Dog dishes

With apologies to my dog-loving friends this morning, I became curious about something I read in the weird news recently. Headlines last month informed readers that a dog meat festival that was to be held in a traditional open-air market
in Seongnam, South Korea - a country with about 600 farms raising dogs for consumption - was cancelled due to protests by animal rights activists. The event would have showcased various canine delicacies including barbecued dog, dog sausages, a stew known as Boshintang, and steamed paws. I wondered how this last dish was served, and found a visual (3rd image), as well as plenty of photos of roasts (2nd image). For those with strong stomachs, here are links to some photographs from 2 of the areas of the world where dog meat is eaten:

CHINA

• Dogs at a slaughter house in Lianzhou, Guangdong province (1st image)
• Dog carcasses being transported on a motorbike by a trader in Yulin, Guangxi province
• Dog meat being hung to dry outside a slaughter house in Lianzhou, Guangdong province
• Dog meat prepared to dry on trays
• Dog carcasses about to be skinned at a food market in Nanjing, Jiangsu province
• A small dog on the butcher block
• Fresh dog meat for sale at a wet market in Lang Zhong, Sichuan province
• A chef preparing to carve the carcass of a dog at a restaurant kitchen in Beijing

VIETNAM

• Cooked dog meat being sold by the pound by a street vendor in Lang Son
• Two small cooked dogs for sale at a market
• Two slaughtered dogs hanging in the shop of a dog meat vendor in Hanoi
• A roasted dog on the table of a sidewalk vendor in Hanoi
• A tourist in offers pictures and reviews of dog meat dishes sampled in a shop in Hanoi

While the consumption at dog meat is considered taboo in much of the West, I am always mindful of being ethnocentric about the traditions in other countries. But it seems that worldwide influence is having an impact on canine cuisine: "This is making our country an international laughing stock, and making the whole world mistakenly believe that all South Koreans eat dogs."