I heard your report on Shark Fin Soup last Friday, and thought you might be interested in some of the latest news on this topic from Taiwan. First, we have just been determined to be the 4th largest shark catching nation in the world--Taiwanese fishermen catch 5.8% of the world's catch of shark (cf British conservation group TRAFFIC and US Pew Environmental Group's report released 27 Jan 2011).
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/
However, attitudes towards eating shark fin soup seem to be changing. A local environmental group called EAST (Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan) recently thanked Taiwan's 4 major convenience stores for agreeing to NOT sell shark fin soup products for the upcoming Chinese New Year. (Last year at this time, EAST circulated a petition about this, and sent it to the convenience stores, which are very popular in Taiwan. They offer a myriad of services including bill payment, train/movie ticket purchasing and an online menu for the most important family meal of the year, Chinese New Year dinner. The stores' management more or less ignored the petition last year...but this year have all come around to a more environmentally friendly stance.)
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/
I'm an English teacher in Taipei, and have gathered comments from my Taiwanese friends and students for you:
Shark fin soup doesn't taste like anything...I don't understand why people want to eat it. Sometimes the shark fin soup in the banquet is not the real one; then why eat it? My parents (65 and 70 yrs old) don't like shark fin either. Shark fin is not the food for people like us - middle class. It belongs more to rich people due to the high price. We think there is plenty of food that tastes better than shark fin!
--Yvonne, in her 30s
As far as I know, people in Taiwan enjoy shark fin soup because they believe that it makes your skin beautiful and it's nutritious. Maybe it is just a superstition.
I watched a movie in science class. It was about animals. The VCD also talked about shark fin soup and showed the process of fisherman getting the shark fins. I think it is very inhumane!
--Alexander, 10
It's true that sharp fin has its function toward our skin, because it has that substance like gelatin that can increase the elasticity of skin. But we can still get that from other food like pig knuckles.
As far as I'm concerned, being able to afford eating shark fin soup is something for those who want to show off their social status and wealth.
It is delicious, but there're lots of other delicious foods out there.
--Julie, in her 20s
I conducted a Shark Fin Soup Survey in my Kids (aged 9-12) and Teens classes this last weekend. Out of a total of 17 students, most of them have eaten Shark Fin Soup. Only 4 of them think it's delicious. A large majority of the students know the arguments against eating it, most of them having learned from TV. All the kids except one who know the reasons not to eat shark fin soup said they would not eat it if someone offered it to them. A slight majority (60%) of the teens said they would still eat it because "if they don't eat it, it will become garbage." The other 40% said they wouldn't eat it because it doesn't taste good. And all of the teens said they would not serve shark fin soup at their wedding banquet--the other main time Taiwanese eat it.
Thanks for your interesting programme!
Cheers
Lynn Conant
BBC listener in Taipei
Glad that we took part in the 2010 petition and that no shark fin soup in convenience stores this year. It's a pity that I missed the chance to share my comments to BBC, but I think it is still worth posting something here.
ReplyDeleteWedding banquet is the main occasion for me to have shark fin soup. The only reason I have it is because I do not want to waste food, nothing to do with its taste nor preciousness. Moreover I don't want to be the only one refusing the dish on the table. But after the petition I think it a different way. Proactive action should be taken. Certainly I won't argue with the host during such kind of occasion but I should stand firm on my faith, if I believe it is right.
Most my family do not think shark fin delicious either, but sadly they still have the perception that it is a necessary dish to show our hospitality to the guests. Though my sister and I failed to persuade the family not to have shark fin in my sister's wedding banquet, I would never stop promoting this idea to my family and friends.
If it's hard to change the older generation, we change ourselves first and re-educate the next generation. It may be late, but change should be made now - that's why we are here, being members of TiA, and, global citizens.
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ReplyDeleteI was so gald when I heard such a good news from Lynn! At least, we can see many things have been changing in a good way step by step. More and more people have noticed the issue that highlighted.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they may not stop eating shark fin right now. As we all know that it is a bit hard for people to change their mindset in a short term. It does not mean that people will never make changes.
We can foresee people will do the right thing to protect our envioronment!