Beijing's Dogs: Main Course or Man's Best Friend?
Experiencing new cultures, meeting new people, and sampling local cuisine are some of the most satisfying parts of traveling overseas. Sometimes we end up dining on lobster and caviar, other times the offerings are pig's feet and thousand-year-old eggs. But during August and September, one thing definitely won't be on Beijing's menus: dog.
Dog meat isn't especially popular in China, but it is enjoyed by many Koreans living in Beijing. It is said to be a good dish for those with high blood pressure, and frequent nighttime urination.
As a way "to respect the dining customs of different countries," however, a directive from the Beijing Food Safety Office has ordered dog meat off the menus of officially designated Olympic restaurants. Donkey, on the other hand, is still fair game.
This isn't the first time an Olympic host country has had to alter its menu for foreign palates; South Korea made a similar menu adaptation when it hosted the 1988 Games.
While it's possible that dog meat will still be as popular as ever after the Olympics, the growth of citywide dog ownership might challenge this meat on the menu. In 2007, Beijing had 703,897 registered dogs, up from 600,096 the year before.
Despite this growth, Beijing is not quite a doggie paradise, as it still maintains strict regulations regarding the height of canines throughout the city. All dogs owned by Beijingers must be smaller than 1.1 feet, though foreign diplomats can own larger Golden Retrievers or even Great Danes.
While it is nice to know that you can confidently walk through the Beijing streets without fear that you will step in the remains of larger dogs, many residents are frustrated by these regulations. Even a Paralympic medalist can't register a Seeing Eye dog for the Olympic opening ceremony.
On the whole, however, officials have been a little more lenient on dog regulations, and the November 2006 dog raid, during which thousands of unregistered dogs were killed, seems to be a thing of the past.
But even if more dogs are confiscated, at least they won't end up on anyone's plates.