Dog off the menu at Olympic restaurants

The Beijing Catering Trade Association has ordered 112 official Olympic restaurants to pull dog from their menus, in order to avoid outraging the delicate sensibilities of pet-loving foreign devils. The ban is, the BBC explains, designed to "respect the habits of many countries and nationalities", and joins spitting on the …

[Anonymous Coward]

stay at home then

Well, might as well stay at home then and order a take away. You can get dog or cat at your local chinese or Indian, disguised as chicken of course. If you fancy horse it is McDonalds or nouvelle cuisine.

Ok, Ok. I'm leaving. Mine's the coat with the Fido collar on it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead, they'll be saying "Here kitty kitty..."

Just don't ask for catsoup in China.

http://www.messybeast.com/eat-cats.htm

[Anonymous Coward]

As long as they take live monkey brains off the menu ...

All will; be good.

[Rob Marsh]

Awww...

Dammit - I was looking forward to tucking in to some of mans best friend....

[Anonymous Coward]

meanwhile

whilst people babbel about China's freedoms, we think it's fine to arrest people for protesting outside of parliment without permission.

As a side, that's a shame, "you can't eat that dish becouse westerners like to walk them" is a bit sad. But then the west does like stuffing it's sqewed views on the rest of the world (becouse democracy keeps the UK and USA so wonderfuly free and just. Phorm/Ripe/extraordinary rendition/telecom company mass wire taps/42 days without charge/blanket access to search data/so on and so forth)

Now stop stroking your harbel and give me a damn dog!

[Mike]

Hmmm

Sounds like the locals who like to eat dog for dinner are going to have a 'ruff' time.

[Brandon]

Silly.

I grew up with dogs as pets throughout my childhood.

I'm a vegetarian.

I think this is stupid. If they eat dogs, why on earth should they take it off of their menus? If people coming from other countries don't want to eat dog... don't order it. I don't want to eat chicken, pork, or beef, but I don't go around telling restaurants they shouldn't be serving it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Spitting

If the Chinese do solve the problem of voluminous expectoration, can they share the secret so that we can do the same to younger people in this country.

Mine's the one with 'Bah! Humbug' on the back marked out in Werther's Original wrappers.

[Alan Potter]

@Rob Marsh

I think your comment could be misinterpreted, considering what a lot of men consider to be their best friend...

Never ask for a doggy bag BTW...

[Anonymous Coward]

That's a bit ruff..

I was hoping for hot dogs, but now it sounds like they'll be collared for that.

There's no need to hound restaurant owners, it'll just lead to a pack of protesters growling about how the west is calling foreigners to heel.

Dunno what chow we'll get there now, hopefully they'll mostly ignore this, they can't all be poodles. Maybe you just have to peke a little further into the menu?

[Fred]

"Strange then, that China has not . . . "

I'll have to agree with your conclusion. Another ridiculous regulation. Like the bright idea to translate <I>dou zhi</I> as "Beijing coke". (http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2008-07-10/032915904035.shtml) Dou zhi is the fermented and then boiled juice leftover from making other things with mung beans, and bears no resemblance to cola whatever, whether in taste (sour), texture (thick, soupy), color (greenish grey), or content, unless you count the (non-carbonated) water used to boil the juice in. <deeper rant>Beijing used to be a great city, but they've gotten rid of so much of it. Not just dog meat (which is tasty; don't knock it til you've tried it), but it's a lot more trouble to find some other less controversial ingredients for traditional Chinese dishes now, like bean mush, or non-meat bits of animals, or even restaurants serving prepared ones. </deeper rant> Nor do most people I talk to think that the changes make sense.

[Joris Willems]

Very funny

I know presenting the Chinese as very repressive against the media is popular but goes against reality. Especially since the earthquake recently China is no longer trying to hide it's problems. I am reading the news directly from there and I find it open, objective and well-balanced. Not the war propaganda and lies we are used to. Just the facts.

Check this site: http://www.xinhuanet.com

[Sam]

So..

..Capitalist running dog is orf?

[Anonymous Coward]

meat is ,meat

So its dog, shut up and eat your dog. Dont like it do order it.

[shay mclachlan]

what?

What, no dog meat on the menu? They must be barking.

OK sorry, I'll get me coat.....

[Anonymous Coward]

There never was dog on the menu in Beijing

I've been to Beijing many times the past few years and never found any restaurant serving dog. One can probably find it when specifically looking for it, but I don't see any olympic tourists stumbling upon it by accident.

I did see it in Wuhan and heard its more common in the north of China (near Korea), but have never seen it in Beijing.

Anyway I don't see the point in hiding it from the stupid westerners. Anyone who can accept eating cow, pig, chicken, sheep, rabbit, duck, etc, etc is a bloody hypocrite if they think there is something wrong with eating dog.

Better watch out for the pig feet, duck neck, fish head and sea-cucumbers in my opinion!

[John Latham]

Paw choice

I've only eaten dog once in China, and it was a-paw-ling*.

Unbelievably chewy, and not great flavour. It might just have been that restaurant though.

* No really, there were several paws in it.

[Peyton]

This could cause more harm than good

During the torch relay protests, if you followed some of the blogs, it quickly became apparent that there is resentment in China for past... suppression I guess is the word I want... by Western countries. Now, because a lot of foreigners are returning to China, their culture, even in this minor way, is getting suppressed again. I can't help but wonder if this could flame more resentment.

@AC You weren't looking for the right food - it's not called dog, it's "fragrant meat" :p

[Paul]

Dog gone it!

That was one of the main reasons for going. As a cat lover I was looking forward to chomping on a few mangy mutts to help reduce the worlds population of these street polluters.

Mine's the one with the Hello Kitty badge.

[Chris G]

Pity!

I really enjoy pekinese liver with green beans washed down with a rather fine Chateau woof de yap

[DZ-Jay]

How nice of them

How nice of them to think of our western sensibilities. I guess this means that the next time a western country hosts the Olympics, we must surely serve dog meat at sponsoring restaurants, lest we offend or deprive our eastern visitors.

-dZ.

[Steve]

Re: Spitting

"If the Chinese do solve the problem of voluminous expectoration, can they share the secret so that we can do the same to younger people in this country."

I think it mainly consists of a series of increasingly severe extra-judicial beatings. Simple, but effective.

[Ian Ferguson]

I am offended

I think you'd be very interested to find out what my cat did last night, in fact it was very interesting and amusing, and I have over a thousand photos on Flickr to prove it.

On a more serious note though, if I was attending the Olympics, I would be sorely disappointed at the westernization of the city. If I go to a foreign country, I want to experience their customs and food, and attempt to speak their language, not be presented with a bland watered-down carbon copy of my own country.

And what's the point of eating at a Chinese restaurant in China if all the amusingly-named dishes have been spell-checked? There's nothing quite like ordering 'Fuck Juice' on a whim.

[ratfox]

@Ferguson

My biggest disappointment when visiting Beijing recently was that it was impossible to see at more than 100 yards. And to breathe properly.

Don't wait for any new records on the track this year!

[Kevin Turnquist]

This story has been all over the news sites

I guess world + dog are interested.

Mine's the one that looks like of like a dalmatian.

[Anonymous Coward]

Chinese Vets

I guess that's why you never see a Chinese vetranarian. "I'm so solly, ma'am. Fruffy didn't make it."

Mine's the one with toothpicks and a little bit of fur in the pocket.

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed - it's meat...

People eat rabbit, for example, a cute little creature that many have as pets. They eat other smallish animals. Why not dog? I wouldn't; the notion sickens me. But my reluctance is cultural, not rational. And it may well be that I've had some "fragrant meat" when I ordered "chicken" from certain shadier restaurants.

Paris, because of tinkerbelle...

[Dominic Kua]

@ratfox

It's pretty variable at the moment. Today the visibility is excellent here in Chaoyang, yesterday the air was redolant with healthy hydrocarbons.

As a side note, there was dog on the menu on Thursday night here, a stone's throw from Chang'an Jie, so perhaps like spitting, it's nothing more than a news story.

*hawks up a loogie and lets rip at the yappy pomeranian that keeps annoying me in the evenings*

Dead vulture because the duck's much nicer anyway.

[Doug Glass]

Wekk Just Damn!

And I do love a hot spicy bitch!

[Mark C]

Forget about dogs...

F*ck the dogs, we should pressure them to stop eating shark fin soup as a sign of their wealth / status.

Many shark species close to, or already collapsing with 100 Million killed each year.

Please ask your local Chinese restaurant to take shark fin soup off the menu.

http://www.bite-back.com/

[Tim Blair]

snake anyone?

Can you still get a snake skinned alive and cooked at your table?

If not I'll head for the penis restaurant...

ph, cause she's so thick I could tell her she hasnt't yet worked off that $69bill' I lent her at at king Tut's 90th birthday bash

[spezzer]

@Rob Marsh

i'm with you Rob - tucking into a mouthful of mans best friend - prefer the feline variety myself ;-)

[Tim Blair]

MucTastey

Hot dog shir?

Can I have a chilli dog?

Certainly shir, I'll get fidoo out the fleege....

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry Sir ...

The Beagle is off ... but we do have a very nice Schnauzer steak.

Would you like that in a doggy bag or to eat in?

[N]

Hmm...

Nice to see that dogs seem slightly higher up the chain than the rest of their population

[dontsurf]

I hear....

.. that the meatballs are the dogs bollocks.

[Rick]

Hypocrites!

I don't understand what all you Brits are going on about. Just about every menu I've seen in the UK features Corgiettes! I understand that even the Queen herself always keeps a few around - for quick snacks, no doubt. Appalling!

[lglethal]

If the restaurants stop serving dog

Does that mean there will be a huge increase in the number of strays wandering the city?

[Andy Worth]

Well it offers an alternative....

Fido goes to the vets for the very last time and they can ask "So would you like to have him cremated, or just lightly sauteed?"

I'm all for this, if they also force every other country to stop serving any food which might cause anyone offence. Oh wait.....we'd all starve.

[GrahamT]

If we boycotted countries because of their food...

France would be off the itinerary for start:

Frogs, snails and horseys - terrible. I'll stick to my fried pigs kidneys, cockles and winkles and baby baa-lamb. (removes tongue from cheek - and serves with mustard sauce with capers)

I've eaten snake, jellyfish tentacles and tortoise in China, so dog on the menu wouldn't faze me - nor I suspect anyone making the trip. If you don't want it; don't order it.

Paris, because there they do the best steak de cheval avec frites.

[multipharious]

Do you get to meet the meat?

This one doesn't fetch or roll over - could you make him play dead?

[Avi]

Minorities (not) offended by dogs again?

Though at least this one's allowing for 'amusement'...

[Ron Enderland]

Obligatory comment here

This is all because of the Bush-loving, gun toting, tree-hugging, commie, fascist yanks!

[Tim]

I'm sure there will still be fragrant meat...

...it just won't be on the menu. <nudge x2, wink x2>

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How nice of them

@DZ-Jay

"How nice of them to think of our western sensibilities. I guess this means that the next time a western country hosts the Olympics, we must surely serve dog meat at sponsoring restaurants, lest we offend or deprive our eastern visitors."

But given that many of our eastern visitors will be strict Buddists, we'll have to take all meat off the menu.

And then there's the Brahmanistic Hindus, so we'll get rid of dairy too.

Maize is a sacred grain to the Maya, so must be treated with respect. Can't risk people leaving scraps for the bin -- take it off the menu.

Also, does anyone know any reliable halakha scholars? There's a whole world of offence lying in wait for the unwitting service of treif food to an Israeli or one of the Jewish diaspora....

[Mr Ropey]

Is everything off of the menu?

Do I assume unlucky fried kitchen, kitchen kebab, egg flied lice amnd latex duck are off of the menu as well?

[Jesse]

RE: If the restaurants stop serving dog

No, it just means that next year will be the year of the dog.

[Sceptical Bastard]

Instead...

No dog? No spitting? No surliness?

At least they haven't said they'll stop the stadium public executions which will provide more spectacle than watching people running round a track or throwing things.

Mine's the one with the bargain-basement transplantable kidneys in a coolbag in the pocket.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh you mean this....

Um....can you hear the dinner bell?

http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/dog.html