Skin-conscious? Try dog meat
(AP)
Updated: 2006-08-09 16:46 SEOUL, South Korea - Dog meat is increasingly
popular among women in North Korea because the traditional Korean delicacy is
believed to be good for the skin, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan reported
Wednesday.
Dog meat has long been regarded as a stamina food in both Koreas, widely
consumed on hot summer days in particular.
North Korea is believed to have a greater variety of dishes with dog meat,
known in the North as "sweet meat." South Korean gourmets who have tried the
delicacy in the North, say Northern dishes taste better.
"Sweet meat has various vitamins, including Vitamin A and B and is good for
digestion problems and fatigue," the Choson Sinbo newspaper said on its Web site
seen in Seoul.
The paper quoted a cook at a dog meat restaurant in the North's capital,
Pyongyang, as saying an increasing number of women are visiting the restaurant.
"Customers get convinced about the efficacy of sweet meat when they see the
skin of our employees and cooks," the paper quoted the chef, Ryu Jong Mok, 47,
as saying.
The paper said Ryu also has "resilient and fine" skin.
Dog meat is also widely consumed in South Korea, especially among middle-aged
men on belief that it's good for stamina and virility. But women in the South
are usually less willing to try the food.
Earlier this week, a poll showed that more than 35 percent of South Korean
dog owners also eat dog soup.
Dog meat is also eaten in some other Asian countries, including China,
Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos.
Activists regularly criticize the practice and call for bans on eating dog
meat.
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