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China considers taking cat and dog off the menu
A draft law that would see the consumption of pets banned has caused a huge rift between the affluent middle classes and traditionalists
A draft law that would see dog and cat taken off restaurant menus in China has caused debate between animal welfare groups and defenders of traditional values, highlighting the huge divide between rich and poor.
For the Chinese, eating dog and cat meat is an age-old tradition which, in the 21st-century, sets the country apart from much of the rest of the world. Cat may have become less popular in recent years, but dog meat is still commonly available throughout China, particularly in the north.
If the proposal by a government think tank is accepted by Congress it would be China's first law against animal abuse. It would see the illegal consumption of pets incur a fine of as much as 5,000 yuan (£450) or a maximum of 15 days in jail. Meanwhile those involved in selling cat or dog meat could be fined between 10,000 and 500,000 yuan.
Known euphemistically as "fragrant meat", dog is traditionally enjoyed as a winter stew served with soft-shell turtle. The dish is thought to have medicinal properties, and is believed to warm the blood as well as boost both energy levels and male virility.
But as China's growing middle-class has become more affluent, the tide against slaughtering cats and dogs has turned. In recent years, pet lovers' associations have sprung up in China's metropolitan areas, while online petitions have attracted tens of thousands of signatures. Animal rights supporters regularly hold protests at markets where dog carcasses are sold and customers pick out cats, squashed into wire cages, for slaughter.
But the divide between traditionalists and pet lovers has become a serious source of tension. Dr Chang Jiwen, a law professor who is overseeing the draft proposal, told the Guardian that recent murders and thefts in the dog trade were directly related to the issue of whether the animals should be eaten. "We are proposing that all dog and cat eating should be banned because it is causing many social problems."
Dr Chang's final draft will go before the National People's Congress in April. In the meantime, it's bon appetit, Fido as normal. ·
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And the Koreans eat dog too. It is hardly a practice confined to the Chinese. The Indonesians will eat live monkey brains - they put the monkey's head poking up in a hole in the center of a table and lop of the top of its skull and spoon out the brains bit by bit. They consider it a delicacy. Who are we to judge? Different customs apply in different societies, and places differ at different times. I am sure I would like a juicy chimpanzee steak if I were African - they call it 'bush meat'.
Petey baby, why so hostile? I meant no harm - je suis tres desolee si j'offende - but, to be honest, I wish I was as virile as the Chinese, after all a billion and counting can't be too easily overlooked. But 'pervert'? How can an top-level predatory omnivore consuming a lower species be perverted? Could anything be more natural? Remember, all the raptor species have stereoscopic vision...don't forget 'Alien'.
Jose, you're a pervert. No we can't be tolerant and multicultural moron, there are bottom lines below which civilised people don't go. Clearly you are no more civilised than the Chinese who eat dogs. Got a virility problem too?
Never saw the problems with eating cats and dogs in the first place. What sets them apart from other animals apart from them being a bit cute? - So are lambs!
I wonder if cats are more global Warming Friendly? Mine dont smell as my dog does and I know cows are prolificly windy as well as expensive to rear So maybe they should just farm them more comfortably and then be commended for less toxic waste!
Dog is good protein, the less well-off Chinese should not be denied this valuable traditional food source, let us try to respect their ancient culture and be multicultural and diverse and tolerant. Cat is a bit slimy, but OK baked, so can we be multicultural and diverse and tolerant about this too please. Spare ribs rock.
Why would they need the euphemism fragrant meat is they weren't ashamed of what it really is?
Everything the Chinese consume seems to be to increase male virility, do they have a problem? No mention in this article of how the dogs are treated; crammed into tiny cages all their lives, they are tortured to 'make the meat more flavoursome' would you believe it? So meat soaked in adrenaline is flavoursome to those who eat dogs. No mention either of the Chinese fur trade which kills millions of dogs annually, often skinning them whilst still alive. Having seen the videos I can swear to that. As a dog lover, the images will haunt me forever. One day China might be truly civilised, but not yet until this barbarity is ended.