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www.groovekorea.com / January 2015 60 fOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) L et me say right off the bat that I love dogs. I love them enough to feed them leftovers still con- sumable for humans. I love them enough to give them pensive kisses on the head and let them give me sloppy kisses on the hands, arms, neck and face. Dog owners who let their dogs lick their mouths give me the willies, but I can’t deny that a few silver-tongued devil dogs have slipped me the tongue while I was off my guard. I no longer cry when a dog I’ve loved dies (because there’ve been so many dogs I’ve loved), but when a good dog dies in a movie I find myself fighting tears of wholesome sentiment. I might even love dogs enough to put my own person in minimal physical danger to save one of them. Nevertheless, I ate dog soup last Saturday, and it was scrumptious. Don’t freak out. My directives I’ve resided in Korea for the past six years, and Korea has a history of indulging in ca- nine flesh. Its popularity is in decline as dogs increasingly occupy the home and heart in- stead of the pen and plate, but it must be understood: In a country where meat used to be a delicacy and grazing animals like cattle, sheep, goats and pigs were few or non-ex- istent, hearty dog and seafood became main protein staples. Nowadays it’s still on restau- rant menus, so I gave it a shot. But before some of you get squeamish, let it be known that I did not eat anyone’s pet. Dogs intended for the boiling pot have no oth- er destiny but the boiling pot — they’re born and raised for this purpose, just like cows and chickens, just like other livestock. Thus, my sensibilities against animal cruelty are not offended by dog meat. I believe animals are here to serve humanity and that humanity has the responsibility to treat them with respect and wise management. As long as we’re not causing them undue harm in the process, eat- ing animals that are in great supply doesn’t in- fringe upon these directives. For me, treating animals humanely means treating them as if we are human, not as if they were. Still, I get it. There are a lot of nasty things associated with dog meat, like the tendency Dog soup for the soul An expat tackles controversy over lunch Story by Colby Mathews / photos by Colby Mathews and andres Rodriguez