Dog meat.

[aware of emptiness]

The AH food thread inspired me to ask. In most current North American and European culture, there is a strong stigma associated with eating the meat of what would be thought of as a pet animal. Yet, dogs were (and still are in some places) used as food in Polynesia, Mexico and China (And according to wikipedia, even some rural areas of Switzerland) But what about a AH scenario where domesticated dogs were used for meat as commonly as pigs and cows, in Western culture as well, without any qualms?

Anyways, an interesting side question would be why some cultures don't find it as horrifying as "us", to eat a dog? I mean, probably the reason would be that dogs are useful, servile and good hunters/guards etc so we bonded to them. Yet Hindus find cows useful, servile and provide milk and plow fields, yet we kill and slaughter them, which is just as offensive to them.

 

[Michael B]

The AH food thread inspired me to ask. In most current North American and European culture, there is a strong stigma associated with eating the meat of what would be thought of as a pet animal. Yet, dogs were (and still are in some places) used as food in Polynesia, Mexico and China (And according to wikipedia, even some rural areas of Switzerland) But what about a AH scenario where domesticated dogs were used for meat as commonly as pigs and cows, in Western culture as well, without any qualms?

In Polynesia and Mexico they don't have large domestic animals so eating dogs is the next best thing to hunting for protein.

Still, there are cultural factors, for example eating horses is not British yet done on the continent. However, Europeans had a wide range of domestic animals to eat (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, pigs) all of which eat grass or other vegatation and thus don't compete with humans. Dogs which are argueably omnivorous do.

Thus logically you get extra value from your environment but using animals that don't compete with you. That is an important factor as one Polynesian island got rid of all its pigs precisely because of this.

 

[Max Sinister]

Still, there are cultural factors, for example eating horses is not British yet done on the continent.

It wasn't always like that - AFAIk the French started eating horses only after the French revolution, when horses became a symbol of the hated nobles. In many other continental countries, eating horse is unknown or very uncommon (although you can get it in Austria frex, ask for "Fiakergulasch").

 

[aware of emptiness]

In Polynesia and Mexico they don't have large domestic animals so eating dogs is the next best thing to hunting for protein.

Still, there are cultural factors, for example eating horses is not British yet done on the continent. However, Europeans had a wide range of domestic animals to eat (cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, pigs) all of which eat grass or other vegatation and thus don't compete with humans. Dogs which are argueably omnivorous do.

Thus logically you get extra value from your environment but using animals that don't compete with you. That is an important factor as one Polynesian island got rid of all its pigs precisely because of this.

Aren't pigs omnivorous too? Pigs are pretty much scavengers, that can subside on leftovers, meat or vegetable. Actually dogs could fill that niche, although dogs are probably still leaning more on the carnivorous side.

Also, it makes sense that if you already have pigs, goats, cattle and sheep etc. then you would not waste time raising dogs for food. But that makes it puzzling in the case of China (I know, the classic example Chinese people eat everything...) China has all those large domestic animals mentionned, yet why is Chinese cuisine full of those "exotic meats" that very few Westerners would touch, like dog, monkey, snake etc. In the case of Aztecs or Polynesians who had no reliable source of protein, its understandable, but why China, which is resource rich enough?

Also, about cultural factors. Horse meat is stil a bit "taboo" in American and British culture, but probably not as "taboo" as dog. Actually, don't some villages in Switzerland and France still have dog meat as custom?

 

[Gladi]

It wasn't always like that - AFAIk the French started eating horses only after the French revolution, when horses became a symbol of the hated nobles. In many other continental countries, eating horse is unknown or very uncommon (although you can get it in Austria frex, ask for "Fiakergulasch").

Bright day
I can march to butcher's on any day and get horse meat. And here the various Hungarian horse salami are considered delicacy, costing up to five times the normal salami.

 

[Tocomocho]

Also, about cultural factors. Horse meat is stil a bit "taboo" in American and British culture, but probably not as "taboo" as dog. Actually, don't some villages in Switzerland and France still have dog meat as custom?

I had heard about "Christmas cats" in Switherland, but not dogs in the whole continent.

 

[Smaug]

If I was really, really hungry, I suppose I'd eat it. Wouldn't particularly like it, but I'd do it. Dog-Gone:l

 

[Flocculencio]

Also, it makes sense that if you already have pigs, goats, cattle and sheep etc. then you would not waste time raising dogs for food. But that makes it puzzling in the case of China (I know, the classic example Chinese people eat everything...) China has all those large domestic animals mentionned, yet why is Chinese cuisine full of those "exotic meats" that very few Westerners would touch, like dog, monkey, snake etc. In the case of Aztecs or Polynesians who had no reliable source of protein, its understandable, but why China, which is resource rich enough?

Actually, hasn't China historically been rather protein-poor compared to other regions of the Old World? A huge population to feed combined with a relatively small amount of arable land means that there isn't that much space to raise livestock.

 

[aware of emptiness]

Actually, hasn't China historically been rather protein-poor compared to other regions of the Old World? A huge population to feed combined with a relatively small amount of arable land means that there isn't that much space to raise livestock.

China seems to have a lot of arable land, (I mean, from a satellite map, it looks like it has much forest and plains) compared to say, the Middle East or Central Asia. But then again China has much higher population density than any of those regions... Don't know how fertile India is though (aren't many Hindus vegetarians who get their protein from lentils, beans etc.)? Couldn't Chinese people do the same?

 

[Burton K Wheeler]

Aren't pigs omnivorous too? Pigs are pretty much scavengers, that can subside on leftovers, meat or vegetable. Actually dogs could fill that niche, although dogs are probably still leaning more on the carnivorous side.

Pigs won't eat their own feces. Dogs will.

 

[Flocculencio]

China seems to have a lot of arable land, (I mean, from a satellite map, it looks like it has much forest and plains) compared to say, the Middle East or Central Asia. But then again China has much higher population density than any of those regions... Don't know how fertile India is though (aren't many Hindus vegetarians who get their protein from lentils, beans etc.)? Couldn't Chinese people do the same?

India has the two big river valleys in the Ganges and the Indus. Also, the Deccan, while dry, is pretty flat and makes reasonably good agricultural land when irrigated. China, on the other hand, has, IIRC, much less arable land per capita since a suprising amount of it is too hilly to farm.

The Chinese did and do get a lot of their protein from vegetable sources i.e. the soybean. However, since they've got less decent farming land than India, I think that they'd be even more strapped for protein. Also, if I'm not mistaken, animal herding has never been a major element of Chinese culture, unlike in India which had a lot of influence from the Indo-European herdsmen who migrated there. Perhaps the reluctance to eat dogs in India stems from the time when they were useful herding animals unlike in China.