An act of savagery toward animals
By charms88
@charms88 (7538)
Philippines
February 22, 2007 9:05am CST
This story was told by my father a few years ago. He went to China with some of his friends to do some business. One evening, the director of the company in China treated them to a 10 course chinese dishes. When the waiter brought down a new dish, everybody took a bite and altogether agreed that the dish was delicious and that they haven't tasted anyhting like that before. The director, then, told them to look down under the table. When my father looked down, his stomach almost turned over at the sight. There was a little monkey with his brain cut open and barely alive. The monkey was held down with something that looked like a metal steel on both sides of its head. My father including his friends was so shocked and numbed that nobody uttered a single word. When he came home and relate to me the story, I cried for days. I can't stop thinking about the pain the monkey must be suffering. My father told me that it was very normal in China to eat monkey. Now I can understand if its chicken, beef or pork. But I have never heard anything like this before. I even heard that some people are eating turtles, rabbits and even dogs. To this day, I still can't forget about the monkey. Isn't it cruel and inhumane to kill monkeys like that?
5 people like this
8 responses
@BlackBay (584)
• Canada
22 Feb 07
It really makes a person wonder if we really live in a civilized world!My cousin worked in China for several years and he was also invited to a High-End resturant where this was offered and he refused to eat it and his clients took offense to his refusal to eat it. He had to explain that it wasn't a custom in his country to eat such exotics if you will.When we visit these countries we have to be perpared to experience something that is not the norm for us. Many countries have shocking traditions, rituals, delicatesies that are there way of life but Shocking to us.
2 people like this
@mobyfriend (1017)
• Netherlands
23 Feb 07
I've heard from the director of our local zoo that in China it is normal to eat everything that moves. This is part of their culture and also understandable because China has such a big population. You may feel it's cruel what happened to that monkey but in our western world chicken, cows and pigs are slaughtered very inhumanely also. I feel sorry for your dad that he had to see this.I can understand why he would feel sick.
1 person likes this
@mobyfriend (1017)
• Netherlands
23 Feb 07
I had the same things with rabbits. After i had seen a rabbit hanging stripped from a hook I could never eat rabbit meat again. I was about nine then.
I have been a vegetarian for the past 8 years because of all this.
1 person likes this
@foxfirethree (150)
• United States
23 Feb 07
What a horrible thing to do! I won't get that picture out of my mind for some time to come. That is beyond animal cruelty!! If they must eat monkey, they should at least kill them humanely. Yes, you are right, it is cruel AND inhumane.
1 person likes this
@lovesfreedom (1245)
• United States
23 Feb 07
This is one of the most cruel and disgusting things I have ever heard. Oh my heart is just aching for that little guy! Why don't people see that this type of thing has no place in society, anybody's society. Why was the poor thing left to live through that torture? There is no rhyme or reason for this!
1 person likes this
@rarrimalion (674)
• United States
22 Feb 07
when i lived in china i never saw anything like that. It's probably pretty rare for them to do. I agree though it is inhumane but people do stuff like that all time...think of what we do to lobsters here to eat them? thats pretty sick and cruel too. What makes one animal deserve our sympathy more? I feel bad for all of them that are killed in cruel and unusual ways.
1 person likes this
@hunnybunns (14)
• United States
23 Feb 07
That is horrible, I could never imagine what I would have done. You're right Chicken and Pork are one thing but a Monkey!?
1 person likes this
@ethanmama (1745)
• Philippines
14 Mar 07
Hi, Charms. Finally saw this thread. I agree that this is a very cruel practice, but actually it's not very common.
You see, I'm of Chinese descent. I only heard about this, but never saw this in all of my 36 years of life. I think it's considered a very expensive, very exclusive dish. Even so, I cannot imagine eating such a dish. As in, no way! Poor monkey. I agree that the hosts might as well kill the monkey first rather that serve it still alive. It's not what kind of animal, it's how cruel the whole procedure is. If a pig or chicken or cow or even fish were served the same way, we would have probably reacted the same way. I remember cringing when my Ilocano hosts served us "jumping salad", it's live shrimp on a platter, I'll not describe the whole process of eating it.
I think humans really have a great capacity to be cruel. Some people hunt for game just for sport, isn't that cruel too? We also have different methods of torture not just for animals, but for fellow humans.
