Why do Americans make fun of Indians for not eating beef but cry like little bitches if Asians eat dog?

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[–]TaseAFeminist4Jesus 9 insightful - 2 fun9 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

A cow is an herbivore. A dog is a carnivore. In general, man doesn't eat other carnivorous mammals. They're considered unpalatable and lack nutritive value.

I don't think carnivorous mammals in general eat each other. We don't really care for carnivorous birds, either. Nobody is passing up KFC to go chow down on Kentucky Fried Eagle.

So, if you're eating dog, you're either dirt poor or you've got some weird point to make. In China, I think it's a combination of both. Yes, the Chinese are poor, but it's also true that dog-eating is a largely male activity that carries a certain meaning. It's a gross, masculine indulgence, like doing a big, smoky burnout at the Dairy Queen or smoking cigars.

That sort of thing is uncouth, and so is poverty. Ergo, eating dog is objectively uncouth regardless of cultural context.

(ETA I don't like dogs, though. Would hate to have one enter my home.)

[–]Insider 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

China's entire history had several periods of famine. They eat a larger variety of animals, numerous animal parts, and insects too.

Only a small percent of the population eats dogs and insects. It usually depends on the region. I think the dog needs to be a certain type of breed too. Pretty sure it's got nothing to do with masculinity.

[–]TaseAFeminist4Jesus 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Best source I could find on dog consumption and masculinity: https://www.animalsasia.org/assets/pdf/2015_FOF_reports-report4_A4-EN-20150609_low.pdf

"Women are far less likely to eat dog and cat meat than men."

Another one: https://sentientmedia.org/dog-for-dinner-blasphemy-or-hypocrisy/.

What it says is that dog is viewed as a cure for impotence, and that a cooked dog is a traditional gift to a family blessed by a male child.

[–]Insider 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

What it says is that dog is viewed as a cure for impotence, and that a cooked dog is a traditional gift to a family blessed by a male child.

I haven't heard about that stuff from any of my mainland friends in terms of dog eating, but it seems to me that females are just more sensitive to social stigmas. I've met a lot of females that don't think there's anything particularly wrong in eating dogs, but they just don't eat it themselves (some have tried it before). I only know one Chinese dude who might eat dogs about once or twice a year.

Cat eating seems really rare, but there is some sort of leopard/panther dish (which I think is illegal in China). They also eat donkey, which is slightly more popular.

[–]TaseAFeminist4Jesus 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I haven't heard about that stuff from any of my mainland friends in terms of dog eating, but it seems to me that females are just more sensitive to social stigmas.

Yeah, agreed. And to be clear, I don't put too much stock in the whole male/female thing. My dad used to tell me to eat oysters, frog legs, chicken livers, etc. to "put hair on my chest." You could put that in an academic paper, but I don't consider it an integral part of American culture LOL.

Cat eating seems really rare

I was surprised it was mentioned in that article I linked. Never have I looked at a cat and thought, "man, that looks like some good eatin' there!". And I'm from Louisiana.