Wednesday, April 25, 2007
How far would you go to eat?
I still remember the day that I confessed to a fren that I ate rabbit meat. The shrill screaming still resounds in my head: " WHAT???? How can you do that, it's so inhumane! No wonder my rabbit bit u the last time u went to my house". I ate rabbit meat when I was in France. That was 2 years before my fren owned a rabbit. And during that period of time she was totally unamoured by the French people (which i think she still is till this day).
Recently, this fren sent me a link entitled "the massacre of dolphins". Basically it highlights the cruel practice going on in certain villages in Japan, where they kill dolphins and pass it off as whale meat. The flick showed how the dolphins are disoriented from the sonar sounds made by the fishing boats, after which they are encircled in a perimeter of nets and trapped. As they trash about, the fishermen spear certain dolphins. They do that because they know that dolphins do not leave the wounded, causing the dolphins to stay and reducing their chances of escape. Mother and calves are seperated, causing more distress and making it even more difficult for them to have the desire to escape. The dolphins that have been hauled up are then taken to the wharves on the back of trucks (without water) or dragged on the roads. And at the wharves their throats are slit with machetes where they die a slow, painful death.
So... after watching the flick, will i eat dolphin meat? My answer: YES
I can already hear my fren screaming at me again. But my point is this: my life is short and I would like to try new stuff. So, at least in this lifetime, I would like to try dolphin meat at least once. Just once. I have no intention of making it a staple on my diet. But does that desire to just try dolphin meat once make me a murderer? That I have a hand in the deaths of the dolphins? That, it's because of people like me that they die in such an inhumane way? After all, if every single person on earth just wanted to try dolphin meat just once, it accumulates into a lot of dolphins being killed just to supply the demand.
Sure, it makes me guilty, but have you looked at it at a different view point?
1) Do people bat and eyelid when chicken is served on the table? Or pork? Or beef? No.. cos these are accepted meats in Singaporean society. But the way that these animals are killed, are they any different from how the dolphins are killed? Chickens throats are also slit and they are hung to die while their blood drips down. Its still the same slow painful death. But do we bother? No......
2) Chicken, beef, lamb etc are accepted meats in many countries. But rabbit is an accepted meat in France; Dogs are a delicacy in China; people eat cat meat to celebrate special occasions in Tibet; there's kangaroo jerky in australia; and dolphin meat is coveted in Japan. So.. just because the meat is not served in SG, doesn't make it a inhumane way of eating. I'm pretty sure that if u go to the above mentioned places, people don't bat and eyelid when they eat the various animals. It's a culture thing. Hey, I'm also pretty sure that people in other countries find it revolting that turtle soup is served in SG. But do we care? No... we go "hey, the turtle soup at geylang lorong XX damn shiok"...
3) People in thailand eat bugs... but do we stop them? No..... cos bugs are not considered meat. But these bugs are also cooked ALIVE in spitting hot oil....isn't that considered inhumane too? But yet, I don't see any documentary being made on such inhumane practices.
So my point is this... before u think i am a murderer of sorts, look at yourself first. You think it's inhumane? Then why are u urself craving for bacon, ham and cheese, various other meats etc? The pig died a slow painful death too you know? And how about the examples I raised above?
I guess I don't like being judged. You want to judge me, you can do so when you are a pure vegan who eats organic food. But then again, i can always dispute that plants have a life to.. wow, it's going to be a never ending cycle... and in the end, we will all be eating air. Ohm..........
But I have been toying with the idea of going vegan. A fren of mine went vegan becos she felt that the animals these days are living in such inhumane conditions; being given various boosters so that they can grow bigger at a faster rate; just to meet the increasing demand of a manically growing global population where natural means are just not possible. I felt that it's seriously a good cause. But Black Adder was telling me: but plants are also being boosted and they are living things too. So i decided to go vegan when I have enough money to purchase ONLY organic vegetables. You know just how freaking expensive it is right??? But till that day comes, I will still try various meats.
And for the record, rabbit meat is by far, the most delicious, tender meat I have ever tasted! heh heh heh
*Disclaimer: I did not write this becos I was provoked. More like it got me thinking of certain issues. I am not singling out any fren whatsoever. In fact, another fren shot me daggers from her eyes when I said I would eat dog meat. Maybe she thought i was going to skewer her dog for a BBQ? As I said, i do not intend to make such exotic meats a staple on my diet!
Recently, this fren sent me a link entitled "the massacre of dolphins". Basically it highlights the cruel practice going on in certain villages in Japan, where they kill dolphins and pass it off as whale meat. The flick showed how the dolphins are disoriented from the sonar sounds made by the fishing boats, after which they are encircled in a perimeter of nets and trapped. As they trash about, the fishermen spear certain dolphins. They do that because they know that dolphins do not leave the wounded, causing the dolphins to stay and reducing their chances of escape. Mother and calves are seperated, causing more distress and making it even more difficult for them to have the desire to escape. The dolphins that have been hauled up are then taken to the wharves on the back of trucks (without water) or dragged on the roads. And at the wharves their throats are slit with machetes where they die a slow, painful death.
So... after watching the flick, will i eat dolphin meat? My answer: YES
I can already hear my fren screaming at me again. But my point is this: my life is short and I would like to try new stuff. So, at least in this lifetime, I would like to try dolphin meat at least once. Just once. I have no intention of making it a staple on my diet. But does that desire to just try dolphin meat once make me a murderer? That I have a hand in the deaths of the dolphins? That, it's because of people like me that they die in such an inhumane way? After all, if every single person on earth just wanted to try dolphin meat just once, it accumulates into a lot of dolphins being killed just to supply the demand.
Sure, it makes me guilty, but have you looked at it at a different view point?
1) Do people bat and eyelid when chicken is served on the table? Or pork? Or beef? No.. cos these are accepted meats in Singaporean society. But the way that these animals are killed, are they any different from how the dolphins are killed? Chickens throats are also slit and they are hung to die while their blood drips down. Its still the same slow painful death. But do we bother? No......
2) Chicken, beef, lamb etc are accepted meats in many countries. But rabbit is an accepted meat in France; Dogs are a delicacy in China; people eat cat meat to celebrate special occasions in Tibet; there's kangaroo jerky in australia; and dolphin meat is coveted in Japan. So.. just because the meat is not served in SG, doesn't make it a inhumane way of eating. I'm pretty sure that if u go to the above mentioned places, people don't bat and eyelid when they eat the various animals. It's a culture thing. Hey, I'm also pretty sure that people in other countries find it revolting that turtle soup is served in SG. But do we care? No... we go "hey, the turtle soup at geylang lorong XX damn shiok"...
3) People in thailand eat bugs... but do we stop them? No..... cos bugs are not considered meat. But these bugs are also cooked ALIVE in spitting hot oil....isn't that considered inhumane too? But yet, I don't see any documentary being made on such inhumane practices.
So my point is this... before u think i am a murderer of sorts, look at yourself first. You think it's inhumane? Then why are u urself craving for bacon, ham and cheese, various other meats etc? The pig died a slow painful death too you know? And how about the examples I raised above?
I guess I don't like being judged. You want to judge me, you can do so when you are a pure vegan who eats organic food. But then again, i can always dispute that plants have a life to.. wow, it's going to be a never ending cycle... and in the end, we will all be eating air. Ohm..........
But I have been toying with the idea of going vegan. A fren of mine went vegan becos she felt that the animals these days are living in such inhumane conditions; being given various boosters so that they can grow bigger at a faster rate; just to meet the increasing demand of a manically growing global population where natural means are just not possible. I felt that it's seriously a good cause. But Black Adder was telling me: but plants are also being boosted and they are living things too. So i decided to go vegan when I have enough money to purchase ONLY organic vegetables. You know just how freaking expensive it is right??? But till that day comes, I will still try various meats.
And for the record, rabbit meat is by far, the most delicious, tender meat I have ever tasted! heh heh heh
*Disclaimer: I did not write this becos I was provoked. More like it got me thinking of certain issues. I am not singling out any fren whatsoever. In fact, another fren shot me daggers from her eyes when I said I would eat dog meat. Maybe she thought i was going to skewer her dog for a BBQ? As I said, i do not intend to make such exotic meats a staple on my diet!
# posted by Xallista @ 11:42 PM 
