by Kathryn Hood

Created on: February 22, 2009

We were born human. Most humans are carnivores. We eat meat. These are survival rules that have not been changed for thousands and thousands of years. What type of meat is determined by many factors, such as location and social acceptance. Eating dog meat is not an inhuman act, but in the minds of most Americans it is not an acceptable selection for human consumption.

Location influences dietary standards due to the availability of certain types of animals. People eat what they can catch or raise. Some areas are conducive to supporting multiple animal lifeforms. Other areas are limited in what types of animals can survive and thrive. In America we have cattle, pig, and chicken farms throughout the land. We raise animals to support our dietary needs. Transportation issues have been resolved and technology has advanced so that we may keep the meat fresh (or frozen) until it is consumed. If we lived in another, less advanced civilization without the conveniences of refrigeration, rapid transportation, and mass production we would have to rely on other types of meats to provide the protein our human bodies require. For example, in Cambodia monkey meat is eaten because it is available. Countries in other global locations eat the animals that are available in their areas. For instance, kangaroos are eaten in Australia. In the past, Americans have survived on rabbits, squirrels, turtles, hedgehogs, raccoons, alligators, and even opossums. Deer, horses, and buffalo were eaten too because they are a good source of our needed nourishment and they were available at the time.

Hunger isn't selective. It's the human mind that has problems with justifying what is acceptable to eat and what is not. In Korea dog meat is considered very tasty and a good choice. At some point, in America, dogs were raised above the other animals. We now consider them pets, companions, or part of the family instead of animals. Perhaps it is their intelligence, their appearance of trying to please us, and their friendliness that touches our hearts. American society has determined that eating dogs is not acceptable. We simply rejected the thought of dogs being a source of meat. We chose to eliminate dog meat from our diet. But if dogs were the only source of protein and there were no other animal substitute to quench our hunger, we would eat dog meat and change our moral codes to adapt to the need. If Americans were raised to believe pigs were filthy creatures and not fit to eat, we would not be dining on ham at our holiday celebrations. It is a matter of mind selection.

We were born human. Most of us are carnivores. We eat meat. Eating dog meat isn't inhuman, instead it is very human. It just isn't acceptable. Hopefully the need to change this attitude will never become an issue.

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