With good timing, the JoonAng Daily ran this fascinating story on the dog meat trade here. So much for my being riveted by the sight of a dog carcass or two in the meat case. Turns out that the nearby market does the on-site slaughtering as well. I was also surprised to read that rottweilers are used for food as well:
��Whap. Whap. Whap.��
��That��s not it. Let��s try another,�� says the dog handler while lifting a long metal rod to hit another dog��s back. Navigating the rod expertly between the bars of a cage where a dozen dogs are herded together, it��s only the noise of the stick that breaks the rhythmic sound of the rain. ��Whap. Whap. Whap.��
��There is a certain sound when there is the right amount of meat,�� explains the handler, a man in his 40s, his half-closed eyes searching the cage. After intensely listening to the different sounds he finally nods his head in satisfaction and points to a medium-sized dog of light brown color. ��That should do it,�� he says.
A noose attached to a stick is now in the hands of the handler who aims the device inside the cage for the marked dog. The yelping dogs scatter to the corners of the cage, trying to avoid the fishing noose. ��They know what��s coming,�� he says. It takes some 10 minutes until the ��light brown one�� is caught. The man, pulling the struggling dog behind him, goes to a nearby spartan room. A sharp stick is hanging on the wall and there is a steel container in one corner. Next to it is a round, white tumbling box. While pressing the dog��s head to the floor with the noose device, the other free hand reaches for the stick. It��s electrically tipped. ��Tens of thousands of volts in here,�� says the handler in a matter of fact tone. A slight touch to the head of the dog is all that is needed. Death comes almost instantly. In a few seconds the twitching body stops moving. Legs stop trembling.
Now the carcass is thrown into the steel container that contains hot boiling water which the handler says is kept at 70 degrees Celsius (158 Fahrenheit) around the clock. It is used to soften the meat and make the process of separating the fur from the body easier. After some stirring, the body is thrown into the tumble dryer that removes the fur. The bare carcass is now carried over to a grill that is next to the cage.
There the handler uses a torch to burn away any remaining fur. Then comes the chopping.
��What about the internal organs?�� the dog handler asks me. I don��t take the organs but another customer waiting in line is not shy about asking for them, because for some dog meat lovers, they are considered a delicacy. The whole ordeal takes about half an hour. The price: 150,000 won ($153) at the Gyeongdong Market in Jegi-dong, central Seoul.
The current going rate for one dog starts at 120,000 won and can be as high as 200,000 won. Between stands of peanuts sellers and vegetable stands there are shops that advertise with billboards: Dog meat. Some shops have their cages filled with dogs right next to their stands. Customers that want a whole dog place their order and wait while the meat is often prepared nearby. Separate pieces are usually sold by weight, 5,000 won per geun (1.3 pounds/0.6 kilograms)....
n line with the country��s ancient folk calendar, dog meat lovers eat gaejangguk (dog-meat soup), which is believed to make up for energy lost during summer heat. Dog meat is also used in gaesoju, a mixed drink that includes dog meat and other herbal ingredients used in Oriental medicine such as antlers. The ingredients are put together and boiled. The mixture is then divided into small vinyl packs that doctors tell their customers to eat daily. Another commonly served dish is sliced dog meat. A whole dog usually costs around 300,000 won in restaurants....
Though in the past it was largely considered a stamina food for males, Lee Nam-gyu, a taxi driver who occasionally eats dog meat with his friends, has other reasons to eat the dish. ��Doctors say it��s good for getting back in shape after a surgery or to heal broken bones,�� says Lee. ��It��s the tenderness of the meat that feels like it��s melting on my tongue. If you ask me, it��s like eating beef or chicken.��
Some dogs are hanged or beaten with a stick, methods that supposedly make the meat softer, according to industry insiders, but science has yet to find its way into this area. ��It��s all a myth that has no scientific proof yet,�� says Kim Du-hwan, a professor of animal resources technology at Jinju National University. He adds that with beef and pork, the preferred method is to stun the pig or cow unconscious and then bleed it to death by cutting the throat. He explains that how relaxed an animal is before the slaughter determines the meat quality. ��If the muscles are contracted than you��ll have meat that is tough,�� the professor says.
Aware of the potential fallout that the city��s decision could cause, other government agencies here are trying to keep their distance.
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