According to Guy Lynn in "Cane Rat Meat 'Sold to Public' in Ridley Road Market", butchers at a major meat market in London sell large quantities of a type of African rat, other bush meat, and illegally prepared sheep and goat meat (2012). Lynn reports that a BBC investigation discovered these sales, which the shop owners subsequently denied, and that local government officials had done nothing to stop this criminal activity. The article says that local councillor Feryal Demirci told the BBC team that they "have only received a single complaint regarding the sale of illegal meat" since 2009, and that that report was not proved.
It was the words "cane rat meat" in the title that caught my eye because this reminded me of visiting villages in Sukothai and other provinces where rat from the rice fields was on the local menu. I wasn't keen to try them myself, but they looked perfectly clean and, I guess, edible. They certainly seemed popular with the local villagers, who did kindly offer to share the plumb fur balls they had caught. And that reminds me of visits Chiangrai, where dog seems always on the menu. The first time I visited, I was travelling with my youngest brother, and we had popped into a restaurant in a small town for lunch. We couldn't read the menu, but the helpful owner or cook suggested a few dishes, including a duck dish. When the duck arrived, it tasted fine, but seemed a bit odd: the bones were not like duck bones, and the taste, even with the added spices, didn't seem quite normal. A few questions clarified the confusion: the owner had not been saying "duck", but "dog". Dog certainly seemed right. But we'd already tried it, so continued with our meal, although we might not have chosen that particular dish had we not misheard the main ingredient.
That's my personal memory that interested me in the story, but it also reminded me of a more serious social and political issue: the unhealthy amount of government interference in people's lives. As proven from the almost daily evidence against current Thai drug policy, when governments unjustly try to control people's personal decisions, the result is usually a total failure that benefits only corrupt police and other officials, and mafia gangs. The same thing happens in the illegal meat trade. People obviously want to eat rats and other bush meat, and making it illegal for no good reason does not stop them. The result is obvious. When something that harms no one else is made illegal, people happily break the law and buy rats from Ghana, heroin from Burma and wine from France. The sensible, just, and most practical, solution is to legalise all of these things and only punish real crimes. If rats sales are legal, then respectable business people will do it openly and standards can be properly regulated, making it safer for buyers and society. If the "smokies" (sheep prepared by blow torching off the fleece) are legal, the meat can again be legally tested for safety, better protecting consumers than is possible whilst the practice is a criminal offence. And of course, if these things were all legalized, they can be taxed. Legalization, as usual, leads to a lot of benefits and to no harm.
The strange thing is that so many people continue to support unjust laws of this type. How many people, for example, oppose the perfectly immoral Thai and US laws, among many such, that irrationally and hypocritically criminalise some recreational drugs and not others? All these unjust laws do is cost tax payers an enormous amount for a complete failure, encourage corruption, harm citizens and their children, and profit mafia groups. This seems both immoral and a very silly to me. It's much better for society and individuals to treat adults as adults. If they want to eat rats, let them and protect them.
__________
Reference
ReplyDeletePeter, I disagreed with you. As you said before the government should bring illegal things to become common things which are everyone can buy easily while the government tried to control its’ quality and get some tax from its. I thought it might be disadvantage for two reasons. Firstly, A corruption still occur because during transition period before using new policy and after that, meat dealers shall do anything to get a permission of meat selling and it still have a gap which bad officers can use for make corruption and gain much money from the dealers. Second, buyers still take any risk from those meats because of a lack of quality control and tracking process from the government. Although the government announced the enforcement seriously, it still has a lack because many of officers might think that this problem is a bit problem and they have a lot of serious problem or things which they made contracts with their conspiracies or their supporters felt serious more, such as the first car‘s tax refunding, political issue refunding money and Thailand’s water flood refunding money.
By the way, I had heard that in eastern of Thailand provinces, I do not want to refer the name, they eat dogs and some of them also have cat meat. To proof these are real dogs they provided heads of dog at the front of restaurants. Fortunately; I heard that for a long time ago. Nowadays, it might be old fashion for them eaten the dogs.
I like Bas's disagreement. It's clearly stated and he presents the right sort of supporting reasons for it.
DeleteWould anyone like to support me by replying to Bas's reasons?
This is such a different issue, I decided to respond in a new comment.
DeleteI named Chiangrai as the province where I first tried dog meat, and when I visited again about six years ago, my friend's family in the village was very keen to offer the same as a special meal one night. Again, I wasn't particularly keen on it, but it seemed more polite to eat at least a little.
I don't think that there is anything wrong with honestly and respectfully stating a truth, even if some people do not like it, even if some people might be very offended, telling truths is not a bad thing, and is necessary for knowledge and well informed opinion.
I can't see why people from Sakhon Nakhon or Nakhon Phanom should get upset because people state as relevant facts what is true. If they don't like those facts, they might do something to change them, but pretending they are not true is unlikely to improve a situation.
And in any case, why would eating dogs or cats be any worse than eating rat, pork, chicken, beef or horse?
Is there any reason why should eat pork and beef but not dogs and cats?
Actually, it will have a corruption in bringing illegal to common but we shouldn’t think them both together. Because today corruption problem have occurred even if eating rat or dog doesn’t set up to be legal. We should find a solution of corruption problem isolate.
DeleteIn my opinion, I agree with peter. For example about eating dog, we have problem of stealing dogs- pets if it is legal, people who sell dog will open dog farm like pig farm and make it with clean. Moreover, it isn’t old fashion as you can see in about two last month news that show police catch only one group of people who try to export dog for making food in more than 1000 dogs , sell 500-1000 baht each. This supports about tax.
However, it should have a reliable research about eat dog or else that it is safe before setting to common.
I agreed with you, Peter, that the truth is the truth and everyone should not shy to say truth. In contrast, some of Thai people do not think like that because it often might be harm to them when they say true story, for example, have you ever heard some corruption in many of Thai forces? Especially, Thai army. It is sound like GT200 story, GT200 is handle bomb detector device,. GT200 is proofed by many countries and many scientists and the result reported that it does not work to detect any kind of bomb. In addition, the Thai scientists who did not believe it’s functions formed the test team and made the test by using other staffs to hide the bomb and using expertise officers to find the bomb and the result came out in the same way which proofed before that it cannot detect any bomb even though they used the new device and the experts in the test, it still made fewer score than using bomb detectable dogs.Moreover, in other countries, they made a cross-section of GT200 and inside of GT200 did not have any type of electric or circuit in there. This sound likes this appliance used a mysterious power to find the bomb. However, when the government tried to find guilty persons and their conspiracy and accusing them. After that the high range military officers came out and confirmed this device able to detect the bomb by showing many pictures and information which all of them made fake and copied it from NVidia(which is the biggest graphic chipset company) Company’s information. These officers tried to make other Thai people believed in GT200’s function, but it’s still have some people did not believe them, especially Mr.JD300 at pantip.com (http://www.pantip.com/cafe/wahkor/) who is Thai scientist test team. And then after that a calling from highest general to him said something which threaten his family and let he stop his activities. This story had been being still silent since Mr.JD300 stopped his actions. This story showed what I said before.
DeletePeter, would you mind to let NVidia Company knows about this story? It might be good for NVidia Company to accuse Thai army and charge them for copyright fine. shall you sleep on it tonight?
http://topicstock.pantip.com/wahkor/topicstock/2010/02/X8923249/X8923249.html
Deletethis link shows the x-ray pictures of GT200 in comment number 88,91 and 96
The GT200 scandal really is a scandal - there was never any good reason for anyone to believe it worked, although ignorant people might have been easily fooled for a while.
DeleteI think people who still say it works are either liars or complete idiots. I can't see any other possible explanation for such a statement. The evidence is perfectly clear, as it always has been.
It's very depressing. I think the criminals who stole from the Thai people and put lives at risk by supporting this fraud should be in prison, but I can't see that happening this year.
I think that Bas's comment here is also extremely relevant to everything that academics do.
DeleteWhat is the connection? What do academics do?
I think that pushing 'eating rat' to legalise sounds good but a group of animal-lovers may protest on this topic.
ReplyDeletePeter, I have heard that someone who use to eat dog meat when you walk through any dogs they will fiecely bark to. Have it ever occur to you? ^^
I'm sure animal lovers are more worried about humans eating pigs, which are intelligent animals, than they are about us eating rats.
DeleteWhen I came across dogs after eating them, they didn't behave any differently than before. I don't think cows or pigs do either after we've been eating their relatives.
Peter, Do you know that the largest market of selling dog meat in Thailand is Bangkok? Even many people knew that but they do not where can buy it or where dog meat is used. It is really mysterious!
ReplyDeleteHowever,if trading dog or rat meat is legal, it would not be much effective because this eating happens in a small group of people as one family or sometimes with few neighbors. Most of laws could not cover some small area, especially when no one speaks. And absolutely, Thai police officers are very small number compared with the whole people and area. On the other hand, instead of legislating, we should create a new moral conscience into our culture. Make everyone accept that animals as dogs or rats are our friends or even sometimes it is raised and plays with us. When they see some dog meat or some news about dog killing, they will feel sad and guilty. While everyone feel the same as all, they will avoid to eat it or to support any activities involved to dog killing. This case is quickly spread and completely cover over all people.
I please to joy a little about corruption. If I were a richer and great scientist, I would find any ways to regenerate all rivers in Thailand. In Feng Shui, the dirtier water the more illegal. There is a case study about this belief. It happens in South Korea. In the past, corruption in South Korea were severe as today's Thailand. A Korean president announced that he would make all rivers in Seoul become clear and nature.After cleaning in Seoul, this policy spread covered all parts of Korea. As a result, the Korea corruption had been lightening.
Although it is difficult to accept this belief, regenerating all rivers is really good idea especially Klong Seang Sab in Bangkok.
It does sound reasonable that Bangkok is teh largest market for dog meat in Thailand. But how do you know this? Is there some evidence for it, or is it just what many people believe?
DeleteI guess that what I'm asking is whether you have a reliable source for this statement.
I like the idea of cleaning up the rivers, but I'm not sure it automatically means that corruption decreases because of a Feng Shui connection. As Aor tells us "it is difficult to accept this belief". In fact, I would not accept it without some strong evidence, such as solid statistical correlation between the dirtiness of rivers and levels of corruption. If true, it must mean that China is now one of the most corrupt countries on Earth, since their rapid economic development has also led to massive pollution. But I do like Aor's ideas, which are also great response writing: interesting ideas, clearly written down and developed from sentence to sentence.