Dog Soup: Taboo
In this performance, I sought to learn the traditional Korean art of making dog soup, a dish often criticized in Western countries for its use of dog meat, which is believed to have health benefits, especially for men’s stamina. Despite approaching multiple restaurants, I was met with resistance and eventually turned away, unable to witness the process firsthand. This intervention explores the stark contrast between Western criticisms of dog consumption in Korea and the cruelty inherent in Western industrial farming practices.
The conversation between myself, the restaurant owner, and a Korean volunteer, who translated my request, sheds light on the tension between Western colonial attitudes and local practices. The resistance I encountered was rooted in a desire to defend Korean traditions from foreign judgment, particularly when that judgment comes from a place of assumed Western superiority. The owner’s refusal to teach me or let me observe the process of making dog soup was not just about the dish itself, but about challenging the notion that Western cultures are in a position to dictate what is considered morally acceptable when it comes to food and animal rights.
This encounter also sparked reflections on the cruelty embedded in the Western agricultural industry, where animals are subjected to similar, if not worse, conditions in factory farms.
What follows is a transcript of the audio recorded conversation.