Beijing takes dog off menu for Olympics so as not to creep out the round-eyes
OKay, I’ll say it…I don’t understand why people are so wierd about eating dogs. I mean, why do we draw the line at dogs? I can kind of understand from a ‘they eat their own poop’ standpoint, but I’m pretty sure that all the other animals I eat are pretty filthy, too. And the whole ‘cute’ thing doesn’t wash with me either, because surely that’s a subjective thing, no?
At any rate, Beijing officials have taken steps to ensure that foreigners visiting their fair city for the upcoming Summer Olympics don’t encounter any of their furry friends on the menu at their hotel. Because, human rights violations notwithstanding, they don’t want to give any of the out-of-towners bad impressions.
A directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office issued last month ordered Olympic contractor hotels not to provide any dishes made with dog meat and said any canine material used in traditional medicated diets must be clearly labeled.
Concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and Western visitors, Beijing said restaurants expected to be popular among foreign visitors must stop serving dog meat “to respect the dining customs of different countries.”
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In the West, dogs are seen as pets and companions. In other parts of the world, where food has traditionally been scarcer, that’s not the case (many other cultures eat cats and horses too). It’s true they are all potential food sources but I love dogs and would have a hard time eating dog meat. ^_^