Eating Fido- Would You?

Though Westerners view it as a very inhumane and down right disgusting practice, people in the rest of the world still eat dogs and cats quite regularly; especially in Asia and the Pacific Islands. It wasn’t until the Europeans arrived in Polynesia in 1769 and explained to the natives that dogs and cats were just too cute and cuddly to eat that the practice was even considered as “wrong.” And even then, it was only considered “wrong” until the next meal time. Even Captain Cook and his men resorted to eating dog at times simply because there were no other options.

Vietnam practices the consumption of dogs and cats perhaps more commonly than any other Asian nation, and dog meat fetches up to $10 per kilo there, which is more than beef, chicken or pork and certainly most fish. In South Korea, dog and cat is eaten less regularly than most of the other Asian nations, but it is considered a staple in the hot “dog days” of summer, as the Koreans believe that eating dog meat helps you sweet and beat the heat.

There’s no shortage of stray dogs and cats all over Asia. Many of them are rounded up off the streets, and in more astute areas, family pets are often kidnapped and sold to vendors or restaurants. In Thailand, the animals are captured and taken across the border and sold in Vietnam.

The practice of eating cats and dogs drives animal rights activists crazy, not so much because the animals are eaten- most people understand that in overpopulated Asia, many people have the choice of eating dogs and cats or starving to death- but because of how the animals are killed. They are usually electrocuted, beaten to death, or hanged.

What are you thoughts? Could you eat dog or cat meat? Have you before? Let us know in the comment section below.

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