shark fin soup

[Kimpossible]

Shark doesn't taste too bad, I think the Coral Reef should serve it. . . . never had shark fin soup before. Why are people so upset about this? Sandwiches made of ground up cow meat are served in every Disney park, shouldn't that offend someone? Is a good shark steak any different than a good tuna steak? Is beef stew any different than shark fin soup? They are both made of dead animal parts.
Time for dinner!

I believe it is because no one really knows how many sharks are out there, unlike beef where it is raised in farms, sharks are caught at sea and the fin is sliced off and the rest thrown away. With beef, much of the muscle is used. Many sharks are being considered for the endangered species list, and some are currently on there. Sharks are also animals that keep our seas somewhat clean by eating a lot of sick or injured animals. Perhaps killing lots of them off may change the population, and given current cancer research on sharks, they may prove very useful for that very reason.

I believe some people are angered because Disney is considered (whether people like it or not) as somewhat of a trend setter, and that puts them at great risk for scrutiny. This is an area they are being scrutinized. PETA would have a FIELD day if Disney served it, and vegan choice is increasing. IMO, it's a bad decision purely based on that which is probably why Disney didn't do it.

I also think they were scrutinized because their first solution was to pass out pamphlets educating people about sharks before choosing shark soup. Sorry, but who would would truly read those? I'm happy that they made a better-thought out decision.

[Kimpossible]

That's my feelings right there...Don't boycott Disney for trying to fit into a culture, boycott the culture that is doing the harm.

But why promote that culture? It's like saying that it's ok for me to have a gun just because a lot of people in my culture do.

[Kimpossible]

Trust me, I'm not as strong-headed as they are. I don't go around holding up picket signs and yelling at people. I do not agree with everything they say. I don't mean to sound arguementitive, but show you that I'm not as pushy as they are. I just recieve the magazine and (sometimes) stick stickers on Petco windows,etc.

Like you, I do agree with some of their plights. However, I would NEVER send money to them after seeing documents that they contributed money to an individual who participated in damaging college labs with explosives. They are rather radical in their means, and I'd rather contribute money to the ones who need it, like the Humane Society, than allow a negative one to take it. There is a GREAT part of this Penn and Teller show whose title is offensive, but they interviewed a woman from PETA who is diabetic (insulin is made using animal testing procedures), and she said it was ok for her since she is working for PETA, but it's still wrong?

However, I do appreciate it when vegans agree to disagree and not push the issue on to others. In fact, my friend who is vegan frequently goes to lunch with me, and I always choose a place with little meat. Sweet Tomatoes is great for that!

[Kimpossible]

Gosh, I'm heated on this topic. I apologize for post after post. I have to say that one shining example of a company going against its food culture is Chick-Fila. Do you ever notice how they aren't open on Sundays? That's a huge day for people to get fast food breakfasts, and yet they stick to their guns because they were founded by, I believe, a Mormon. I have a lot of respect for that.

[Tampa]

There's a Chik-Fil-A in Tampa that is almost a tourist attraction.. they go all out every Christmas and it's amazing to see how they top themselves in lights and decorations.

makes me proud to eat their slaughtered chickens, even if I have to wait till Monday!

[Kimpossible]

There's a Chik-Fil-A in Tampa that is almost a tourist attraction.. they go all out every Christmas and it's amazing to see how they top themselves in lights and decorations.

makes me proud to eat their slaughtered chickens, even if I have to wait till Monday!

Hey! I got canines, so I might as well use them. Molars, yes, but canines too.

[shadesofgreen]

They just opened a new one in Celebration of all places! I hope they light it up for christmas. So much for Celebration being about "upscale dining" I guess even the rich love slaughtered chicken.

[Kimpossible]

They just opened a new one in Celebration of all places! I hope they light it up for christmas. So much for Celebration being about "upscale dining" I guess even the rich love slaughtered chicken.

Well, since Disney sold Celebration, they wash their hands of what goes in there I believe.

[Conceited Ape]

Not much to add to what has already been said on this one, just thought I might share a little of what I've gathered from Chinese folks I've met, and from buddies of mine who grew up in the mainland and Taiwan. Generally (trying to avoid finger pointing and stereotypes), it seems the rarer something is, the more the Chinese are interested in eating it (well, those who can afford to, at any rate). Not so sure about the status of sharks and where they fit into the ecosystem versus how many are still out there, but one that does drive me up the wall is another style of highly coveted (and ridiculously expen$ive) soup made from a certain part of the anatomy of a male tiger; believed to be the cure for any number of things, most of which sound as though they can be better fixed by exercise.

All I can say is it's probably hard enough to produce cubs and keep your endangered bloodline going without a good chunk of the world's population interested in eating your reproductive organ.

[Kimpossible]

My husband and I were discussing this in the car the other day since I was posting on here recently. Salmon, trout, and other fish are farmed to be part of someone's meal. Most of them aren't taken out of the wild at all anymore unless a few lone fishermen do it just for themselves to eat. These fish also don't need expensive food for themselves. Sharks are not farmed, most likely, because of the cost to get them to sizes acceptable for eating. So sharks for shark fin soup most likely come from the ocean, and, just like the U.S. has prevented any more killer whales and other marine mammals from being taken out of the ocean for lack of accurate numbers, they do the same for sharks being made into soup.

[ToddBreakey]

Not only are the sharks taken fromt he wild, only thier fins are taken, the rest of the shark is unceremoniously tossed back into the ocean. That is the main reason people are upset about the practice. Not because people eat the soup, that the rest of the shark isn't used also.

Then you have the fact that the shark population is declining and you get everybody in an uproar.

[Zack Culvert]

Shark steaks do taste good, but only a few species are good. I had shrasher. The problem with shark fin soup is that the sharks are caught, the fins are cut off, and the rest is tossed overbaord, alive, to die. This is terribly wasteful. Plus, they go after the slower moving, large species such as basking shark and whale shark. These two are endangered, and the shark population in many areas are drastically lower since the economic growth in China over the last 20 years created a large spike in demand whereas only limited market existed before. Some sharks take up to 25 years to reach breeding age, and at the top pf the food chain, they sometimes produce only one or two offsprings at a time.
The problem with shark fin as a dish, is that the shark fin itself contributes almost nothing to the taste. The soup is made of a stock of ham and chicken. Chinese people order shark fin soup for banquets only to show off how rich they, and not for the taste of the shark fin. The texture is like cartlidge, or under-cooked noodles.
The biggest bank in Asia, HSBC now prohibits bank functions to serve shark fin soup.

[Zack Culvert]

There is another problem at the Hong Kong Disney park. There are packs of feral dogs in the surrounding property, some were fed and kept by the construction workers, now they are off-limits.
Disney is trying hard to look smart on this one by asking the local ASPCA equivalent to handle the situation. The fact is only a limited number make adoption candidates. Let's just hope the dogs don't wind up substituting the sharks as the other great Chinese delicacy....Yes, they eat dogs in China.

[The_Heat]

so? let them eat dogs, in China they aren't endangered, they use quite a bit of the animal, it beats allowing them to die in pounds where diseases can multiply and (to tell the truth) it's pretty tasty.

I'm not trying to be mean here, I just don't totally understand the point your trying to make....

[shadesofgreen]

(to tell the truth) it's pretty tasty.

I've never had dog before but am willing to try anything once. . . . what does it taste like? Beef, pork, chicken, etc? Are dogs that they eat raised for food? From Zack's post above I think I will skip shark fin soup, it sounds like nothing special.