THIS PROTEST IS FOR THE DOGS

Okay, okay! Being of Asian descent, I heard all the jokes growing up about how we, as a race, are known for eating dog meat. It wasn't until recently that I came to find out that these tales, or jokes rather, might actually be fact. At a few family functions, I would kind of poke fun at the idea of eating a dog around family members, whom I knew were from the motherland. Without even batting an eyelash, they would say that it was the best meat they ever ate. Were they joking? One uncle told me that he even used dog meat to help him get out of China. What? These stories can't be true! Then, four years ago, I went to Shanghai with my girlfriend, and made the mistake of ordering some beef dish. Let's just say that this dish didn't smell like beef, nor did it taste like beef. Trust me, I know what beef taste like, and this wasn't it. Many of you might kill me for saying this, but it tasted pretty good, so I finished it. Gross! I know!

That being said, in another part of Asia, a small group of South Korean activists took to the streets of Seoul this past Tuesday, locking themselves in wire pet cages to protest the old, but increasingly controversial tradition of eating dog meat on the last day of the lunar summer. According to the tradition, foods such as dig stew, or "Bosintang" in Korean, are eaten in the hottest days of summer. Some in the country believe that eating hot foods can help combat sweltering temperatures which often hit the mid-90s.     

The protesters urged to end this culinary custom, claiming that 1.2 million dogs are eaten annually in Korea. Um, can you say disgusting? Restaurants serving dog meat in Seoul say that they're busiest time is in the summer, and many traditionalists, or old-schoolers, have come forward to defend the practice. Despite the protesters and ongoing debate, eating dogs is not an everyday practice in Korea, where a serving for four can cost around $1,000 or more. So, not only is it a disgusting practice, it's an expensive one! Dogs are supposed to be our best friends, not our best recipes! Though, the world likes to focus on the custom, younger Koreans, who eat at Western food chains, also often view the practice as controversial! That's because it is! I have to say that eating a dog is barbaric, though I have done it on accident. Had I known that I was being served a dog ahead of time, I never would've eaten it. I hope this blog doesn't ruin people's appetites for Korean food.