operationexpat
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2006
- Messages
- 71
- Reaction score
- 0
I've seen this same thing on the mainland--thought not quite to this extent, and with more watermelon than cucumber.
As for the other thing, I've convinced myself that the dogs (and other animals we westerners would classify as "pets") that are eaten in China are raised to be slaughtered. Just like cows. Still, while this rationally makes sense, I still can't bring myself to eat dog meat.
Funny story about cats though. I was having dinner with a Chinese friend of mine and his wife. His wife does not speak any English, and my Chinese is severely limited. Even so, she was extremely animated and my friend translated at the end of her stories. She told a story about her pet cat, how she loved it, played with it, etc. <in Chinese> "And then my sister ate my cat." I thought I had misunderstood, but my friend confirmed that his wife's sister had been hungry and killed and ate her cat. I guess they just have a different understanding of domesticated animals in China ...
My American friends and I like to play a game here where we guess whether a store is a restaurant or a pet shop. It's almost always a restaurant, but they have live chickens, frogs, fish (of course), snakes, ducks, etc outside so you can choose which one you want for your meal.
And then of course is the "butcher" on my street corner. A man and a woman bring half a pig and plop it down on a piece of fiber board on the sidewalk and happily hack off chunks for customers. They also usually have live ducks in a net whose necks they break once a customer claims one.
I'm still checking the box that says I don't have close contact with live poultry on the immigration forms ....
Sara
As for the other thing, I've convinced myself that the dogs (and other animals we westerners would classify as "pets") that are eaten in China are raised to be slaughtered. Just like cows. Still, while this rationally makes sense, I still can't bring myself to eat dog meat.
Funny story about cats though. I was having dinner with a Chinese friend of mine and his wife. His wife does not speak any English, and my Chinese is severely limited. Even so, she was extremely animated and my friend translated at the end of her stories. She told a story about her pet cat, how she loved it, played with it, etc. <in Chinese> "And then my sister ate my cat." I thought I had misunderstood, but my friend confirmed that his wife's sister had been hungry and killed and ate her cat. I guess they just have a different understanding of domesticated animals in China ...
My American friends and I like to play a game here where we guess whether a store is a restaurant or a pet shop. It's almost always a restaurant, but they have live chickens, frogs, fish (of course), snakes, ducks, etc outside so you can choose which one you want for your meal.
And then of course is the "butcher" on my street corner. A man and a woman bring half a pig and plop it down on a piece of fiber board on the sidewalk and happily hack off chunks for customers. They also usually have live ducks in a net whose necks they break once a customer claims one.
I'm still checking the box that says I don't have close contact with live poultry on the immigration forms ....
Sara
