Don’t let the name fool you (Xiang as in mmmmmm, rou=meat)…stay away from the stuff–espically if you consider where they could get the dogs from. Ugh…makes me sick just thinking about it. I heard it was illegal to sell in Taiwan. The only Xiangrou joints I saw were grungy makeshift tents behind railroad stations…
Selling dog meat was recently outlawed in Taiwan, but it doesn’t seem to apply to dried dog penis. Check the window display of your local Chinese medicine shop!
Yum! I love dog almost as much as horse but not as much as squirrel.
Even if they’re catching strays off the street, the meat’s still probably cleaner than the pork you get here.
But I must say, they tend to prepare it much better in Korea than they do here.
I was recently sent the following by a friend:
“Taiwanese Legislature Bans ‘Fragrant Meat’: Lawmakers have banned what some Taiwanese consider to be a winter treat: dog meat. Under the law passed on Tuesday, people will be fined up to 10,000 Taiwan dollars ($300 U.S.) for butchering or selling dog meat, called “fragrant meat” in Taiwanese slang.”
What is the world coming to? 
I thought dog meat was banned in Taiwan long ago…
I’d be fascinated to hear a logical and rational argument for banning dog meat. Anyone who would like to put one forward can start: “It’s okay to continue eating sheep, cattle, chicken, snakes, rabbits, frogs, and pigs etc., but we should stop eating dogs because…”
(“They’re cuddly/cute/pets” will not suffice! I think rabbits are cute and cuddly, I used to have loads of pet ones, and they make a great stew, or indeed a cheap little stir fry)
[quote=“hexuan”]I’d be fascinated to hear a logical and rational argument for banning dog meat. Anyone who would like to put one forward can start: “It’s okay to continue eating sheep, cattle, chicken, snakes, rabbits, frogs, and pigs etc., but we should stop eating dogs because…”
(“They’re cuddly/cute/pets” will not suffice! I think rabbits are cute and cuddly, I used to have loads of pet ones, and they make a great stew, or indeed a cheap little stir fry)[/quote]
I’ve raised dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, hogs, goats, cows, chickens, quail, turkeys and alpacas.
Without question, dogs are man’s best friend. Cats can also be friendly… but for pure loyalty and friendship, no matter the circumstances, nothing compares to dogs.
Would you eat your best friend?
I’m not certain the above is “logical”.
Then again, pigs are also supposed to be intelligent and make good pets:
european-vegetarian.org/1086.0.html
But, moderators, can we move this thread to where it really belongs?
Restaurants, Bars & Clubs
Pigs are very intelligent… but I’ve never known one to be as loyal, loving or friendly as a dog.
That’s a matter of opinion. I’m sure you could find people who would say that pigs are as loyal a pet as you could want.
You’re correct. It is a matter of opinion. My opinion is based on my experiences raising many different types of animals, and will certainly differ from other people’s experiences. I once cared for 150 hogs in the barn, and I dare say there are few people who have raised as many hogs as have I, at least among the participants on this board. I have also raised a fair number of doggies, and by comparison, in my humble opinion, doggies are MUCH nicer than hogs.
And I’ll acknowledge that piglets are cute… but IMHO, not as cute as puppies, and further, again IMHO, hogs are NOT AT ALL cute, especially when compared to doggies.
Cute is a very subjective idea… but I bet more people regard doggies as cuter than hogs, and for the other reasons that I cited, namely friendship, loyalty and love, more people subjectively prefer doggies as pets than hogs and more people prefer pork on the plate than doggie on the dish.
Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed that Honey Baked ham we had for Christmas. But in all fairness to the little porkers, did you ever raise one as you would a puppy–keep it in the house, pet it every day, take it for walks, etc? And should our decision to eat something depend on whether we think it’s cute or not?
So, so far we have the choice of which animal to eat based on potential loyalty to its owner, and cuteness. I grew up surrounded by farms, and as far as I can see any animal raised as livestock loses its cuteness pretty quickly. We’re allowed to eat deer where I come from, and they’re pretty graceful and beautiful creatures. Baby chickens are quite cute too.
I’m pretty much familiar with the “man’s best friend” argument, and I can see why it would prevail in places with a long history of domesticated dogs. But Taiwan ?
My mom always tells me this story of her pet pig. She cared for it like a dog (or any other furry creature). She said she really loved that pig (playing with it and all). Untill one day the day came whe it got too big and had to get slaughtered 
. She always had this cool moral to that story but I can’t remember it now.
But my point is that it was it as loyal, loving and friendly as a dog.
Nope. As I said to hexuan, I am not using much logic in my replies… mostly emotion.
Nope.
Dogs are social animals, like us, so we bond well together, and they strike us as friendly. Pigs aren’t. Cat’s aren’t either, but they can be affectionate, and our ancestors found them useful against pests.
I have nothing against eating dog or cat meat, if that’s what your little heart desires.
Well, like I said, I’m basing my opinion on my own experience. Sure, I’ve heard that those little pot-bellied pigs can make good pets. But I think they make better sandwiches.
Also, I can’t help but to suspect, what with the pigs’ superior intelligence, that his friendship to man is nothing but a scam to keep him from becoming bacon!
Dogs, however, are smart, but not as smart as pigs… thus I don’t believe dogs have the cleverness to formulate any such ulterior motive when befriending man long ago. And remember, dogs initiated friendship with man, and have been loyal and loving companions for how many thousands of years now??
I never heard of any pig seeking out men to become friends and to serve man. Where were those superior intellect pigs while doggies were forming bonds of friendship and trust with man thousands of years ago?
And I’ve heard of stories where men children were raised by packs of wolves… who ever heard of man children being raised by wild pigs?
This thread is just what I need to cure my hangover. Keep them coming. This is hilarious. 
Nothing cuter than a baby goat or a lamb… and those Greek Catholic priests eat 'em up for Easter every year!
Well, hexuan, you know very well that most reason and rules of logic get thrown right out the window when it comes to this beautiful island 
But give the Taiwanese some credit… they have been pushing for internationalization for years now, and why shouldn’t they try to comply with international doggie norms, just as they have accepted intellectual property norms and have agreed to WTO conccessions and are striving to be just as modern in thought and practice as the rest of the world.
Moreover, many Taiwanese have found, in the past ten years, that doggies make better pets than food, and that they are more fun to pamper than to place in a cage or chain up on the roof.
Pet care still has a long way to go here, but I don’t think anyone who has been here for a LONG time can deny that incredible progress has been made. The folks that live above us have a little ratdog… it lives in their home and scampers around freely (we hear his nails tapping clickity-click above us). That dog goes to the doggie groomer once a week! A guy from the doggie grooming parlor comes and picks the dog up! Taiwanese dress their dogs up in coats during the winter now, to keep them warm! People walk their dogs now. They used to just put them in a cage on the balcony or roof and barely feed or water them. Now there are pet stores selling every creature comfort and healthy dog food and vitimins and doggie beds and toys and you name it… How different an attitude toward pet care does all this illustrate? Wow!
They banned eating dog meat because the Taiwanese gov’t in their wisdom deemed it not worthy of Taiwan’s international image.
It’s mostly eaten in the winter time to help against colds. A lot of people in their 30’s have eaten it as it was slipped into their food and after they ate it their mother told them what it really was.
I think it would be a good way to help control the stray dog population though. The dog pound can also be a butcher shop. You can employ all those out of work plastic workers in this field. Also it would be very cheap as there is a surplus of animals=meat.
It could also help solve a problem confronted by xiaojies through out Taiwan. When that “hao ke ai ou shao gou” chews up all their shoes, poops/pees in the wrong place, or grows up and becomes ugly/mean from lack of attention, they can take it out and have it made up into that thin sliced meat used for hot pot or stir fry. I would prefer the chunks, for bar-be-que skewers.
There is a reason for the Chinese saying, “wa yang tou, mai gou rou” = hang a sheep’s head, sell dog meat.
Happy New Year and CYA
Okami