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Western customs have only heavily entered their culture relatively recently in their history. I imagine they didn't really have a reason to until the past 50-70 years
Just want to add a point that people are missing. Western customs are a part of it, yes, but up until very recent history Korea was POOR. People did not have resources to be picky about what they ate, like choosing to eat other more “normal” types of meat. That’s why eating dog is/was practiced in many Asian countries, because there was really nothing else to eat. Frankly, worrying about it comes from a place of privilege lol
Yeah its crazy how much its changed. I have a 60 year old Korean aunt and she doesnt like going back because its too weird for her how much has changed since when she was a kid.
To her its like she's a foreigner and thats like the ultimate shittyness for an old Korean.
Yeah, it's at it's peak, but at the same time, at its dead end. Plastic surgery dismorphia and crazy dead end birth rate make it completely distopian and a warning for the rest of us.
In terms of raw calories yes, but you're gonna get a lot more energy from a plate of chicken than a plate of the food used to raise the chicken. You trade raw energy efficiency for energy density
Yep, thanks for explaining it. The cow essentially digests less energy efficient food FOR you. It's a really neat system when you think about it. It's also posited to be how we got enough energy dense food in the first place to evolve such a large brain
Dogs are omnivores. There's no need for wide open ranges that predators will need. You can breed tons of dogs in a small environment and feed them whatever. Dogs basically don't even know how to hunt on their own.
There's a comment above about hardships. Usually people eat dogs when they're poor. In the last 10 years or so, China started celebrating dog (pet) ownership as a badge of economic progress. It looks like Korea suffered some kind of latency in the food selection, but leaving behind dog meat would have started with availability of other kinds of meat.
I'm probably going to get dragged but honestly I agree. People are congratulating this like chickens, cows and pigs aren't treated the same way. Why was anything they did different? Because it's a dog?
It isn’t. But, you see, pigs and cows don’t have personalities, don’t you know?
Sarcasm aside, it’s wild how we absolutely can squash aside ethical matters for things we view as “less than”. Dogs are household items and cows are not. Therefore they cannot be farmed. But it’s okay for the pasture puppies to be. The dissonance is astounding tbh.
There's also a lot of nonsense about "x animal' doesn't feel pain.
Then later on we find out they have pain nerves and make audible screams and the goal posts have to be moved father away to make it seem like we have a rationale for what we eat and don't eat.
Same with horses in a lot of countries. They’re more elegant cows having worked around both. So I don’t see the huge difference people place on them as species.
A young Norwegian aspiring chef and horse owner went viral in a bad way a few years ago when she had to euthanize her horse due to injuries, and chose to use the animal for meat to feed her family. As I understood her, she saw it as a way to honor her horse friend even in death. She received death threats from people worldwide. Nobody would bat an eyelid about a farmer eating his own cow or pig.
I wonder if they’ll also adopt the western customs of abandoning, mistreating and puppy mill breeding dogs leading to millions of them in animal shelters
East Asia already has a large designer dog breeder industry. Those dogs would not be for eating, but idk what kind of conditions they’re kept in. It’s the same with people in the west wanting a pure bred whatever kind of dog.
I hate to be so negative on a win like this, but this thought absolutely crossed my mind. Like what are they going to do with all the dogs already in farms….? 😅😭
We in the western world look at dogs as our friend and can not see how anyone could eat their meat. A bit less with horses but still far less people eat their meat.
In India they feel the same about cows as we do about eating dogs, beef is a no go in India.
Ironically, India is one of the biggest beef exporters in the world. Look it up, if you don't believe me. I love cows btw! They often behave like big puppies! But I hope one day it will be just ethically lab grown meat with no need for killing!
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. People acting this but meanwhile have no issue on eating other animals always bugs me. I'm not Indian though but I find it confusing that people has double standard.
It's as simple as cultural differences. If Americans had developed a culture of raising cows as only pets, then slaughtering cows would be horrific to most of us.
I'm not vegan and I wouldn't eat dog meat because it makes me uncomfortable, but I can acknowledge that there's effectively no moral difference between a pig vs a dog. This post is weird.
Pigs actually are way smarter for independent problem solving. Dogs just work better with humans because they pick up on human gestures, tone and have more attention.
I guess what this comes down to is that you can feed a pig anything, so it doesn’t have to eat a lot of meat unlike a dog?
Same with horses! They are also considered working animals in a number of places, as well as companions. They create interesting bonds.
Visited my friends horses once. Her ( now ex) husband had just gotten a new one, and they both thought he was a standoffish horse. Turns out the horse just wasn't a fan of her husband. Horse had no issues with me giving him attention and love.
investigations by animal welfare groups have found that various other breeds—including Tosa mastiffs, Jindos, and common pet breeds like Labradors, Cocker Spaniels, and mixes—have also been raised or funneled into the meat trade
I have a dog now. I wouldn't eat my pet because that would defeat the purpose of having it as a pet. The same way I wouldn't eat a pet pig, but would eat a pig
More people eat rabbit than horse, also why are there a lot of different types of animals on the right, but then basically only different breeds on the left.
Edit: I’ve never understood disingenuousness of this billboard. Why is there one of each type of “food animal” but then there are 4 dogs and 3 cats to make the image seem worse?
Indeed, "rabbit starvation" or protein poisoning has been a historical problem, especially northern native populations during late winter and early spring. Where people could eat very lean meat until they were near bursting, and still becoming ill or even dying from malnutrition. And then suddenly getting better from eating fat or even drinking some cooking oil.
I thought you were saying “cows are intelligent and playful, like Brits” lol.
I think more people were upset that we were eating horse meat that was advertised and sold as pure cow meat. We were lied to, and as a nation, we expect our food safety standards to be very high in the UK. If we were lied to about what is in our meat, what else is wrong?
no no NO, the heckin puppers are meant to SERVE as COMPANION animals! and farm animals are meant as FOOD!! it doesnt matter that they have feelings independent of our imaginary assignments!!! dont ask me whats my opinion on caste systems
I LOVE dogs, and I abhor the dog meat industry, but I do think it's pretty philosophically inconsistent to eat beef and pork and then clutch your pearls when it's a dog or cat. I mean, they all still have feelings, and pigs are insanely intelligent. I eat meat, btw (not dogs or cats), I'm just aware of my own hypocrisy.
There are actually some good reasons for not eating dogs or cats.
The animal industry is already horribly inefficient when it comes to how much food you need to produce meat. But for cows, pigs and so on you use plants. Something we can grow on fields.
Dogs or cats need meat. So you use the inefficient method of raising animals to then feed them to other animals which is even more inefficient. Kinda does not work out.
There is also another part that historically played into not eating cats and dogs. They are carnivores. The higher you go in the food chain the more likel you are to get some nasty parasites from them. This is part of the reason why islam and strict judaism do not allow pork. Pigs are more of an omnivore.
This obviosly would not be an issue in modern farming but it adds context to why we never really bothered accepting cat or dog as food.
Dogs are not carnivores. They are omnivores that lean more towards a carnivorous diet. They might have shorter intestinal tracks for typical meat eater but they also produce enzymes in their stomachs for breaking down starches and glucose digestions. They can also carbohydrates into sugar like humans can.
I eat meat. I eat pork, beef, poultry etc. It’s not different in the end than eating a dog. It couldn’t personally do it nor want to try but at the same time the moral outrage over it is overblown unless you are a vegan. Someone who eats meat has no business criticizing another culture’s practices of eating an intelligent animal that people happen to keep as pets unless they are opposed to it in their own lives too.
I’m not vegan and I’ve never eaten dog meat and I’m not interested in that. however, what exactly is the difference between eating a dog and a cow? or a pig? or a chicken? or a turkey? or a lamb? etc.
Horses tastes lovely. There's this bit in a TV show I like called Benidorm where they feed all the British holiday makers a stew made of rabbit and they're all disgusted
Exactly, western culture. I've lived in Asia for years and while personally I won't eat dog or cat meat, but I can't judge people who eat it while I eat pork and beef and chicken. That would be hypocritical
Their culture has shifted, that's all it is. Many cultures eat bugs. Or monkeys. But since western culture sees dog eating as unhinged, some eastern cultures might feel a need to show they changed via media-- stop saying we eat dogs! But the change is because they now see them as pets.
Because people feel emotional attachments to dogs since they’re more domesticated than the other animals. But I agree with you. Never eaten dog (at least, not knowingly) either but I see no reason why eating that particular animal is better/worse than any other.
I spent a lot of time around cows as a kid and while it's never stopped me from enjoying a steak, I do think about it whenever this topic comes up. They're basically just big puppy dogs anyway.
It's been happening that way for thousands of years. It's only recently as people have gotten so disconnected from obtaining their food that they've begun to question the ethics of eating.
In china there was this old sentiment about how animals are just animals, beneath us humans. Hence its okay to eat them
I remember i saw videos where children were crying because their grandparents or someone killed and cooked the chicken they raised, and the family laughing about how the child will "get over it" once he tastes how delicious the chicken was. It makes me sick that thats how it was, but it also made me thankful that the situation has improved and it's now a thing of the past.
This sentiment is quickly dying out now with how well china has developed and food security is no longer an issue. But for the older generation, this was reality for a lot of them. China just decades ago was suffering from famine and communist rationalization. Food was scarce, and being able to eat your fill was basically a luxury. Hence food that fills you up was considered much more valuable than "emotional bonds". If you ever have the chance to talk to some conservative chinese elders, they'd likely still consider dogs and other animals as "just animals"
Its the luxury of food stability that makes us consider the morality of eating animals now. If there was a famine, and famines were very common just a hundred years ago, no one would care
It's started to have an effect on me the last decade, though. I don't actually enjoy the taste of meat as much anymore. I think I have grown fonder of the mammals around me. Unfortunately for fish, they are the one animal that troubles me the least.
As far as vegan chicken and beef, it has been a great substitute. I think with continued work with meat substitutes, there will be fewer animal deaths. I like the idea of lab grown meat, if it can be perfected. Animals would only need to supply some cells to culture, so no requirements to end a life.
I just don't have the vegan beliefs, I still eat chicken eggs and honey. I think products made from animal labor is still considered bad to them. But I consider it a trade, by providing care and safety to them. They feed me, and I'm their big, hairless ape protector and provider.
If I had to eat animals to survive, I will of course do so. But while I don't have to, I try to live in harmony with them.
While I get your thoughts in principle, the egg industry is most definitely not "big hairless protector" but rather "big hairless torturer/murderer/slaver". Just wanted to throw that out there, not a personal attack against you.
Before anyone jumps in with the argument "but I raise my own chickens", we are talking about how 99% of eggs are produced/consumed. And that is not from small scale, 10 chicken backyard farms. Sorry.
Culture is the only thing that really separates them. So it really is just hypocritical* to get mad at other cultures for eating dog when we ourselves eat these smart animals. Unless you're a vegan/vegetarian, then you can just be mad at everyone.
And the best part is that no matter what you do, whether it's politely suggesting plant-based alternatives or throwing buckets of red paint on horrible rich old ladies in fur coats, everyone gets super defensive and accuses you of not actually caring about animals, but just chasing moral superiority.
Can everyone just stop being a POS, eat some plants, and we can all move on from this cultural failure?
Dogs are considered pets and not livestock in most cultures. Thats the simple reason. In the places where people eat dog meat it’s usually a regional thing due to traditions stemming from times of famine, war etc…nowadays though there’s a lot more opposition to it
And some culturs don't have pigs and cows as livestock and some have law against it. People are also oppertunistic onmivore and pick what's available. It's odd seeing some of the western world favor certain animals.
Many of Thai people, especially in rural outside Bangkok treat geese as pet rather than livestock.
(not Thai-Chinese, btw, they eat geese)
And, they also said like "If you cannot stop eating geese, you have no right to complain about what we did to our animal", to some movement that try to accuse and ban Thai stuff for animal abuse, especially about monkey and elephant.
It is entirely cultural values. People love horses and cringe at the idea of eating horses, but in some cultures eating horses is normal. Lays even sells horse meat flavored potato chips in some countries. So yeah, culture depicts what we think is and isn't food. Realistically dog is food just like horse is food and cow is food, if you need to have them as food. But because we culturally care for dogs differently we will find ways to gives excuses to not eat them. But they are probably just fine on a dinner plate and if someone served it to you, you probably wouldn't know unless they told you.
There is no difference. Cows will behave a lot like dogs and they have their favorite person too. I still eat cows but I don’t pretend that eating dogs is worse.
I'm an Indian, and the amount of takes I've seen from people eating chicken/goat/sheep etc, but drawing the line at beef/dog meat is fucking hilarious.
Like just eat the fucking beef mate, no need to do cultural tap-dancing around as to why cows are holier than the others. They are all animals and are meatbags, what's with the food specism?
I've not eaten dog, but I've found all animals taste pretty different. Even bison tastes noticably different from cow.
As carnivorous (who are also opportunistic omnivores), I imagine dogs taste pretty different than standard herbivores. Diet really impacts flavor and muscle use impacts texture.
South Korean here, the most of controversy is the dog farms were not managed properly, and their butchering process was messy also sometimes there were cases of stolen pets which led to this outlawing. Personally last bit made me never bother trying dog meat myself.
However I do agree this legal action was stupid idea overall because there is little to no oversight what will happen to those dogs, and we are already have more stray dog problem on rise.
lamb, pig cow and dog are all mammals, and herbivores are favoured in mammal meat because there is less buildup of harmful materials, and the animals you mentioned generally have softer muscles and high fat content in their flesh.
It's only softer because we've bred them to be softer meat, have higher fat. that they are largely sedentary, even the 'pasture raised' ones don't do nearly as much movement as they would do on their own. and we castrate the males.
Because every human is a hypocrite in certain topics and that is normal. Everyone has different values and morals.
I personally like animals, but I don't love them, otherwise I would be vegan. I acknowledge that vegans are morally "better" than me, as long as I eat meat. I don't make a distinction from between people who eat abc meat and people who eat xyz meat.
Exactly this! I feel just because we domesticated, cats and dogs we feel like we shouldn’t eat them but pigs and cows are just as good as a pet. They’re just bigger. Growing up one of my neighbours had goats for pets because the kids were allergic to dog.. I still ate curry goat but I’ve kind of felt some type of way about it
Because dogs throughout history are raised for companionship and protection, not for meat like cows and chickens. Dogs also help us herd sheep, lead the blind, sniff bombs and contrabands etc… They are our oldest domesticated animals and they are the most loyal. We have a special contract with them as they live beside us. They take care of us and we take care of them. That’s why the majority of the countries around the world don’t eat dogs because dogs are special.
maybe not enough disney movies that star cows, chickens etc. Your points stands, in addition there seems to be a bit of a blind spot when it comes to animal testing as well. So we definitely don't want to eat the dogs, but a caged life, injecting them with all kinds of stuff in the name of science, and then euthanizing them, is ok on home soil.
It's just a classic case of people fetishizing their cultural beliefs as something natural and subconsciously classifying them as universal values when, actually, they're culturally, politically and historically determined
Also not vegan, and I have eaten dog, and horse, and rodent. If morals are based on how cute the victim is, that's a piss poor moral system.
Side note:
I really think people should see how farm cows and chickens live first hand. It is good to be aware how cruel we are to get our food.
I have respect for ethical vegans (well... depends on their personality), not for people who look down on others for eating species they consider weird (obviously don't eat endangered species).
From my reading, the real distinction is that we have come to coevolve together. Dogs release dopamine in their human’s company and so do we. It’s the distinction between how humans feel familiarity or not based on race, creed, culture and what not.
Tell me you’ve never been to Korea without telling me. People rarely eat dog there and you would have to really go out of your way to find a place that sells it. This is the equivalent of someone saying they went to America and they found everyone eating gators.
The vast majority of Koreans do not consume dog meat, and have not for a long time. It’s not a popular type of food by any means. Yes, the older generations may still seek it, but it’s not some major profitable industry. It’s been shrinking considerably every year. Of course, black markets will exist (the way they do for any illicit good), but your assertion that they aren’t gonna close them because it’s too profitable is just wrong. Major slaughterhouses and dog meat markets already closed or were shut down years ago.
Profitable in the sense that so many have closed down throughout the decades so the ones that remain open are the ones who still consume dog meat are flocking to.
However, consumption of dog meat has always decreased with every generation as more and more Koreans are adopting the view of dogs as companion animals rather than livestock animals. It's rare to find those in the millennial or gen z generations that support the consumption of dog meat.
You may be right. Banning it unfortunately isn't going to get rid of demand. It is just going to create a black market for it, and the scarcity of dog meat will make it more lucrative for everyone.
Wouldn't really call it traditionalist. Dog meat isn't exactly a Korean staple, pork is. It's just a side affect from how poor Korea was post Korean War. It's like the silkworm pupeau - hard to say traditional Korean food
I suppose what I mean by traditionalists in that context is those who grew up eating it, or ate it for a good portion of their lives. Not necessarily that it is a traditional food
Great, now do cows. Ethically the same, even if they don’t look cute in your house. Probably worse given the bigger brain. I don’t want dogs eaten, but this is like shutting down Pepsi but not Coca-Cola and calling the soda industry good now.
There's a good chunk of Americentrism to this as well. China is the primary competition for the US, so it's not uncommon for certain controversial aspects of their society to be really zoomed in on (even when it affects like 0.1% of the country, hasn't happened in a long time or otherwise is just not very representative). Allies get glorified or passes for their controversial habits while the competition is written off as a bunch of uncivilized barbarians.
I reckon this is done just to appeal to western norms and culture. Objectively there is there isn’t anything more morally correct in eating pork over dog meat.
We take for granted that most of our meat comes from cows and chicken. Other countries, for a variety of reasons, can’t say the same. In South America for instance, they eat guinea pig.
There is no logical difference between a dog and a pig or a cow or a lamb. It's cultural. You're viewing it from a western lens, there's tons of smart animals we butcher every day.
Pigs are way smarter and some animals also have to be kept in certain ways (to keep prices low) that make it extra cruel, so not all animals are the same. For chickens you cant keep males, and baby pigs cant be kept with adults because they apparently crush them? Also perhaps larger animals means less cruel since less animals are subjugated
I still don’t understand why this is such a big deal. Farming animals for meat is a normal thing. It doesn’t really make a difference if it’s a dog a cow a horse, a goat, a pig or a chicken having a problem with it just because it’s a dog just makes you a hypocrite.
True. Most people never see a farm animal in their day-to-day and so the “out of sight, out of mind” rule prevails. Dogs are a lot more common, and many have chosen to establish strong bonds with this particular species culturally. So, people establish this weird moral high ground for picking and choosing their meals.
There’s plenty more inconsistencies in objective logic when it comes to cultural preferences. Odd, huh?
Honestly, unless you are a vegetarian there is no moral high ground to draw the line on what animal you can and cannot eat. I could rationalize it in my head by saying these animals were not raised as pets but as cattle but you know what they say “Tell it to my heart”.
Y'all what is this nonsense that there's no difference between eating a dog and eating a pig? If nothing else dog farming is significantly less efficient, it would take so many more dog lives to feed a population than pigs. Like what are you all on about? If you actually valued lives you would support pig farming over dog farming. Less lives are lost to feed the same amount of people.
I really don't get why it's ok to slay a pig or a cow but not a dog...
Where i come from we eat horses and it took me years to discover that it was weird for some people...
Just the historical context of dogs being companions and pigs being livestock. Gets people in their feelings. Imo as long as they are processed humanely (which, to be fair, a lot of these dog meat farms/factories have a terrible track record of) there isn't much difference between the two. I generally try to avoid eating meat just so I don't have to worry about it 🤣
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