It is an annual event in the southern Chinese city of Yulin. It is the annual dog eating festival and people travel from all over the world to partake in the cuisine. World wide animal rights activist organizations have been furiously protesting but the festival will go on as planned. Vendors will take about 10,000 caged dogs, slaughter them, and serve them up at many of the local restaurants that have been gearing up for the event.
Up to 20 million dogs are eaten every year across China despite protests from the outside activist groups and organizations. Aside from the dogs that will be eaten at the festival, cats, also, will be on the menu. The challenge with the West, and America in particular, is that people there tend to be ignorant of many Asian cultural traditions. In many Asian countries, such as Korea and China, dogs are food. Many Asians are horrified to learn that in such places as America, dogs are kept as pets, treated as family members,and are even provided with their own special food.
The local government, as well as Beijing and many local merchants, have tried not to get involved or to be linked to the event every year. The custom of eating dog in Korea and China has been happening for the last 500 years and they believe that eating dog will help to ward off the heat of the summer and keep their bodies cooler.
Many actors and American celebrities have joined the fight and Chinese protesters pleaded with the authorities in San Francisco to try and make an appeal to the Chinese population there to join in a protest that has, thus far, accumulated over 11 million signatures on a petition.
Aside from the cultural differences and preferences, many are outraged at the event and the practice because the dogs are usually severely beaten to death and tortured in the process. The lovers of dog meat say that the beating and torturing makes the meat more tender and flavorful. Festival goers believe the protesters just spoil the mood of the event and don’t understand the traditions. No one is forcing them to eat dog so those that do should be left in peace to enjoy the festival.
PHOTO CREDITS: The Associated Press / BBC