DU opinion - Whale Meat

It's is an ancient Japanese tradition where they hunt for the meat whereas western industry discarded the rest keeping only the blubber and teeth.


Well - what say you?

Here's Tokyo's only whale restaurant Kujiraya: http://www.kujiraya.co.jp/

when they've found of way of hunting them which doesn't involves slowly killing the thing after half an hour of pain, and when they can show sustainable hunting levels. Until then, it's a big fat no from me.

personally. I can't imagine a way to swiftly kill a whale.

Only those who lived in coastal villages traditionally ate whale meat; after the war, it was decided that whales were a cheap source of protein and used mostly for school lunches. Most adult Japanese have not had whale since they were in grade school, and most do not particularly like it, perferring other meats.

I see you're point however. I must say, though - that restaurant I linked gets 200-300 patrons daily in Tokyo so :shrug:

If the Ainu were hunting whale with spears, there'd be a better case to be made for tradition, but since this is a whaling industry that was pretty much invented in the 1940s, it really isn't an ancient cherished tradition, as far as I've been able to research.

...that's its Japan's version of Mystery Meat Surprise School Lunch. Apparently, school lunches are crappy the world around, and Japanese associate whale with school lunch (and older people associate it with the poverty and humiliation after WWII).

I'm not really an expert on Japanese history or culture, but there were a bunch of stories out not too long ago, including one about children being taken on field trips to aquariums to learn about whales that ended with a snack of deep-fried whale chunks, and some that explained whale's place in the Japanese food chain (school lunch). It struck me as a little funny - many USians think of Japanese food as exotic, exciting and delicious, but apparently their school lunches aren't!

Why, why would anyone need to eat a whale. I am in a bad mood today and it just pisses me off that people can't get it through their heads that all creatures feel pain and fear. They don't communicate as we do so people believe they are only animals placed upon the planet for their benefit. Lord, it would serve us right if some cannibalistic civilization decided we were food.

Nothing against you, ChavezSpeakstheTruth, I'm ranting!:rant:

not much to eat up there.


Like I said before - my mind isn't made up on this. The concept makes me cringe. But there is a heritage that goes back to ancient paintings there (yet, as was pointed about above, that was the coastal rural areas and not a part of mainstream Japanese life).

I figured that the DU response would be one of general distaste and/or even revulsion at the concept.

Yummy!

As long as they aren't hunting and serving endangered species of whales, and aren't hunting in a non-replenishing way, let 'em have at it.

I haven't made up my mind. I would have the same requirements as you.

blubber.

Seriously, eew.

I respect the right of Hindus to view cows as sacred animals, but if they tried to stop me from eating beef I'd be pretty pissed off.

kind of like a sea-world/cattle ranch

Probably be real tender too.

I wonder what baby whale tastes like.

a tender liver :droool:

feed whale veal to a baby whale.

I can see it now, marine biologists running away in panic as a whale thrashes in its tank. the glass cracks and water starts pouring out. Screams are heard.

As I understand it, baby whale brains make excellent perfume.

No whale deserves to die because of people's backwards and sick "traditions" unless we're talking about people who still live in little tribes in the middle of nowhere who simply have no other way of survival.

They're all mammals for chrissakes!!! It's just sick.

:puke:

They're not putting that land to very good use either.

I like the Makah too.

They're not putting that land to very good use either.

That would be kind of hyprocritical of me. :hi:

Whale hunting is sick and disgusting . No one can actually determine how many whales are out there so there is no way of knowing if they are threatened or endangered.