the practise of Ethical eating
i'm troubled
on one hand i have to admit i enjoy eating sharks fin soup and i've been doing so since i was a kid. It's one of those things that has gone from being a once-in-a-while luxury to a full blown 'tradition'... to the older generation, how can one have a big dinner without ordering sharks-fin soup as the starter?
But on the other hand the bloodied pictures of sharks with their fins cut off just sickens me so much. How is it that people can commit such atrocities to such magnificent animals? You see, i love wildlife, and deep in my heart i love those that live in the ocean most. From young i've been fascinated by all manner of sea creatures, crustaceans, fish, cartilaginous fish (yups, that includes sharks), dolphins and whales. There's something so magical about them all.
So now the problem for me is this: do i continue to eat this dish and keep quiet about how i feel? Or do i make a stand and make things uncomfortable for everyone around me, including family and friends.
Nobody loves a killjoy, especially when you're opposing something that's part of a joyous occasion (e.g. having dinner with family). So i guess i just need to pray for tact, in order to address the problem in a way that doesn't sound like i'm opposing decades of tradition.
Afterall, the medical benefits of eating sharks fins is dubious and furthermore it's essentially tasteless. The only reason why the soup tastes so good is because of all the extra ingredients that go into it... the same thing goes for bird's nest (come on! it's just bird's spit). As one website puts it, "it is fashion, rather than flavour, that drives the shark-fin business".
i know that i can't really do much on my own... but i know that making a stand now is better than not making any stand at all. Coz one day i hope that my kids too will be able to witness the untamed beauty of a shark, and not just in a historical document.
on one hand i have to admit i enjoy eating sharks fin soup and i've been doing so since i was a kid. It's one of those things that has gone from being a once-in-a-while luxury to a full blown 'tradition'... to the older generation, how can one have a big dinner without ordering sharks-fin soup as the starter?
But on the other hand the bloodied pictures of sharks with their fins cut off just sickens me so much. How is it that people can commit such atrocities to such magnificent animals? You see, i love wildlife, and deep in my heart i love those that live in the ocean most. From young i've been fascinated by all manner of sea creatures, crustaceans, fish, cartilaginous fish (yups, that includes sharks), dolphins and whales. There's something so magical about them all.
So now the problem for me is this: do i continue to eat this dish and keep quiet about how i feel? Or do i make a stand and make things uncomfortable for everyone around me, including family and friends.
Nobody loves a killjoy, especially when you're opposing something that's part of a joyous occasion (e.g. having dinner with family). So i guess i just need to pray for tact, in order to address the problem in a way that doesn't sound like i'm opposing decades of tradition.
Afterall, the medical benefits of eating sharks fins is dubious and furthermore it's essentially tasteless. The only reason why the soup tastes so good is because of all the extra ingredients that go into it... the same thing goes for bird's nest (come on! it's just bird's spit). As one website puts it, "it is fashion, rather than flavour, that drives the shark-fin business".
i know that i can't really do much on my own... but i know that making a stand now is better than not making any stand at all. Coz one day i hope that my kids too will be able to witness the untamed beauty of a shark, and not just in a historical document.
posted by phtzethl1 at
11:41 AM
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