Cooking In The Danger Zone - Could you eat dog or seal?
A new series of the BBC programme ‘Cooking In The Danger Zone‘ began on BBC2 on Sunday, and this first episode featured Inuits from Igloolik, and the South Korean Dog meat trade.
Throughout the series, gastronaut Stefan Gates travels around the world focussing on controversial issues, and exploring them through food. This first episode started 500 miles inside the Arctic circle, where Stefan was to spend days with Inuit hunters, and eat traditional courses such as seal, and whale. The first surprise was the great big Co-Op supermarket in the village, which stocks everything from fries, to hot dogs. The prices are astronomical, as everything has to get airlifted in to this hostile environment. Since the Canadian government set up these basic townships, with healthcare and benefits, the Inuit way of life has changed dramatically, with them having to leave age old tradtions behind. They still hunt, but even that has become more difficult due to global warming. Stefan tagged along on one of these hunts out on the ice, where they shot a seal, and skinned it in front of him.
While it was quite uncomfortable viewing, is a seal being slaughtered any worse than the millions of captivity bred animals killed around the world every day? There are alternatives, as the local pizza delivery service proved, with families having a once a week treat of this traditional Italian dish. When asked what their favourite food was, the Inuit children all answered as one “Pizza“.
The 2nd half of the programme was set in South Korea, with the main focus of attention being the semi-legal trade in dog meat. Throughout the programme, Stefan had to wrestle with his conscious to decide whether to tuck in and try dog for the first time. He visited a dog farm, where a Korean film crew followed him around, to make a report on what Westerners thought about eating dog. He also visited a guy nicknamed “Dr. Dog meat” who loves the stuff so much, he has come up with 350 ways of using dogs, from food, to cosmetics… Mmm dog moisturiser.
While in the country, and deciding whether to eat dog or not, Stefan did have a go at eating sea cucumbers, which are sliced up, and served raw. He thought they were fine, but his Korean guide looked like she was about to vomit, and prompted Stefan to descibe it as “like biting through cartilage“.
After consulting various sources, including his wife, a dog rescue center, and devoted dog owners at a huge doggy theme party, Stefan went to a restaurant where he had to choose between the dog stew, and the chicken stew. Despite concluding eating dog is fine, and not really any worse than pigs, cows etc, he went for the chicken as he didn’t want to promote a semi illegal trade, especially with TV cameras watching his every move.
The hour long show kept me engrossed all the way through, with Stefan keeping the viewer onside at all times with his witty repartee. I sat watching the programme going through a whole gamut of emotions, from laughing, to feeling rather sick. It’s a brilliant concept for a show, and disarmed me with the ease of which it made me deeply think about issues, while watching an entertaining hour of TV.
The programme brought up a load of questions in my mind, and actually made me think about what I eat on a daily basis. The point is that I eat different meats, including pork, beef, and chicken, but if someone placed seal or dog in front of me, I don’t think I could bring myself to eat it. But what is the actual difference? Dogs in South Korea are farmed, bred purely to be eaten in a lot of cases, so is it actually any worse than eating a pig or lamb? Even the Korean doggy lovers who spend fortunes on their pets wouldn’t criticise the dog trade, thinking everyone should have the right to do as their own conscience lets them.
The problem is people around the world have different traditions, and they fit in to a moral structure that we’ve built for ourselves. We choose to view dogs as pets, different from livestock, wheras in Korea there is no real difference. Inuits eat seals because they have done for millenia, and it’s a tradition borne out of the need to eat and survive. We may think it’s barbaric, but that doesn’t mean we are right and they are wrong.
The thing that gets to me is the hypocrisy displayed when people will decry other nations eating habits as maybe cruel or barbaric, and then sit down to a slap up roast beef dinner, or visit the local fast food joint for “unknown meat in a bun/on a stick“. If eating meat, and treating animals badly is wrong, then first maybe we should all take a look in the mirror and look at our own way of life. I’m not going to suddenly become a vegetarian, but I won’t accuse other people of cruelty all the while I’m happy to eat my bacon sandwiches.
The series continues next Sunday at 7pm on BBC2 and it’s definitely worth watching. Other countries Stefan visits include Ukraine, where he eats meat close to Chernobyl, and war torn Burma.
Here’s a short trailer for the show on YouTube…
For more quality videos clips, check out YouTube Digger.
Cooking In The Danger Zone, Dog, Seal, Whale, Sea Cucumber, Stefan Gates, Inuit, Arctic Circle, Canada, Pizza, South Korea, Pork, Beef, Chicken, Vegetarian
May 7th, 2007 at 10:08 am
I love this series. It was shown here when I was teaching, so I only got to see a couple of episodes, so one day I’m going to have to catch up. What I particularly like is the way he’s prepared to question our assumptions and ask “Why do we do this?” He’s not afraid of the politics behind food, either.
May 7th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
I absolutely agree there’s no difference (except cultural leanings) between eating a dog and eating a cow. Of course, I AM a vegetarian and eat neither.
Beyond food issues, this can certainly be applied to other cultural positions. Something Culture A thinks is a moral absolute is in no way absolute in Culture B. It’s good to question assumptions…
May 7th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
This is a great article! You’re absolutely right that there is no difference between eating a dog or cow or cat or pig. Each is an animal with his or her own individual thoughts and emotions.
I lived in Korea for a number of years myself, and I came to this realization as well. As a result I became a vegetarian. And I haven’t looked back since!
Anyway, I enjoyed the thoughfulness of your article. Thanks!
May 7th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Fuck those chineese dudes, the skin their animals alive. We don’t skin our cows alive. End of discussion.
May 7th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Great article. In western world we are so detached between what we eat and how it is produced. I eat dog meat, kangaroo meat, etc. quite often and have no problems with it.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
They’re all the same. They can be farm raised and domesticated the same ways. The one difference seems to be in the way they are killed, and that should be the same. A quick and painless death is the very least that should be given to an animal which is about to lose it’s life to provide us with food.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
You may want to re-read the article. it states South korea, not china…
May 7th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
I dunno who “we” are, but you obviously have no idea how livestock gets treated and slaughtered at most meatpacks in the US (assuming you are there).
May 7th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
As to the hypocrisy I would say there is a subtle but profound difference in eating dog over other animals; we bred the dog to be a tool and a companion…not a food source. We are responsible for the way the cow, the chicken, the pig and the dog are. Nature did not make these animals we did. That gives us a certain responsibility to them. With the dog we have enhanced its natural abilities that enable it to become part of our various lifestyles not made it larger and dumber. A cow or chicken does not integrate into our home; it does not live to be part of our family unit, it is not smart, it is not easy to train. We could have focused on these traits but we chose to make them food and the dog a companion, not the other way around.
To be fair pigs make great pets and have similar traits to dogs so the hypocrisy is in killing them as well. And we are failing our responsibility to chickens and cows in the way they are raised and slaughtered.
Some say the dog they eat is a different sort of dog, meaner and not friendly. All I know is the video I have seen of the practice is of a standard mutt: 30-50lbs, brown, floppy ears, short hair. The dogs are wagging their tails and begging to be interacted with. The Koreans hang them up by coaxing them and acting friendly then they grab them, hang them up, beat them and finally skin them alive. All the while it whimpers and whines and they even seem to smile. That is barbaric and I don’t see the hypocrisy as I have seen humane slaughter of chickens, pigs, cows, deer and bison. I have also seen those animals tortured.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
i can’t believe the dude didn’t even try the dog…he shouldn’t have his own show.
I’ve eaten dog/donkey/frogs/scorpions/seal, it’s all good, all tastes good, fine for your health. It IS just a cultural difference.
“Nature did not make these animals we did. That gives us a certain responsibility to them”
since when did we MAKE animals? We breed them by traits which gives them a certain disposition, house pets are from breeds which were bred specifically for traits in which they can become good tools or companions to us, do you actually think we would have taken the time over the thousands of years to pick emotionally or useful traits for dogs which we were only going to consume? Until you go out and get a chance to see (and taste) the world, try another viewpoint.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
[...] Could you eat dog, or seal? Is it any worse than chicken or beef? Filed under: Uncategorized — recar @ 7:55 pm Could you eat dog, or seal? Is it any worse than chicken or beef? A look at a British TV show called ‘Cooking In The Danger Zone”, which visited Inuit country to eat seal, and South Korea to sample dog meat. Also includes an editorial on whether it’s right to decry people who eat dog or seal, while we eat all manner of other meats every day.[health] [science] [news] [...]
May 7th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Just as Jews generally don’t eat pork because it is considered a dirty animal, it is a wide-ranging christian belief that one should not eat carnivorous animals. There are obvious health and disease implications. However, these beliefs are obviously now outdated due to better understanding of disease and food preperation, yet they prevail.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
[...] Interesting blog I read today about a BBC production (warning: Don’t click the link if images of roasted dogs offends you) where they visit inuit natives near Alaska who eat seal and areas of korea where they have dog farms. Yes, it’s not just a stereotype, they do actually eat dog there. Toward the end of the piece, this sentence was already on my mind before I read it… “The thing that gets to me is the hypocrisy displayed when people will decry other nations eating habits as maybe cruel or barbaric, and then sit down to a slap up roast beef dinner, or visit the local fast food joint for “unknown meat in a bun/on a stick“. If eating meat, and treating animals badly is wrong, then first maybe we should all take a look in the mirror and look at our own way of life.” [...]
May 8th, 2007 at 5:45 am
it’s all food. just it’s sad that some people have no choice to eat somthing other than this. It’s got to suck being a Cow, Pig or Chicken…if your ugly and taste good your dinner.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:06 am
[...] [...]
May 8th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Our two countries , the U.S. and the U.K. ,have traded,borrowed or bought each other’s TV shows,often very successfully. .i.e. ” ALL IN THE FAMILY” and “THE OFFICE”. This show might not fly here-WAY , WAY too much contoversy!! Thats too bad, people here in the U.S. need to see this.
May 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
“Dogs got personality, and personality goes a long way”
Jules Winfield - Pulp Fiction
May 8th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
APK- I hope you’re wrong man!!! Your post greatly disturbed me. I am shaking right now. email @ my user name here @ yahoo.com
May 8th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I dont see anything wrong with the inuits eating seals but lik eyou said dogs are viewed as pets so its hard to accept. As long as their treated well. The only thing I find different about dogs is that they bond with people - they respond to voice commands something which sheep and cows can’t do! (only by scaring them in one direction or another) so in a way its like eating an intelligent life form! (waaaay to much star trek!) Think popplers in futurama!
I only eat organic meat. nothing thats been cruelly farmed with overcrowding. I’m so conscious of it. Although its inevitable with things like cakes that use eggs - they’ve come from a battery farm.
Do you ever watch “how its made” on discovery? The episode about battery farmed chickens really put me off.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
I’ve thought about this more and more recently. Can I justify to myself killing something just because it tastes nice? Should I become a vegetarian if I, like Morissey, think “meat is murder”?
Then I think “oh God, I really fancy a roast dinner”.
So I am weak-willed and just do my best not to think about it because that cow sure is tasty with a couple of roast potatoes and some carrots.
May 8th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
To the people that say that the reason dogs are different are because they have “personality”. You obviously have never been around other animals (like cows, goats, sheep, etc), if you had spent any time around other animals you would have noticed that they do in fact have personalities. As much as any dog would.
You show your ignorance and lack of experience with such posts. Your posts amount to nothing more than thinly made justifications for what you and your culture thinks is the correct/civilized way to do things.
May 13th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I don’t have anything morally against eating dog, but that dish is kind of stomach wrenching to me.
May 29th, 2007 at 5:54 am
[...] right to decry people who eat dog or seal, while we eat all manner of other meats every day.read more | digg [...]
June 24th, 2007 at 3:25 am
Its not hypocrisy to say, well we eat beef, pork poultry etc they cant eat dog. By all means eat dog meat if thats your thing (not that I agree with that there IS a profound difference in these animals) But I have to say there is no need for the violent manner in which they are slaughtered. Im not a hypocrit eating humanly slaughtered animals and critizing the torturous slaughter of another.
My father was a slaughterman - saw him slaughter many animals with just a knofe and some rope - no machines to stun them etc.. But he did it as hummanly as quickly and painless as possible for that animal, and it was quick, Ive seen slaughtering of animals first hand and then to see images and video of the way dogs are slaughtered in numerous asian countries I am sick to my stomach - its nothing short of violence and evil. These people know what pain and torture is- the reason they skin dogs alive, bludgeon them to death or hang them while they gut them alive is mainly due to the beleif and misconeption that the meat will taste better if killed in a violent matter, they think the adrenaline will make the meat more tender.
Also do these people have no conscious? Do they not see how intelligent dogs are? how the dog on most occasions displays physical signs that they forsee their fate?
All I can say is this type of behavior has to stop and people need to be educated. We are not cavemen the world is civilised enough not to be acting out these acts of violence. Someone needs to be a voice for these animals who deserve more respect.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Thanks for the comment Jennifer.
The roblem is I’ve seen animals slaughtered in nasty ways all over the world. It’s not just dogs in Asia by any means.
Regardless of how intelligent dogs are, is it any more justified in killing cows and pigs just because you may think they are dumb?
I think the world would be a better place if we were all vegiterians, but bacon is just too nice.
July 30th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
[...] favourite without a doubt is a review I did about a TV show where the host ate seal, and dog. It did well on Digg, and caused such a variety of comments, both positive and negative. I also did [...]
March 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
dude that is so wrong!!
March 8th, 2009 at 3:31 am
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.