> Most average people I speak to (UK) still ask if if people eat dog meat and proclaim China is communist.
What do you answer? We have a saying in Austria that Chinese eat everything that throws a shadow (I don’t approve of this, just recount), and I as an uninformed person don’t know what to call it instead of communism (sure, not the traditional kind).
I would describe China's economy system as capitalism. There is however the caveat that the government has a history with interfering with private ownership to pursue its interests, and their law has a history of approving that. This is different from e.g. the USA where the law is very propetive of private ownership and the law usually sides with it against the government.
I would say that with respect to this metric Russia and the EU are somewhere in between.
That's pretty funny. I think its ok to let yourself approve - just make sure you have banter about every nationality's cuisine.
I was eating with a Chinese client who at various times had served dishes like donkey and tree frog, and I really couldn't tell what I was eating but it sure was unusual. I asked what it was and the client chewed his food, paused thoughtfully for a minute and then reported "I think it is some type of meat". If I have ever eaten something furry that we keep as pets, that might have been the time.
FWIW, the Cantonese themselves say they eat anything with four legs except tables, anything that flies except planes, and anything that swims except submarines.
I reply with what I saw and discussed with natives: Typically dog meat consumption is isolated to smaller cities or rural areas. Older generations are more comfortable eating dog meat and younger generations (especially educated individuals) dislike it. Consumption is mostly a factor of social economic status. Anecdotally, while admittedly I most worked in a single city, I did take time to travel to a number of different cities/provinces and not once did I ever see a ???? (Dog meat restaurant).
Actually, if you permit me to give a personal opinion: I find it quite strange that we bias one animal over another for consumption (cow vs dog). I understand the moral connection to pets, but it seems slightly illogical to have one be taboo other the other for consumption. After all they are both animals. Also, it’s interesting that in the UK people turn their nose up at offal, when it seems like a more total and efficient usage of an animals meat.
I’m vegetarian though (which was a complete nightmare in China).
Have you ever been to the Miao areas of china before? Dog meat is pretty ubiquitous in those places. Like, many westerners visit Guilin, and it’s very easy to run into dog meat there.
Authoritarian is the most valid label. It has a mixed market economy, which the government claim is the necessary first stage in their long term goal of socialism.
What do you answer? We have a saying in Austria that Chinese eat everything that throws a shadow (I don’t approve of this, just recount), and I as an uninformed person don’t know what to call it instead of communism (sure, not the traditional kind).
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