So I finally got my chance to enjoy a nice dog dinner. I didn't know I was going to eat dog meat that day till about an hour before lunch time. A teacher told me with a big smile, "We're leaving early today for lunch. Will you join us? We're having 'Mong! Mong! Mong!'" In the Western world, a dog says, "Woof! Woof!" In Korea, a dog says, "Mong! Mong!" I guess it's Korean dog language.
I had been anticipating this moment with a little anxiety. I have no problem with eating Fido, it's just the manner in which they kill him that has me concerned. Traditionally, the dogs are beaten and given a slow, excruciatingly painful death. This is done to raise the adrenaline in the animal before it dies. Supposedly, this gives the consumer a little high when the dog meat is eatin. I am not a vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination, but to beat an animal for pleasure is not something that I want to promote.
I was relieved to read in Wikipidia that in Korea they don't usually practice beating the dogs before death like they used to. There is mass concern with the treatment of the dogs though. They are kept in small kennels and live very poor lives before they are eaten. From what I've read, it seems worse than eating veal.
Dog meat is very expensive. My school breeds the type of dog used for human consumption. Many people raise dogs as an extra source of income. They call this type of dog 'dung kae.' Dung in Korean means 'shit,' and kaemeans dog. So the literal translation is 'shit dog.' They look like all white huskies. The puppies are very cute. They are also delicious! I wouldn't mind having one as a pet though. (I don't think I actually ate any puppies...)
The meal consisted of boiled dog meat on a platter, and boiled dog meat soup. This was garnished with ginger, parsley, and a delicious sauce. The side items included dog tongue and dog liver. The dog liver tasted similar to what dog food smells like. Not that great. As for the dog tongue, it was surprisingly tender! It didn't have much flavor to it unfortunately. As for the main coarse of dog, it was surprisingly delicious! It is a very fatty meat. Since it is boiled, it is quite tender. The taste is very similar to lamb!
Even at lunch time, some members of our party were partaking in massive consumptions of soju. (Korean alcohol.) I sat there on the floor, cross legged, with a blank look on my face for about two hours. My legs were falling asleep, and I had no clue what they were talking about. After attending similar meals like this for a year now, they are getting a little boring. I am sure happy I went though! Now I can always tell people that, yes, I did try dog while in Asia.
