Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Blue Tongues

I realize this is out of order but the post below made me think of another issue in Singapore's society. When my relatives made the move, natives asked if their dog had a blue tongue. They explained that it was senseless to try to bring a dog with a blue tongue (such as some Chows) into the country because they were considered a delicacy. Black-tongued dogs were tasty but not prime and pink-tongued dogs were the equivalent of American hot dogs (only you know what you're eating when you have pink-tongued dog).

Since their dog had a pink tongue, they were unworried. Then one day, the dog disappeared from their yard, only the cut lease remained. Nobody knows if the dog was eaten or just taken because it was a pest (it was a yippy little thing that never stopped barking).

One of my former students ate a dog in Thailand and said it was very good. He selected a puppy before the meal (like Americans do to lobsters) and they prepared and cooked it at the table. Considering the U.S. kills millions of dogs every year because no one will adopt them, I have no problem with someone else eating them. Better in some hungry kid's stomach than a landfill.

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