Shark Fin Soup ... bleh !!

[Bratface]

I would talk to the manager and tell him I would not come to his restaurant again and why. I would then tell all of my friends and the local newspaper.

 

[WannaLaguna]

So I went to a "restaurant" in SD a couple nights ago and amid other atrocities such as chicken feet, there was shark fin soup...
For some reason, I thought that had become quite unpopular in the US but I guess I was wrong!
:yuck:

that is shocking and disappointing for sure! In Asia it is considered to be a dish for the affluent. It's mostly served at business meetings and weddings to prove something I'm not quite sure what...power, money ignorance....probably.

If you wouldn't mind PM'n me I will contact them. I own and run Yahoo! murders sharks for profit - sharkmurder.com I started the website after seeing the opening screening of Sharkwater during its opening weekend in Toronto Canada.

I actually had the privilege of being invited to the DVD release party in Toronto where I met Rob Stewart (director). He's a great guy. See a photo here:Welcome to DiveCaster - Where do you want to dive today?™ View photo details

Dr. Bill: good for you for hosting the screening! The film will move many people.

dive safe all!

Jeff

 

[Bubbletrubble]

So I went to a "restaurant" in SD a couple nights ago and amid other atrocities such as chicken feet, there was shark fin soup...
For some reason, I thought that had become quite unpopular in the US but I guess I was wrong!
:yuck:

Let me preface this post by saying that I condemn the practice of shark-finning. As we all know, it's truly inhumane, and it can have devastating consequences on the underwater ecosystem.

MissyP, judging by your reaction, I'm guessing that you've never traveled to China...and that you rarely eat authentic Chinese food here in the US. Have you ever had dim-sum in a real dim-sum restaurant? And I'm not talking about Jasmine or Emerald (San Diego restaurants) on a weekend. Have you ever "experienced" the night market in the streets of Taipei? I recall one stall that had an orangutan playing with a turtle next to a "wall" of skinned snakes hanging vertically from a string. Apparently, anything on display was for sale. The Asian diet is very different from what we eat in the Western world. The Chinese dine on many things that we would never even think of eating. Forget about chicken feet. (BTW, it's really about the sauce.) Have you ever tried bird's nest soup? Tortoise served in its own shell? Seahorse ground up for medicinal purposes? Sea cucumber soup? I invite you to enter a medicinal herb shop the next time you find yourself in San Francisco's Chinatown. Ask the proprietor what he/she keeps in the jars. You'll truly gag.

In China, sharkfin soup is a status dish. It's served at weddings and special celebrations. I'm not sure how the dish became so firmly entrenched in Chinese tradition. Perhaps it had something to do with how rare the sharkfin product was in more inland areas, how difficult it may have been to catch the shark, and how powerful the apex predator can be. I can say that pretty much every 12 course meal I had in mainland China when I was there (in the 80s) included a course of sharkfin soup. The sharkfin itself is sliced very thinly. It's appearance is that of short, thin 1-2 inch long transparent noodles. They're kind of chewy...and frankly I don't think it adds much to the flavoring of the soup. I'll concede that the broth can be very tasty, though.

I haven't been to the specific restaurant in question. But I do have to ask: How do you know that the restaurant was serving real sharkfin soup? Nowadays in Hong Kong, street vendors sell a cheapy imitation version of sharkfin soup. I have eaten at a Buddhist restaurant in Cebu City, Philippines, that substituted some sort of vegetable for the sharkfin -- and the taste was remarkably similar. There's at least one Japanese firm that exports to China a pork-based gelatin product closely mimicking the real McCoy. It costs one-tenth of the price of real sharkfin. Most people say they can't tell the difference between the pork product and the real thing. All I'm saying is that if this restaurant isn't one of those truly authentic Chinese restaurants that caters almost exclusively to a Chinese clientele (you know, the kind of place that a Caucasian would look out of place at), then chances are it's using a cheap imitation.

For all of those ScubaBoarders out there who are outraged about how popular sharkfin soup is in China -- this culinary practice is definitely not a new thing. It's been a long-standing tradition that dates back at least to the Ming Dynasty (14th-17th century). That's not to say it's right...it's just to make the point that it will take time to change the Chinese attitude toward sharkfin soup. Perhaps what we need is more high profile Chinese celebrities like NBA star Yao Ming to renounce the delicacy.

All I'm saying is let's not jump to conclusions. You may yet still patronize the all-you-can-eat Americanized Chinese food "Super Buffet." If it were me, I'd avoid any place that serves sushi and General Gao's spicy chicken under the same sneeze-guard. That's just me. Happy eating...and...BTW...China, you heard me, stop making that sharkfin soup!

 

[MissyP]

All I'm saying is that if this restaurant isn't one of those truly authentic Chinese restaurants that caters almost exclusively to a Chinese clientele (you know, the kind of place that a Caucasian would look out of place at), then chances are it's using a cheap imitation.

Well since you did mention it, the restaurant was packed with people. About 5% caucasian, the rest asian.

 

[ScubaSteve]

.........In China, sharkfin soup is a status dish................

I have been to Hong Kong and China and was once served Shark Fin soup....and only once. I know that when served it is a very bad business move (yes I was there on business) to refuse so the first time it was served to me, I took a couple of tastes and stopped eating it. We were conversing at the time and I informed the interpereter that I was not feeling well (after the soup), he made an excuse for the host and from that point forward he ensured no more shark fin soup was served.

................For all of those ScubaBoarders out there who are outraged about how popular sharkfin soup is in China -- this culinary practice is definitely not a new thing..................

Remember the good old days when women could not vote? Or when the slaves picked cotton? Lots of things were not new things but guess what? They were still stopped because they were wrong. Women have the right to vote (not everywhere but everywhere that I want to live)! There are no slaves (same qualifier as last point). And sharks should be allowed to live without fear of finning or extinction.

........it's just to make the point that it will take time to change the Chinese attitude toward sharkfin soup.........

What makes you think there is any movement by the Chinese attitude? I wish there was but it is not happening.


By the way, thisa post makes me sound like a real tree hugger.... I am not. As hypocritical as it may be, I just feel strongly about any culture killing off an animal such as a shark, keeping a small percentage and leaving it to suffer (or drown in the sharks case).

 

[drbill]

A few years ago I had a dive buddy and possible romantic interest who was from mainland China, but worked in Tokyo. When she came out to Catalina to dive with me, we had a discussion about shark fin soup. She was adamant about the fact that the Chinese people should be able to taste this once highly restricted (to the Emperor's court) food. I gently tried to bring out the salient ecological points, but she was firmly attached to the cultural significance. In general she was very interested in marine life and conservation, but this was a strong issue for her. She did convince me to sing at karaoke... the first and only time I've done that (fortunate for the audience).

 

[deeper thoughts]

That is shameful

 

[drbill]

What... that I sang karaoke?

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Well since you did mention it, the restaurant was packed with people. About 5% caucasian, the rest asian.

Hmmm. The place sounds promising...with the exception of the possibility that it serves real sharkfin soup. It might be worth a trip to talk to the manager. Thanks for the info. Could you PM me with the name of the restaurant? I'm interested in following up.

 

[fnfalman]

I don't eat shark fin soup any more because frankly it doesn't taste all that great. But otherwise, I eat everything including the fishies that are on the "red" list.

Hey, the fishing industries already fished and killed the animals. So what the hell. Either eat it or watch it go to waste. Which is worse?

Humans are the blight on this poor planet.