The Dog Day of Summer

Note to reader: Beware- dog lovers should avoid this story.

Before I exalt in this uniquely Asian achievement, I'd like to clarify a couple things:
1. Koreans only eat one breed of dog. They don't take dogs off the street and serve them. The dogs served in restaurants are bred, just like any other animal, for the sole purpose of human consumption.
2. Dog eating is not a wide-spread practice. Of the Koreans I've met, only a few have actually tried it. Most are embarrassed that dog eating still exists and are vehemently against it. Still, it holds cultural significance and that is enough to justify it in my mind.
Shall we begin?
This week is the hottest of the year. Koreans celebrate this by being especially health conscientious. This is why eating dog is more common this year than at any other time. Dog meat is said to be very good for you and the best provider of energy. In fact, it is often used as an aphrodisiac and a stamina builder. Often times, I'm told, generals will serve dog (mo-shing-tan) to their soldiers in times of battle. Sunday was nationalism day and Darryl and I decided a few days earlier that we'd have first dog experience on this special day. Because, as I said earlier, dog eating is so rare these days, we had to ask around and travel far by taxi to find a place that serves it. Those who know me know how easy it was for me to come to terms with this meal. I've never owned a dog and, because of my unprecedented allergies, I view them more as nuisances than companions. We couldn't hold back the giggles as I said, "mo-shing-tan ju-say-yo," (give me dog please). It's usually served in a soup and that's how we had it. It looks and tastes just an extremely tender beef. After our first couple of tenuous bites, we were both marveling at how delicious it was and began to attack it like we'd been starving for days. Seriously, ignoring everything, this was a memorable soup. Pictures of dog-eating are illegal so I had to sneak the shots you see above. We finished our bowls and were amazed at how comfortable our stomachs felt after this heavy meal. On the wall, there were two prices- 35,000 and 55,000. Having been told dog is very expensive and a delicacy, I was prepared to pay up to sixty dollars for it. We were piling up the 10,000 bills when the women told us it only cost 7,000W. I couldn't believe it- this was the cheapest traditional Korean meal I've had yet. Afterwards, it was true, we both felt deliriously satisfied, brimming with energy and prepared to walk the entirety of Korea. I had an active dog day and, at 10pm, I was still pumped up and decided to play night basketball. I had planned on this being a one-time-only deal but I'll be ranting about this feast and if another foriegner asks me to show them the delights of dog, I'll have a difficult time refusing. To all those I've offended with my casual, carnivorous voice- I'm sorry but, when in Rome.............................