This story is not really related to that aspect, but it’s just as bad. Maybe worse since it lasts longer. The people who did that should get the same.
Why, Gerry, thanks. From now on, I’ll try to keep it white. No more shuckin’ and jivin’ for The [Yellow] Man. No more slave food like dogmeat. From here on in, it’s all KFC, my brother.
I tried mung-mungtang a few times and it never really appealed, then found out about the cruel way the dogs are treated and now refuse to eat it.
But Mr. Bevers, isn’t eating any animal about as “fucked-up” as you say dog eating is? And while you’re scolding Koreans why don’t you admonish the Swiss and Filipinos–they still eat dog meat in some parts of those countries.
I don’t condone beating the dogs or raising them in filth, but on the moral relativity spectrum eating them isn’t all that different than going to Mickey D’s.
This is really sick but this type of ‘farm’ is nothing out of the ordinary in Korea. I’ve been repeatedly told that the industry is now regulated but have seen lots of dog farms where the animals are beaten and kept in miserable conditions.
I hunt and fish when I’m back home and I’m sure no vegan but here’s why I don’t eat dog meat:
1) All meat is not created equal. Dogs have lived side by side with humans for thousands of years and are now social animals, as near to a non-human sentient companion as we’re going to get. Pigs and some animals are perhaps more intelligent, but not as social. That makes a difference to me.
2) I eat eggs but a chicken is just, well, dumb. That said I try to get free-range when possible and would love to see industrial henneries banned. They’re cruel, plain and simple. Same goes for veal farms.
3) Beating the shit out of any animal for up to two hours, especially one like a dog is yes, a barbaric form of killing. Anybody who does that, or who will knowingly eat the meat which results, is fucked up. Keeping the dogs in living conditions as above is also fucked up.
4) I can get it up on my own.
Loved the bikinied babe on the KFC link. Finger lickin’ good.
Dogs being tortured before eaten is old news. Why are netizens just now becoming irate?
These pictures were disgusting and the willful mistreatment of animals to attain some dubious taste benefit is absolutely wrong. However…
“I can excuse starving North Korean for eating dogs, but sexually inadequate South Korean “ajoshis,” don’t-tell-us-what-to-do nationalists, and go-native, Korean-wanna-be’s should not be eating them.”
I think this answer says far more about your knee-jerk anti-Korea sentiment than it does about eating dog meat. Is it totally beyond the realms of possibility that some Koreans eat dog meat because they LIKE it? And amidst your invective, you don’t say why it is that this rogues gallery you cite shouldn’t eat dog meat. Granted, South Koreans are no longer starving or dirt poor, but they still eat Spam, which is far more offensive to me than dog meat is.
Or do you object because…
“All meat is not created equal. Dogs have lived side by side with humans for thousands of years and are now social animals, as near to a non-human sentient companion as we’re going to get.”
This is an utterly subjective call. I, for one, don’t even like dogs. Why are you trying to impose your standards on me? And I know it’s a hoary example, but the Japanese eat whales - a far more intelligent beast than dogs and an endangered species to boot - but don’t generally face the same kind of sneering, supercilious opprobrium reserved for dog-eating Koreans. For example, before the last World Cup, Sepp Blatter, boss of Fifa, publicly admonished Koreans for eating dog meat, but was silent on the matter of whale meat.
If I had ten won for every time someone told me (a) young Koreans don’t eat dog meat; and (b) dogs raised for meat are different than dogs raised as pets, I’d be a rich man but have a head full of nonsense.
I am sorry, Robert, for the way I worded my post, but the story upset me, and I did not really like your little, don’t-misunderstand-me note at the end. I am just tired of Koreans asking me if I eat dogmeat, just so they can turn around and tell me that they eat it and enjoy it.
Torturing any animal should be illegal, but someone who tortures a dog to death deserves a much greater punishment. In fact, maybe a few whacks with the stick they used to beat the dog might be apropriate.
Over the centuries, the bonds between dogs and humans have developed into something unique. Just as cannibalism has become taboo, dog eating should be taboo, too. How can anyone who has ever loved a dog turn around and eat one or suggest that eating dogmeat is the same as eating chicken or beef? I think that people who make such claims are simply trying to deceive themselves and others.
As much as I can understand and empathize with Bever’s sentiment that eating dogs is odious to him, Your Mum is correct, it’s utterly subjective to make a distinction between that and eating cows. It’s a moral choice to not eat one animal or another (or not eat any) but still a subjective call.
_ Your Mum, you’re damn right it’s a subjective call. You say that like objectivity is the be-all-end-all. Bullshit.
Playing the cultural relativism card, and trying to be all ‘Oooh look I’m so sensitive to different cultures so let ‘em do what they want’ in MY opinion, a cop-out. If I think something is wrong I say so and who cares if the locals or anybody else for that matter is offended? And who cares if you like dogs? I fucking hate rats but I wouldn’t like to beat the shit out of one or keep 20 crammed together in a cage. Anyone who treats an animal like that, whether the animal is a rat, or a cow or a dog, is an asshole. Period. It doesn’t matter if they’re Korean or Swedish or Martian.
Good old Sepp was totally right to call Koreans out on their treatment of dogs, but I agree with you on this - he should’ve mentioned whale meat while he was at it. Otherwise he looks like he’s just down on Korea for the sake of it.
Just for the record, I’m also against the Japanese and Norweigan whale hunt but hunting seals is ok if done humanely. When endangered species are hunted, or an animal is beaten just for the hell of it, that is just plain wrong, subjectively speaking of course. And by the way, do you really think the Japanese haven’t been raked over the coals in the international press for their ’scientific’ whaling?
_ Robert, you’re right to point out the conditions on chicken farms a-la KFC but using PETA as your source doesn’t lend your attempt to distract from the issue of dog farms much credibility. In case you didn’t know, PETA are about as wily as the old coyote.
Arbeit macht frei, or our bite mocked fried?
Mook, I think you’re misrepresenting what I said. If I think something is wrong in a foreign culture, I say so. But if I see what I think is hypocrisy, I’ll call that too. You’re absolutely right in saying that anyone who mistreats any animals is an arsehole, but that’s a long way from saying that eating dogs is barbaric because SOME Westerners like them as pets. And yes, who does care if I like dogs? Actually, I like cats as pets - who cares about that either? But I wouldn’t imply that people who chose to eat cats were somehow backward compared to me (if they chose to torture them, on the other hand…)
And “Good Old Sepp” didn’t call Koreans out on their TREATMENT of dogs; just the fact that they ate them. Regarding criticism of the Japanese - and I would be the first to admit something of a personal pro-Korea bias having lived here for several years - it seems to me that the censure leveled at Koreans on the dog meat issue tends to be more visceral and snide than what the Japanese get. I remember when Kim Dae-jung visited the UK, a gaggle of protestors (most of whom, no doubt, would struggle to locate Korea on an atlas) waving banners of skinned cats shouted abuse at him a point over the road from Tony Blair’s place. Perhaps its just selective recall, but I can’t remember protests like that against the Japanese.
By the way, dogbertt, I couldn’t agree more.
Mook–”your mum” wasn’t saying its OK to treat dogs in the fashion described in the piece; he said there’s no reason, objectively speaking, to condemn eating dog meat any more than there is to condemn the eating of other livestock. And as far as I’m concerned, he’s right; it’s one thing to condemn abusive and unsanitary slaughtering practices, but quite another to condemn outright the consumption of the meat of a particular animal.
Your Mum and Robert are missing exactly the same point.
If there’s any hypocrisy here it’s the limited distinction between a Korean dog farmer keeping a dog in miserable conditions/beating the thing slowly to death, and a foreign customer eating dog meat in a nice restaurant. The former is an ignorant cruel asshole who’s trying to make a buck, while the latter is an asshole too squeamish to beat the dog himself but who wants to look cool with his hosts and have bragging rights with the folks back home. No pun intended but in the end an asshole is still an asshole and its sad that a bunch of grown men think they need to beat a dog to death over hours to be able to get their rocks off.
It makes no difference if an animal is a cutesy cuddly ‘western’ pet or a mangy rat out on the road - anyone who beats an animal or enjoys eating the result is one sick bastard. Whenever some dude tries to impress me with his dog-eating exploits I just think what a sad pathetic loser.
I ate it once also but swore off it after seeing how it had been kept and killed. As I said I have no problem with hunting and fishing if conducted with humanity and a respect for the animal, but that episode really changed my mind about a lot of things, especially our right to treat any animal as we please. So please spare me the ‘western standards and morality’ bullshit because a little morality is better than none.
In the meantime if you can’t remember any vociferous protests against Japanese whale or dolphin hunting maybe this link will jog your memory:
http://www.seashepherd.org/eve.....1210a.html
Assuming, of course, that all dog meat sold in Korean dogmeat restaurants is from beaten dogs and all customers are there to eat it because it allows them to get their rocks off.
Interesting.
Most dogs raised for eating are killed by electrocution. Some are killed by striking them on the head with hammer, much in the same way pigs and cows are killed. Yes, I’m sure there are instances of stringing the dogs up and beating them, although it would be a lot easier to regulate such practices if Korea officially legalized the sale of dog meat, something they are afraid to do because of the all the criticism they’d get from arrogent Westerners who seem to enjoy telling other countries what they can and can’t eat.
And I guess I should say that whenever some dude starts bitching about Koreans eating dog meat, I just think what an arrogant SOB.
Mook, first of all, I don’t eat dog meat either. I tried it twice and didn’t really care for it on either occasion. It’s not something I set out to do to get bragging rights back home; the opportunity just arose so I took it.
You say that as far as “dumb” chickens are concerned, you “try” to eat free-range as much as possible. But do you work yourself into such a lather over “sick bastards” who “enjoy eating the results” of industrial henneries? There are clearly two issues here: the mistreatment of animals, and the eating of meat. To me, the issue of eating dog meat gets (sometimes wilfully) distorted by people who think dogs occupy some hallowed place in the family of beasts. If that’s how you feel, fine; but I think it’s unfair to then conceal this position behind arguments against cruel treatment that apply equally to all animals slaughtered for meat.
I absolutely do not condone the ill-treatment of animals. No animal should ever be subjected to unnecessary suffering, and especially not because of some misguided notion that it improves the eater’s virility. And I am certainly not some Western self-hater who thinks all values systems are relative. I absolutely believe, for instance, that democracy is the best form of governance, that women should have equal rights, and that child prostitution is evil. As far as I’m aware, though, the status of dogs as somehow superior to other animals has not been elevated to a universally-recognized truth.
Robert, A.
Quite. The problem with verification of humane standards in Korean dog meat farms and eateries is that while the government says one thing viz. “we don’t do that anymore” reality constantly contradicts this. I was speaking from my own, direct, experience at a dog joint and my own direct experience with Korean guys who kept telling me how this was going to help their “night power” when they hit the hookers later that evening. I’ve heard the same old shite from many guys in many places since, so sorry if I drew the correct conclusion.
Perhaps it was just a fluke that a single foreigner just happened to stumble into one of the few remaining dog farm/meat joints where the mutts are kept barely alive then beaten to death over hours? I guess I was jumping to conclusions. Silly me.
Robert, B.
In that case I’m an arrogant SOB and proud of it. If that pisses off some Koreans, tough titty. Get in line.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Gandhi.
Oh, and thanks for the link. I didn’t mean to imply that there are no big protests against whale-hunting anywhere; just that the tone of the criticism is less shrill. But that was more of a general impression and I could well be wrong.
You know, I’ve heard many Koreans swear that you’ll die if you leave the fan on in a closed room. Must make it true.
And strangely enough, even though I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts I’ve been in more dog meat joints than 99 percent of the white men in Korea, I’ve heard the whole “beat the dog” and “sexual stamina” meme more from foreigners than Koreans. Funny, that.
And although the guy is biased as hell, feel free to read Dr. Dog Meat’s discussion of the whole “Koreans beat dogs to death” tripe.
Your Mum.
“I absolutely believe, for instance, that democracy is the best form of governance, that women should have equal rights, and that child prostitution is evil. As far as I’m aware, though, the status of dogs as somehow superior to other animals has not been elevated to a universally-recognized truth.”
And democracy and equal rights for women are? Well in some cultures they are, yes.
I don’t work myself in to a lather the least little bit worrying about industrial henneries but yes, I still think they should be abolished. I think I explained quite clearly in my first post why I distinguish between a dumb animal like chickens and dogs.
Heirrarchies do indeed exist for animals, at least in human law - as far as I know its not illegal to put a live lobster in a pot or skin a fish alive, but it illegal to do the same to dogs, cats, and humans. When I see pics like the ones above and think of those drunk idiots and their “night power’ jokes and can’t help but think that some people are so far below animals its scary.
Robert, the difference is I’ve never seen sombody die form having a fan on in the room so I can’t comment on that.
What I HAVE seen is a dog beaten to death within spitting distance. What I HAVE seen is dog farms where dogs are kept in misery -many times. What I have seen, is trucks on the highway packed SOLID, floor to ceiling, with dogs. What I HAVE seen, is three businessmen playing soccer with a live rat on the sidewalk, laughing their drunken heads as they kicked the shit out of it of at 8 in the morning. What they HAVE seen, was my boot in their ass.
I have no doubt you’ve been in a lot more dog meat restaurants than bad old whitey. Once was enough for me.
why eat dog meat?
Because it is so yummy. I don’t buy the “It will make me stay up all night” BS
Cooked Dog meat (Boshintang!!!) consistency is akin to nougat or nutella? Dog meat has got to have the finest yumminess of all the meats that I have tried (I have tried frogs and wild boars, too). You’ll need toothpicks, when you’re done.
The skin is, oh, so tender
I’ll bet that all of you folks will like it if you’d have it in a blind taste test
And eating dogs is not inherently Korean.
The Chinese, Vietnamese, and the Filipinos eat dog meat too.
Lux, who cares if it tastes good? I’ve been hunting for years, fishing for years, and have eaten more than my share of exotic meats, too. Don’t bet too much on me, I didn’t find the taste much to write home about at all.
The OP was about the treament of animals in Korea not how yummy they may or may not be. I’ve heard human muscle is quite good, too. Ever tried that, big man?
If you want to complain about the treatment of animals in Korea, fine. But why single out the dog and the consumption of its meat? I’ve seen plenty of animals suffer abuse in Korea. I’ve seen instances of cows, pigs and other livestock being kept in less than humane circumstances. How ’bouts we ban the consumption of those animals, too? At least in Korea. Oh yeah, I forgot. Not all meat is created equal. Which is why we use instances of abuse to tar the entire dog meat industry.
That’s right, you forgot the opinions I expressed in my first post. You can read 1-4 again if you like. I really was not aware that cows were beaten to death for hours in Korea? Ya learn something new every day. It must take a pro-league slugger to dish out a worthy bovine whompin. But until I see it for myself here’s an idea. You stop eating cows and pigs and I’ll keep off the dog meat.
Funny how these “instances” of canine abuse seem to be so frequent, isn’t it?
You did it again. Yeah, I’ve heard stories about dogs getting beaten to death for hours, although strangely enough, it’s mostly from foreigners and anti-dog meat Koreans that I’ve heard it. And I don’t doubt that you’ve witnessed such a scene with your very eyes, even though your whole “not all meat is created equal” speil might lead one to ask what you were doing in a place selling “Man’s Best Friend” ™ in the first place. How this allows you to paint the entire industry with the same brush, however, I don’t know, given that anyone can find horror stories involving the meat processing industries of any number of nations, including the United States. So I’ll tell you what. Since you’re making the accusations, show me the stats that show how most dog meat purveyors in Korea are sadistic dog beaters and most dog meat consumers old men with erectile disfunction. There’s plenty of info out there on the subject, so you should have no problem finding the numbers.
That’s not strange at all. Do you expect the perpetrators to brag about it?
Mook said:
“And democracy and equal rights for women are? Well in some cultures they are, yes.”
What happened to…
“Playing the cultural relativism card, and trying to be all ‘Oooh look I’m so sensitive to different cultures so let ‘em do what they want’ in MY opinion, a cop-out.”?
He then said:
“I think I explained quite clearly in my first post why I distinguish between a dumb animal like chickens and dogs.”
Maybe so, but what about…
“It makes no difference if an animal is a cutesy cuddly ‘western’ pet or a mangy rat out on the road - anyone who beats an animal or enjoys eating the result is one sick bastard.”?
And then…
“Heirrarchies do indeed exist for animals, at least in human law - as far as I know its not illegal to put a live lobster in a pot or skin a fish alive, but it illegal to do the same to dogs, cats, and humans.”
Well in some countries they do, yes.
Finally…
“When I see pics like the ones above and think of those drunk idiots and their “night power’ jokes and can’t help but think that some people are so far below animals its scary.”
I couldn’t agree with you more. But this does not make eating dog wrong per se. Treating dogs, or any other animal, in a cruel way is totally unacceptable. I think we are just destined to disagree on the status of mutts. To me, they are just another animal. I fail to understand how people can urge a total ban of the eating of one type of mistreated animal but not another.
Uh, did WHAT again, Robert? Please READ my posts before commenting. I have said how seeing a dog being beaten changed my view on this issue.
“Show you the stats on”? Care to point me to the official site for this because I can’t seem to find the official stats on this anywhere. They must keep them in the same place we’ll find North Korean stats on human rights abuse up North. But lets not tar the entire regime. Wouldn’t want to hurt any local feelings now would we?
In the meantime:
Number of times I’ve eaten a beaten dog: 1
Number of times I’ve seen a dog farm: probably 15
Number of dog farms I’ve seen which I would, subjectively of course, judge utterly inhuman: about the same, say 15
Number of Korean men (not just old, mind you) who told me dog meat helped with their “night power”: too many to recall
Come on Mook, you can do better than that. There are plenty of animal rights groups in Korea. And plenty of dog meat interest groups, too. Just run a search on the dog meat issue at Naver or Daum and go from there.
Luxbearer said:
I once read an interview with an old cannibal who said he missed eating human meat because it tasted so good. He said it tasted like fish. Would that be a good enough reason to allow him to enjoy some of his old ways by letting him feast on human meat, again? Afterall, eating your enemy was supposed to have given you your enemy’s strength.
Dogmeat used to be considered an inferior meat in China. I wonder what changed to make it some kind of modern-day delicacy? When I first came to Korea, I do not remember seeing as many dogmeat restaurants as I see today.
I think dogmeat is just like Chinatowns in Korea. Other countries had exotic delicacies, so Koreans wanted one too. In fact, I remember reading such discussions in Korean newspapers. “The Chinese have monkey brains, the French have snails, so we need something, too.” It seems that Koreans decided to make dogmeat their exotic food. When foreigners started protesting, nationalism took over, and people who would not have eaten dogmeat otherwise started eating it. Now is seems that eating dogmeat in Korea substitutes for saluting the flag.
Koreans decision to make dogmeat their national exotic delicacy has cost them goodwill points on the international stage. Hopefully, the dog lovers of Korea will be able to eventually educate and change the minds of their misguided compatriots.
Robert, I Googled “Sadistic Meat Beaters Association of Korea” but I think this site has rules against linking to the results.
gbevers you hit the nail on the proverbial head.
Your Mum, twisty turny twisty turny but still not off the hook. You still fail to to see the connection? OK, once more for your benefit:
1) Dogs in Korea are kept in conditions as in the pics above, then beaten to death over several hours to produce ‘tender’ meat. Cows, pigs and chickens are not beaten to death in this manner, correct?
2) Trendy shits who eat dog but separate themselves from the tortuous killing process are, in my subjective foreign opinion, no less guilty than the dog farmers/beaters.
Read again slowly and repeat until comprehension is complete.
To all those men with that ’special night problem’ may I suggest Viagra?
Now, now Mook. No need to get shirty just because I totally disagree with you.
The point of my last posting was to highlight what I think are inconsistencies in your reasoning. I understand what you’re saying, but I just think you’re wrong. I’m afraid I just can’t draw a moral line between eating dogs and eating pigs or whatever. And I don’t accept that dog eating always and everywhere equals bloodthirsty, sexually inadequate sadists.
I imagine you’d respond by saying beating dogs is such an intrinsic part of the meat eating culture that they are simply inseparable. But fast food chains in the US and elsewhere live or die by their ability to knock out dirt-cheap food en masse; doesn’t this then encourage those companies to cut costs by mistreating animals? By this reasoning, animals’ suffering is so central to the culture of fast food places that they should all be banned immediately. Do you buy this argument? Me neither. There are such things as pressure groups, and opinions change over time. Do you think that a story such as the one that kicked off our postings would have caused such a ripple in Korea 30 years ago?
You said: “Trendy shits who eat dog but separate themselves from the tortuous killing process are, in my subjective foreign opinion, no less guilty than the dog farmers/beaters.”
Where to begin? Well, for starters, you assume that all such dogs are still killed by the barbaric beating method. I have no figures on this, assuming any exist, but I find that a little hard to swallow. Wouldn’t places supplying these mutts to restaurants find it a lot more economical, not to mention less taxing, just to break their necks or something? You also assume that all foreigners who eat dog do it to be trendy, dismissing any farfetched notions that they may actually like the taste. You also seem to suggest they do it in full knowledge that all dogs meet with ghastly ends. Do you know how the last pig or turkey you ate was killed? And Mook, you should really be a little less sensitive about perhaps two uses of the word “subjective” 20-odd posts ago. No-one dismissed your arguments because they were subjective; they just said that to declare dogs to be innately superior is s distinctly subjective call. Do you disagree with that?
Your Mum. Simmer down, now. My advice is that you begin at the beginning. Read my original post; its all laid out nice and clear in numbered form.
You don’t need to be a genius to figure out that dogs in Korea are severely mistreated, and that a a lot of them have the crud knocked out of them to get that tender consistency. I’ve seen it. Lots of other people have seen it. Koreans themselves have seen it and ask for it, to boot. An earlier poster said this is not exactly news, so why are you so keen to deny its widespread?
Your attempts to show “inconsistencies in my reasoning” remind me of a dog chasing its own tail. To distract from the points I made way back in my original post you revert to the same tired distractions: ‘But, not all dogs are killed that way, surely!’ and ‘But animals in the West are mistreated, too’ and ‘Animals, shaminals, they’re all the same.’ and my favorite ”Well, I’ll think it over while you go get the ‘official figures.’
Are you perhaps a tad naive about economics? 101 - the customer dictates the market and if Korean men prefer their meat tender a-la a good ol’ adreneline inducing beating
-because a beaten dog is the best for ‘night power’- then that’s what the market will provide. If you go to a raw fish restaurant you’ll see the same principle in action, customers want freshly cut fish right out of the tank even though transporting fish in water and keeping an aquarium is expensive. Another? Transporting live lobsters is expensive, but customers pay for it because it tastes much better than frozen meat. On and on. So there you have it, lowest price is not always the primary concern of the customer. Not so difficult now, is it?
As for the fact that animals in the west are also mistreated, who’s arguing? I said so myself in my first post. Remember? I also made it clear why I think dogs are different from cows and chickens etc. Dogs are social and chickens/cows are plain dumb. To me and a lot of people yes that is an important distinction.
It’s illegal to beat an animal to death in many countries. What’s more, the vast majority (sorry, no official figures on hand) of western people would be up in arms if even cows were killed in the way dogs are in SK. Not just PETA animal rights nutjobs, this would be gross to the average Joe Blow.
You keep insisting on “getting the figures first” but as another earlier poster intoned, do you really think this is someting they would brag about? Is there really an official Korean goverenment statisttic for ‘Ratio of Beaten/Not Beaten Dogs in Korean Boshintang Joints’? Even if such a number were to exist do you really think same government would not wish to ‘improve’ this figure for foreign consumption? C’mon, even you have to admit that’s pretty unlikely.
I don’t disrespect other cultures’ views on the utilization/treatment of animals just because they have a different view from my western view. In fact I’ve come to really respect the position of people like the Sioux Indians a whole hell of a lot more than proponents of the Korean dog meat industry. For the Sioux, hunting is fine, killing is fine, both are necessary to their sustenance and cultural survival. But mistreating an animal to the extent we see here is a sacrilege which would negate the value of sustaining the culture in the first place.
I refer you again to Gandhi: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Perhaps some Koreans and keeners who eat dog meat should chew on that thought. It’s mighty tasty.
You also don’t need to be a genius to figure out that foreign English teachers in Korea screw their underaged students. I’ve seen it. Lots of other people have seen it. Foreign English teachers know about it and come here to screw their underaged students, to boot. Likewise, this is not exactly news in Korea, as a quick look at Korean news portal sites, the comments sections thereof and Korean blogs/bulletin boards will reveal, so I wonder why so many foreign English teachers arre so keen to deny that foreign English teachers in Korea are all pedaphiles whenever such news breaks?
Boy, that was fun.
Alright, at this point, since this is apparently too difficult for you to back up your claims with anything other than “I saw this” and “Lots of people told me this,” I won’t tax you with citing sources, biased or otherwise, that would give us some picture about the dogmeat industry in Korea. At this rate, I’ll settle for any statistics–official or otherwise–about dogmeat. Any. For example, officially, how many dogmeat restaurants are there in Korea, and how many dogs are slaughtered annually. Should be simple. I’ll even help you out–the last official statistics taken on that sort of thing was in 1998. It took me a minute to find. Shouldn’t take you much longer.
Again, broad generalizations about the motives of dog meat consumers, backed by, well, nothing other than your own limited experience and understanding of the Korean practice of eating dogmeat. Oh, and not so subtle innuendo that Korean men are concerned about and need help for their “night-power.” Interestingly enough–and to show you that one can actually find numbers if you just muster the energy to run a search–at least one survey revealed that 43 percent of women have tried dog meat. Of those, 56 percent eat it [at least] once every six months, while 36 percent said they have it once a year. Of those that haven’t eaten it, 32 percent said they would if the opportunity arose. And since personal experience apparently means so much, I’ve dated at least one dog meat eater, and I see women at dogmeat places all the time. Heck, last time I went to one, some ajummah club was having lunch. Must have been working on their “night-power.” [ADDED]: But just because I’m a nice guy, I’ll grant that some dogmeat eaters consume the meat because they think it will improve their libido (just as some Westerners apparently eat raw oysters for reasons other than taste, and why some Koreans eat eel and octopus, for that matter), and furthermore, I’ll also grant that dogmeat has traditionally been more of a “guy” thing. And because I’m in an especially generous mood, and I like for my blog to be an educational experience, I’ll actually give you a link looking at this phenomenon.
Yeah, and it’s illegal to beat an animal to death in Korea, too. And judging from the netizen response to the article linked above, many Koreans are up in arms about the way in which those animals were treated. And not just the anti-dogmeat notjobs, mind you. Does this mean there aren’t cases of dog abuse in Korea? Of course not. It happens much more than it should. Kind of like gun violence in the United States, which happens much more than it should, and much like violence inflicted on dogs in Korea, the perps all too often are left unpunished. I guess that means all Americans are violent murders.
Assuming, of course, that mistreating the animal is part of the culture. And by culture, I assume you mean the “dogmeat culture” rather than “Korean culture,” of which, Korean dogmeat opponents generally argue, dogmeat is not traditionally a part. Anyway, do you have anything to back up what appears to be your assertion that it is? Other than, of course, what you personally saw and heard? Because I’ve personally seen and heard differently. And before you talk about respecting people like the Sioux a whole lot more than proponents of the Korean dog meat industry, might I suggest, if you haven’t already, actually reading the arguments made by proponents of the Korean dog meat industry, like here (stick with the Korean, it’s clearer and more in-depth) and here and my personal favorite, here.
Man, oh, man. I don’t know if the purported benefits of dog meat on one’s manlihood are really true, but it sure looks like the Marmot has grown a pair.
Boy Robert - you really blew your stack. Guess you had a good feed last night, huh?
By the way, I saw the sky today. In general, it was blue. Need a stat on that?
You’re not that guy who’s on the Internet and says “I bet I’ve eaten more dog meat than any other white man in Korea”, are you? Maybe you and Ted Nugent could have a love-in.
“All experiments were performed in Korea by Korean scientists and all results were obtained in Korea using Korean equipment and Korean sponsorship”
I’m now in the COEX at the Apple Store, and an English-speaking person next to me is trying to find some information related to this story.
She had heard that a dog cafe in the Apkujong (Apgujeong) area has about one day to find homes for about thirty dogs, apparently ones from this “Auschwitz for dogs” story.
If anyone knows of anything and can post it in the next fifteen minutes, that would be very helpful. She and her companion, apparently, would like to see if they can adopt one.
Never mind. Problem solved.