Dog meat

See also: Taboo food and drink

In some Asian countries, apart from being kept as pets, certain breeds of dogs are raised on farms and slaughtered as a source of meat. In Korea, a small segment of the population use dog meat in medicinal summer soups and stews, and to avoid heat (see Gaegogi). Use of dogs for meat and the alleged methods of slaughter have generated friction between dog lovers, particularly Westerners, and people who eat dogs; the conflict occasionally breaks out as headline news. (For example, just before the FIFA World Cup Football Games in 2002, Korea considered restricting the use of dog meat.)

In other countries, such as the Philippines, dogs have served as an emergency reserve of food. Another example is China where in the past Chow Chows would often be posted to guard family storehouses. During a hard season when the food store was depleted, the dog would be slaughtered as an emergency ration.

Dog is also a prized delicacy in parts of these countries. The Igorot tribes of the Philippines raise dogs for eating as a regular meal. In western China, specifically Yunnan Province, dogs are sold in the marketplace and are a regular food. These mainly tribal people are related to the Thai and Lao, and while Thais never eat dog, the Lao are particularly partial to it.

China presents an interesting case, since dog was prized from at least the time of Confucius. Mencius the philosopher, recommended dog as the tastiest of all meats. But the Manchurians of the north scorned their southern subjects for eating dog. Thus, Sun Yat-sen, the noted revolutionary rebelling against the Manchu Dynasty, would start his secret political meetings by eating dog meat, to show animosity towards those northern "Barbarian" rulers.

Some cultures believe dog meat has certain medicinal powers. In traditional Chinese medicine, a dog's penis is considered an aphrodisiac and is served in some restaurants. [1] [2]

Jokes

There are song jokes regarding the consuption for dog meat.

Korea is one of the only country in which if you blow your whistle a your dinner comes running towards you.

A dog isn't just for Christmas, except in Korea.