Tasty or Taboo?

Waffle couldn’t care less that the slaughter and sale of dogs for their meat in South Korea is to become illegal.

At least, he didn’t appear to care as I was reading out a corresponding article from the Beeb last week after Korean MPs voted for such a ban. But what did I expect though? Did I expect a jubilant leap into the air? Did I expect a celebratory and vigorous bout of tail-wagging?

Perhaps, given our deep bond – that atavistic relationship between a pet and their owner – I expected Waffle to share some wash of relief that his intelligent cousins would soon stop going under the Korean knife ahead of human consumption. But that’s what you might call, wishful thinking.

I have never tasted dog meat nor, admittedly, do I ever intend on doing so.

There is a line – a distinct line – which for me exists and will always exist between the eating of meat and the eating of pets.

Proponents of eating dog would undoubtedly say that my line is my choice and that neither I, nor anyone else, should supersede their culture, traditions and idiosyncrasies with those of my own. South Korean advocates might also point to the fact that they have been eating dog for centuries and that it is often done in tandem with certain beliefs and festivals.

Who am I to say that they are wrong or that they shouldn’t have the right to eat whatever they want?

I remember quite vividly the episode of the Hairy Bikers where Si and Dave were treated to an unknown meat in Hanoi. Suggesting it might be pork or duck, they finally settled on a moniker of duck-pork. You might imagine their surprise when they were informed that it was dog.

They were, by turns, shocked and then even more shocked. Although, I think part of the point of the segment was to demonstrate that dog meat is still eaten in some countries and moreover, that it is edible.

Historically, of course, dog has been eaten in many countries across the world and it was recently estimated that 27million dogs are eaten every year. I wonder if Waffle would show any reaction of I imparted that particular statistic. But of course he wouldn’t. He’s a dog.

South Korea’s new legislation is due to come into force by 2027, so as to give the dog farmers and restaurants serving dog meat some time to find new jobs and sources of meat, respectively.

But while the president, Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee are both famed pet lovers (six dogs and five cats), not everyone is happy with the legislation, especially the older generation for whom dog has been a staple meat their entire lives. Dog meat stew, ‘boshintang,’ is still considered a delicacy among many older South Koreans.

“Aye sir, I could go a quare feed of boshintang!” said no-one in a Castlederg accent ever.

Tellingly perhaps, even though under the new law the slaughter and sale of dog will be forbidden, the eating of dog will not be illegal. That alone, should prevent the boshintang fans from rioting.

Although I can imagine elderly South Koreans giving out stink that their government is now pandering to the western wokerati.

Whilst I can’t help but feel sorry for those poor buggers for whom a delicacy might soon become a scarcity, my own line is still there and it’s not going anywhere.

For me, the question of eating dogs is similar to the concept of eating the great whales, the various cetaceans of this world which were brought to the brink of extinction by man’s greed and which are still eaten in some countries to this day. Whilst no line for me exists when it comes to eating whales, I would nevertheless draw one if I was presented with a menu inclusive of Minke.

Maybe it’s just me, but eating a creature as majestic as a Blue Whale or a Sperm Whale or a Humpback would be akin to destroying poetry or taking a hatchet to a rose bush or cursing a moonrise. But that’s a whole other argument.

Cultural advocates of eating dog meat might point to centuries of consumption. That is their right and personally, I’ve done worse things that eating a slice of dog ham. However, for a civilised society, one unaffected by famine or disaster, to eat dog for pleasure feels inherently wrong.

It isn’t ambiguous. It isn’t morally debateable: To eat a dog, a creature which has been humankind’s companion for the past 30,000 years – to say nothing of its intelligence, congenital devotion and empathy – is a sin.

“But it’s our culture!”

Your culture is defunct. Get with the programme.