Since coming to Japan, I have eaten more whole sea creatures than I had in all my days prior. Whether it's just grilling a whole fish, and slapping it down on a plate (head, tail and all), or the squids and cuttle fish we ate (all but the entrails and beak). Well, the other day, my host dad comes running in the house with this white box. I had pretty much just woken up, but he calls me out on the back porch to show me what was inside. He popped it open and inside were four large crabs, still fizzing at the mouth, and moving their legs. He then proceeded to explain that "they're still alive right now, but tonight we will eat them." wow... The weird thing about it, is that Part of Japan's religion (shinto) holds to the idea that spirits of deity are found in Nature, including plants animals and the like. The Japanese live very closely with Nature; everyone here is super green. We have five different recycling bins, even at school, and even before one eats there is a phrase one should say that essentially means 'please give me your life' (recognizing that that which is sustaining you was also once alive, but had to give up its own life so that you could keep on living). Even in spite of all this, tho, there are so many things here that would have PETA flipping out. Not that I am an extreme rights activist or anything, for the most part I don't care, but it's just odd that there are such stark inconsistencies. You should see the pet shops here, they are like animal Ghettos. I haven't yet been to the zoo, but I hear it's equally as depressing.
6 comments:
It's a tough job being an animal in Japan and even harder in China. In both places the animals are probably begging to be eaten because being eaten would end their lives of misery.
There sure are inconsistencies. In fact, the most recent Time Magazine has an article about how the Japanese are severely over-fishing. I don't get too upset about global warming - this ball has a temperature cycle all its own. But the rate at which tuna are fished versus that at which they can reproduce is hard science, and if common sense doesn't win out over money and tuna-lust, we will all be eating tofuna maki for the rest of our lives.
Sincerely,
Iron Chef Missouri
one time when i was 6, my dad brought home live lobsters and set them loose on the floor of our kitchen. i was terrified....
So how were they?
Don't think I would want to visit an pet store or zoo there then, I am rather a sucker for animals in distress. Sad, however, that many people view the plight of animals as more important than the plight of fellow human beings, if not in word then in deed. Thanks for the update, how was cave demon?
Luke-san, the crabs are beginning to smell. Everyday I look...still crabs. Everyday the crabs. Something new would kill you?
Would you like me to give you a topic? Here's one. The Holy Roman Empire. It was neither holy nor was it Roman. Discuss.
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