Dog meat on the menu in Korea (illegally)

From The Wall Street Journal online: Seoul Hounds Meat Vendors For Cleaner Chow

Dog meat is illegal in Seoul, but not in the rest of South Korea, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Nevertheless, many Seoul restaurants serve it anyway.  Lately though, dog meat has been linked to salmonella and staph infections, leading to calls to classify dogs as livestock in order to bring dog meat under food safety regulations.  Here's a brief excerpt.  The article is worth reading.

No official estimates exist on the size of South Korea's dog-meat industry. A 2006 survey by KBS-TV, one of the three main national networks, found that one in three respondents had eaten dog meat. It also found that consumption patterns were no different between people who had dogs as pets and those who didn't. Only 9% of respondents thought it should be banned.

"It's very high in protein and it doesn't leave you with a sense of fullness," says Kim Moon-suk, a 60-year-old who eats dog meat several times a year and says he likes it better than beef but not as much as chicken. One recent night, he sat down for a bowl at a casual restaurant called Kwang-kyo Grandmother's House, tucked way in a small alley in downtown Seoul. He said he came after a doctor's check-up earlier in the day revealed high blood pressure. "The doctor said I should eat some tonight," Mr. Kim said.

I suppose this bothers me a bit because I share my home with two dogs.  Here's an interesting post on eating dog meat on WeirdMeat blog, including photos and a link to recipes.