Dogs bound for dinner plates in China’s capital will get a break during the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. The Independent reports:
The Beijing Catering Trade Association (Beta) has forbidden all 112 specially designated Olympic restaurants to provide dog-meat dishes during the Games, and “strongly advised” other establishments to take canine cuisine off the menu too.
Dog is mostly eaten by Beijing’s large Korean community, but the Chinese have eaten dog for 7,000 years, and it is widely believed to have medicinal qualities. Xiong Yumei, vice-director of the Beijing Tourism Bureau, told the Xinhua news agency that waiters should “patiently” suggest another dish if dog-meat was ordered. “Conflicts should be avoided,” she said, adding that when eaten for medicinal purposes, the canine ingredient should be clearly listed.
