Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to express my view on the consumption of dog meat. I have read Pat’s letter dated May 2, 2017 which is supporting dog meat eating. However, I hold some reservation on her ideas and I think that dog-meat eating should be banned.
First of all, she said that dog meat eating is a tradition of many Asian societies which should be respected. However, tradition can actually be changed. We should not follow the tradition if it is bad for us, even though it has been there for many years. We do have some traditions which are dangerous and bad for our health banned in Hong Kong. For example, we would play firecrackers during Lunar New Year. It is a tradition in China. However, it is too dangerous to play in Hong Kong which is in a lack of open space. Therefore, it has been banned. Also, there is a traditional habit that the Chinese women would bind their feet. It was bad for our health so it was also banned. Back to the case on dog meat eating, it is not good for dogs so why don’t we ban this as well?
Besides, it is not sensible to eat dog meat just because of its nutritional value. Our human flesh also has nutrition. But if he or she is our dad and mum, would we eat them because they have nutritional value? No, right? We do not only care about the nutritional value, but also the relationship. Dogs are our companions. Therefore, we should not eat them just because of their nutritional value.
Moreover, Chan said that dogs can be an alternative source of food in places where resources are scarce, easing the problem of food shortage. But does this problem really exist? Some of the places are well-developed such as Hong Kong. There is not the problem of food shortage in Hong Kong but food wastage. Therefore, it is just the problem that the food distribution is uneven. We should distribute the food evenly but not eat a new type of food.
Furthermore, dogs do have differences from other animals. Dogs give us comfort. They are our companions. When we are upset, they will always stay with us. However, other animals such as cows, pigs would not understand our feelings. Therefore, it is still torturous to eat dog meat.
In conclusion, there is no more excuse to eat dog meat. We should not maltreat our best friends.
Yours faithfully,
Christina Lo