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Pology Magazine  -  Adventures in Travel and World Culture.
Travel and World Culture   
 Philippines
 Photo: Simon Gurney
Philippines
 Photo: Simon Gurney

Kiangan, Philippines: Man's Best Friend Over Rice (cont.)

Since it was already dead they figured they might as well eat it.  The man was calmed by this and happily accepted their invitation to join them for dinner.  This great variance in cultural values and mores makes it so that one group’s taboo is another’s tradition.  After all, are some Hindus not as appalled by people eating cows as we are by those who eat dogs?           

Still trying to convince ourselves that our disgust toward dog meat was merely a culturally-learned bias, Jordan and I remained glued to our chairs.  The mayor persisted in his efforts to have us join in the partaking.  Every few minutes he would alternate between “Won’t you try any?” and “Please, you must eat.”  

From the lingering, good-natured smiles it was obvious that all the Filipinos were enjoying this.  Perhaps it was their polite insistence, our rumbling tummies, or the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before us, but eventually we decided, in silent solidarity, to defy our cultural canons. 

For me, the decision to eat meat had already been made, and I was determined not to be put off.  One look between us tipped the scales as we stood and prepared, in slightly somber unison, to take the culinary plunge.            

Laid out on the table before us was an overwhelming amount of food.  As we approached, apprehensively, a man sitting nearby explained what the two meat choices were.  “This one,” he said, pointing to a dimpled, brown mass, “is regular, with special sauce.”  It looked like your run-of-the-mill marinated and cubed variety.  “And this one,” he emphasized, gesturing with grandeur, “is...”  He trailed off and turned to his fellow Filipinos, speaking Tagalog, the local dialect. 

Another man offered assistance.  “The translation for that one is ‘menstrual,’ but in English they say ‘bloody bloody’.  It’s cooked in its own blood and considered a delicacy.”  Another shocking twist.  Drawing the line in my adventuresome threshold, I opted to forgo the menstrual meat and stuck with the special sauce.  Onto my plate I stacked the sticky rice, piled on the dog, and then took my seat, mentally gearing up for the moment of truth.

Before digging in, we were handed mugs of moonshine to accompany the meal.  The lukewarm, homemade, gin-like liquid was filled to the brim; I wedged it between my knees, ready to grab and chug should the first bite prove offensive. 

I could hardly believe that I was about to eat dog.  Taking a deep breath and holding it, I sank my teeth into a forkful, firewater at the ready.  Chewing tentatively, trying to extract only the tiniest of tastes, I was reminded, pleasantly, of the last time I ate beef.  So far, so good. 

With growing confidence I chewed more vigorously, wanting to get the full flavor.  I couldn’t believe my taste buds: it was delicious!  No longer needing to wash down the potentially unappealing meat, I sipped the booze as if it were fine wine.  I took a second bite, savoring this moment with deliberate detail: the squeak of teeth against flesh, the heavy aroma of red meat, the feel of juices flowing across my tongue. 

I was feeling euphoric and energized.  It may have simply been my body’s positive reaction to eating red meat for the first time in six years; or perhaps a physiological reaction to consuming canine specifically.  A popular notion, possibly shared by some of the Filipino men I was dining with, is that it heightens sexual prowess.  Did I already mention that I was the only woman there?
           
The eating of dog is not the norm in the Philippines.  However, the greatest concentration of dog eaters do reside in Asia.  China, consuming six to eight million dogs a year, and Korea, at just over one million, are the pack leaders.  Many animal rights groups and governmental organizations have spoken out against the slaughter and sale of companion animals for food.  It is no wonder, considering the common ‘torture equals taste’ philosophy; a belief that perpetuates extremely barbaric killing methods.  Sometimes presided over by the customer, dogs can be subjected to slow hanging, bone-breaking beatings, and dehairing with a blow torch, all while the animal remains alive.  According to Chinese belief, the prolonging of suffering will make the meat tastier; in Korea it is opined that the meat imparts more virility if it is saturated in adrenaline.       

Without prior knowledge of the dog meat trade or its popular practices, I remained content.  Seeing the empty plate in my lap, I looked over at Jordan who had devoured his meal as well.  Meeting his gaze, I flashed him a look that said, “I’m going for it.”  Hungry for more, and knowing how pleased the Filipino men would be, I got up for seconds.  The mountainous piles of food seemed untouched; only the meat-streaked, empty plates scattered about revealed otherwise.  Portioning myself more, I sank back into my chair and recommenced feeding.  Perhaps someday I would return to vegetarianism, but something told me that once you go dog, you never go back.

 

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