 Let's be civilised now - no fighting over who gets the crunchy tail.
November 26, 2008 7:16 PM
Dog Meat Delegates
PYONGYANG - "Let's see by a show of hands, who won't be having sweet meat? Five? We're going then."
With that quick vote, it was decided that a delegation of 21 South Koreans visiting Pyongyang this month for a conference would be having an extravagant lunch where every one of the eight courses would be a dog meat delicacy.
"A once-in-a-lifetime experience!" a North Korean official chaperoning the group said enthusiastically.
While South Korea, mindful of its overseas image and the criticism attached in the West to eating dogs, has made the practice more discreet and better regulated, isolated North Korea attaches no public stigma to consuming the meat.
Dog meat restaurants in the South are usually back-alley fare catering to middle-aged men. In the North, dog meat has become a celebrated part of the culture served at its best dining halls to the few in the impoverished state who can afford it.
Dog meat is eaten in other countries in Asia, including Vietnam. In South Korea, "boshin-tang" which translates as "health preserving soup" is usually braised meat, stewed in a spicy broth and served with steamed rice. But marinated ribs, as found in North Korea, are rare.
In the North's capital, the recipe calls for less spice,
presumably to highlight the natural flavour of the ingredients,
and a variety of cuts are served for a leisurely meal
accompanied by rice wine.
Defectors in the South said Korean cuisine, which varies
according to region, undergoes further change in the North
because there is less money for elaborate spices and
ingredients. This means food is simpler in the North, the taste
is lighter and little is wasted.
SWEET AND SOFT
The pungent odour of dog meat is far more noticeable in the
North's cuisine with its fewer spices, leading a few uneasy
Southerners to forego the feast. They were instead served a set
that included chicken, fish, shrimp and vegetables.
"You want to go easy at first, or else, near the end, you
won't have any room left," said Shim Jae-hwan, a human rights
attorney from Seoul who was part of the South Korean delegation
dining at the Pyongyang Sweet Meat Restaurant.
Following a bowl of clear broth for a starter, an
impressive roast was served, its texture soft and sweet as it
easily tore from a 15-cm (6-inch) segment of the vertebra.
Then came an assortment of meat in a variety of sauces, one
more exotic than the next, and the meal ends with a hearty bowl
of spicy soup and rice.
The North's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il is said to be a
fan of dog meat, and state media said he often offers advice on
how the dish should be prepared, such as: "To get the broth
right, the meat should be cooked with its skin intact."
Together with restaurant Okryu-kwan, which seats nearly
10,000 people a day and is known for Pyongyang's trademark dish
of cold noodles, the Pyongyang Sweet Meat Restaurant has become
a popular spot among the North's elite and visitors from the
South.
The restaurant near the Taedong River in central Pyongyang
can accommodate more than 2,000 people a day and manager Pak
Song-suk boasts all the meat comes from home-grown canine.
"Sweet meat is considered the best remedy when the appetite
is low because of hot weather or fatigue," a feature article in
the North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.
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