Whose God is it anyways? posted a tip so arresting, I had to read it for myself…and then inflict it upon you. 😀 Blame him, he started it! Via The Telegraph:
Packs of stray dogs which roam the streets of New Delhi should be rounded up and sent to Korea for making soup, one of the city’s exasperated councillors has suggested.
Wow, that’s some level of exasperation. Any Delhi-area mutineers want to chime in about this?
India’s capital is suffering from a 300,000-strong plague of feral dogs who scavenge the city’s open rubbish dumps, hunting in packs and terrorising cyclists and pedestrians who venture into the city at night.
At a meeting to canvass measures to curb stray dog numbers ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games one local councillor, Mohan Prashad Bharadwaj, ventured the “Korean option” after saying he’d read that nation was fond of dog-meat.
Um, I guess that’s…innovative.
A dog-meat soup called boshintang is popular in Korea, especially on the three “dog days” of summer on the lunar calendar. Koreans believe the meat helps boost stamina and virility.
I swear, every unique food is meant to be the culinary equivalent to wiagra. This next idea is so funny, it’s cute:
Another councillor wondered if the dogs could be drugged during daylight hours “so that they keep sleeping all day long” while a third suggested rounding up the animals and trucking them into the countryside.
The extreme nature of the suggestions reflects a growing impatience with the city’s inability to combat the stray dog menace after it emerged that a three-year sterilisation drive advocated by animal rights activists had failed.
When I first read this article, I wondered about the “Bob Barker“-option, i.e. spaying and neutering…until I got to that part.
Mindful of Mahatma Gandhi’s adage that “a country is known by the way it treats its animals” the city is hoping to avoid the kind of brutal cull that Athens resorted to ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games.
So shipping dogs to Korea for soup is a better way for India to be known? Not judging, just surprised, that’s all.
However the dogs are a serious health hazard, with more than 200 Delhi residents dying every year from rabies contracted through dog bites.
Yeah, I don’t think drugging them during the daylight hours or shipping them off to the “country” (wtf, like people in rural areas are immune to rabies?) is going to work. It’ll be interesting to see how this gets resolved.
When I first read that, I thought “Wow, those smart Koreans can teach dogs how to make soup”. Then the rupee dropped.
How about working on a sanitation system that makes it harder for dogs to find food on the streets?
How does drugging them during the day help with keeping them calm during the nights, which, purpotedly is the problem?
OMG I think I peed a little!
OK I love animals but it is a huge problem. I’ve been bit by a dog TWICE in my life and once was in India when I was a kid and I had to take 16 injections in my belly or something ridiculous like that. I’m sad to say but the dogs with rabies need to be identified and simply put to sleep. NO NOT COOKED or something ridiculous like that but humanely put to sleep.
Hey, I have an idea. May be they should raise the standard of living for these dogs. Then, they will have fewer babies…
Can’t they recruit them into the Indian army or something?
Imagine that. Packs of wild rabid dogs salivating at the mouth, completely expendable and Pavlov-conditioned to sniff out militants and PUT THEM DOWN. They could be the Royal Barkha regiment. One day, say 2057, they’ll revolt. They’ll stop collecting sticks and rolling over. A general will rise from the ranks. The dog that became a soldier. The soldier that became a dogeneral. The dogeneral that defied a nation.
He’ll lead a bark-away splinter faction that declare war on those waving lucky cats from China, Korea and Japan. They’ll ride elephants over the woof of the Himalaya and into China. As the foolish, complacent, fat cats of China wave away and bring good fortune to those around them, the dogs will silently amass around them, sharpening their canine canines. Until the blood-curdling battle cry echoes across the Chinese plains…”WALKIES!”
Years from then ancient dogs, the ones you see waddling down the street cos their hips are so arthritic, will tell stories of the Feline-Doggy wars. They’ll lament as the youth aren’t interested, they just want to play with toilet paper rolls. Tom and Jerry will be hailed as the most important historical document ever discovered.
Ah f*ck it, just make them into soup.
Dog meat is not that bad. The taste is not really gamy and is more lamb like. Of course you cant mention this in polite company.
I haven’t read the news item, but going by your summary, Anna, this indicates a level of international cultural culinary awareness, an ability to consider innovative steps, a responsiveness to problems faced by constituents, even a refreshing humanity (er, canineness?) that refuses to consider a wholesale slaughter (cull?) first – that I would not normally associate with city Councillors in Delhi. (I speak as someone who lived there as a kid and a teenager). My first thought was – city Councillors in Delhi actually read stuff? 🙂 As a (potential) spoiler to Maximum City, maybe I can mention that that city (where I was born) also has some, er, culinary angle to how it disposes of its dogs.
Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!
8 · Al_Chutiya_for_debauchery Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!
Apparently so…. I’m sure the Koreans will be thrilled that “we” thought of them here…. These dogs are far too “untouchable” to get into S.Korea–maybe Pyongyang….
why send the dogs to Korea for soup, it’s pretty brutal.
when it makes more sense to send them to countries where they are held in high regards like in the United States. the little puppies are seriously the cutest things you’ve ever seen (although, since they are just laying there on the side walk, it’s sad too). i think americans would really be up for adopting them. granted they’ve had their appropriate shots.
Couldn’t get myself to do it. Can’t eat Fido or Fifi (Bambi and Tweety is OK) but I have eaten a lot of other weird and gross things. Does that count? 🙂
Spay and neuter programs (and humane treatment of diseased dogs) have proved successful in other countries, and even in some parts of India, if I remember correctly. It is probably the most humane way of dealing with strays, a problem created primarily by human beings and the way they live – in places like Bangalore, the number of strays increased with the flourishing of meat stalls/shops who then proceeded to dump their garbage in the back or on the roads, thus attracting dogs and rats etc. Who gets the blame? The dogs, because their only crime is trying to survive. If spay/neuter has failed in delhi, it’s entirely due to the apathetic nature of people and the “designer dog” syndrome that people in india and elsewhere suffer from. They’re quite happy to send little Bubbles out for a walk with the maid/dog walker, or keeping their St. Bernards in indoor airconditioning all the time (why should you have a St. Bernard in any major Indian city anyways?), but then turn their noses up at the neighbourhood mutts. Mass culls never work, they are inhumane and ineffective – the problem just returns.
I wouldn’t say that so quick. I think it’s a general assumption that Americans love animals and even if they do, there are too many unwanted ones here already. Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 6-8 million (HSUS estimate) Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate) Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
what’s disheartening is that vicks could serve only 2 years if he accepts a plea bargain.
how about rounding up all of india’s useless, ineffective politicians, councillors and sending them off to wherever they have a taste for human flesh. 🙂
AMFD asks: >>Am I the only mutineer who has eaten dog meat!
You’re not alone…
M. Nam
See…I don’t get this at all ( the horror that people have over other people eating dog meat). After all its all very culture specific .I am sure that some of the foods in India will be considered really bizarre here in the US – just like s ome of the food here is probably considered bizarre in India.While I like dogs and all that – I would really hesitate to outright condemn the option of eating them – though I don’t think I could do that myself.
ACfD and MoorNam – I always knew you two were alike.
i remember Athens having a far more messed up dog situation than delhi.
How would that help this;
?????
We crushed up a few sleeping pills and put it in some food and fed it to the street dog that was keeping us up all night long barking once. It worked.
Delhi may have a dog problem but in other areas it’s pigs and monkeys. Sometimes the monkeys are rounded up in trucks and taken out from the towns but due to de-forestation they keep coming back for food.
Maybe Delhi-ites need to adopt these street dogs as pets? Other than domesticating them I can’t think of any other solution.
“While I like dogs and all that – I would really hesitate to outright condemn the option of eating them – though I don’t think I could do that myself.”
no one’s condemning the koreans for eating dogs – that’s their business/culture. but to solve problems of your own making by exporting them to another country is despicable. what’s to stop people from then breeding dogs purposely (puppy mills for export) and/or stealing people’s pets to ship them off for dog food? or why not just create a culture of dog-eating in india, instead of shipping them abroad? the councillor should put the dog meat where his mouth is and set a good example:) the commonwealth games will come and go and the stray dog problem will return.
i’ve seen a mass cull first-hand. it’s not pleasant, it’s cruel, it’s not easy, it haunts you and it never, ever solves the problem.
So who let the dogs out?
(In Shantaram, didn’t the main character get attacked by wild dogs in Bombay?)
I think the dogs should be offered more opportunity
(1) allow them to sign up for Korean chow duty (indentured servants), sending the $ back to their families
(2) sponsor them to travel and fight for prize $ in rural Virginia
(3) give them stipends to study/work as seeing eye dogs in the US, and also send money home
(4) set aside 10% of the military dog positions for SCC (Scheduled Caste Canines)
With all the NRIC (Non-Resident Indian Canines) sending money back home, they pups can afford needed, food, shelter, and medicine. In addition, the SCCs will gain a foothold in the government. It’s not a fast solution, many litters will have to struggle but eventually they will find their way.
SOlving a problem by exporting it to be the part of another country’s enjoyment is despicable??? Is it depicable when hunters are allowed to shoot deer because of overpopulation in US suburbs? Not really.
depends on who you ask, i guess. if your part of the ahimsa crew, i think that wold be considered dispicable.
“SOlving a problem by exporting it to be the part of another country’s enjoyment is despicable???”
the point is, it doesn’t solve the problem. only the symptom. the problem – caused by humans – remains.
But then the local dogs will complain that they are losing their jobs to all the H1-Bow visa holders with funny barks and it may escalate to become the election issue!
What a stupid remark! This politician’s idea is not “culturally aware” at all, as some one suggested. Rather, it perpetuates an ignorant stereotype. Yes, some people eat dog meat in So. Korea. But the people there don’t eat stray dogs off the street! A certain type of dog is specially bred for the purpose of eating and they are bought and sold in markets. BTW, it is officially an illegal practice that the Korean government is trying to curtail.
i wonder what these politicians plan on doing with all the “stray” people who will be soiling “pristine” delhi during the commonwealth games. out of sight, out of mind, i suppose.
I wouldn’t go so far to call a dog a filthy animal, dogs got personality. personality goes a long way.
Yeah, I was going to ask about what Mukul mentioned — would people actually eat stray dogs? I doubt it; I would expect they would have to go through some kind of health analysis/requirements to be consumed.
The stray dogs are heartbreaking, though. I know this is my American-bias towards dogs, but everytime I see dogs wasting away, lamed, feral, rabid, I just feel really sad. Like WGIIA mentioned, it’s a problem driven, in part, by humans.
Let’s see: poverty, rabies, overcrowded cities, the safety of children, an already low quality of life…etc.
Why should we listen to animal rights activists again?
27 mukul is absolutely right. the dog-eating korean is almost as insidious a stereotype as monkey-brain-eating indian. i say “almost” because, yes, some koreans eat boshintang but as mukul said, only a certain type of dog is bred for this purpose. it is not a common menu item, and i am sure it is very rarely consumed in the home. they don’t grab any dog of their own streets for consumption, and they certainly don’t need india’s strays. the politician’s remark is absurd — and if there is a korean website similar to SM, i’d expect some uproar over there about it.
I was in delhi until the tender age of 11 and used to have lots “gali ke kute” as friends. I used to feed their puppies and they used to guard me against the mohalla bullies. and now they are gonna be soup? What about the thousands of cows on delhi roads chewing plastic bags and what not? Ofcourse they dont wanna make beef patties…….
but, I’d be curious to know… does hangul have a dog problem?
just fyi — “hangul” = the name of the language; “hanguk” = the country.
“Let’s see: poverty, rabies, overcrowded cities, the safety of children, an already low quality of life…etc. Why should we listen to animal rights activists again?”
let’s see, this doesn’t have to be a zero sum game nor is it one. the poorest people on this earth still depend on and live with natural resources (including animals, not just dogs) for their living. and frankly, since we’re indulging in stereotypes about “animal rights” activists, i’ve found that people who care about animal welfare generally have more respect for human welfare than those that don’t and actually do more about it. 🙂
“just fyi — “hangul” = the name of the language; “hanguk” = the country. “
totally right, just caught it. but do they? I wonder.
What about the thousands of cows on delhi roads chewing plastic bags and what not? Ofcourse they dont wanna make beef patties…….
As I understand (I might be wrong) there are massive slaughter houses in Delhi for the packaging and export of cow meat.
really? so much for “Calm as hindu cows”…
While I totally agree the original statement only shows the speaker’s ignorance and bigotry, I am going to ignore all that and just go nuts, with some combination of Monty Python and Groucho Marx:
A: We have so many stray dogs in Delhi. Can’t we ship them to Korea? I read they can make soup. B: The dogs can make soup? A: No, the Koreans. With the dogs. B: So the dogs are going to help the Koreans make soup? A: No the Koreans are going to make dog soup. B: Why didn’t you say so first then? You’re dumb. A: I’m dumb? You’re the dumb son of a bitch. You make everything into a shaggy dog story. B: Speaking of shag…
Music: [Bow chika Bow Wow. Woof?]
Maybe the “exasperated councillor” was fishing for a “Man-bites-dog” story?
for a people who don’t eat beef, plenty of hindus still like their nice leather things…
isn’t this similar to the issue of extradition to a country that has the death penalty? many countries who don’t believe in the DP will refuse to do so – even if the killing doesn’t happen at their own hands, they know what the result will be, and it’s not one that they desire.
. he he. too funny, ANNA and pingpong.
People vs dogs, the ethical dilemmma/dynamics change slightly.
No one suggested that.If you are referring to my remark in # 16,it was in response specifically to ACFDs remark and nothing else. I agree with whoever said that any Korean who read the original remarks would be justifiably offended
Mukul, your broader point was well taken. I was only saying that the Delhi politician showed an awareness of international culinary culture. To me the surprize was that he knew that people in Korea ate dogs. I mean, the thing is so far outside the culinary cultural memes of South Asia, and Korea is not a country people think of routinely in India. Frankly, I was surprized that he even knew that a country called Korea existed. I know the subtext is the assumption that Indian politicians in general would have a low level of cultural knowledge, and that may well not be justified, not any more anyway. Globalization may well have increased the Korean ‘soft power footprint’ beyond my naive conception. My low opinion of Indian politicians needs revision; however, I was certainly not suggesting he understood the nuances of how Koreans actually eat dogs. I was using ‘aware’ in a narrower sense.
“Frankly, I was surprized that he even knew that a country called Korea existed.”
that would be hard not to know these days, with korean products being sold in india.
Islam considers dogs unclean and hence you will rarely find a muslim family with a pet dog. Indian Hindus also are not all that big on keeping pet dogs or cats, so maybe that is why Delhi is facing such a big problem with strays and street dogs.
If I’m not mistaken, the Nagas in Assam and Manipur also enjoy dog meat (and no, Al Chutiya, you aren’t the only mutineer who’s had it). So one could arguably find a domestic market for those Delhi dogs.
“Islam considers dogs unclean and hence you will rarely find a muslim family with a pet dog. Indian Hindus also are not all that big on keeping pet dogs or cats, so maybe that is why Delhi is facing such a big problem with strays and street dogs.”
no, it’s just the homegrown indian dogs that aren’t considered “cool.” many delhiites have breed dogs, especially foreign imports. maybe if dog-eating was made to be seen as “cool”, and not something done by nagas or any other people, delhiites would eat their own problems up in time for the city to present itself to the world for the commonwealth games.
People, people, the point is not whether we can find a market of people who eat dogs to ship these dogs to. The point is, nobody in their right mind would try to catch and eat a feral dog, any more than a pork-eater would try to catch and eat a disease-ridden garbage-munching Indian pig.
Unless they were a drunk college student, in which case all bets are off.