i never really support that, im just telling u why they though im not really defending that

Gordon Ramsay should also consider not using goose liver as well.

http://robotceleb.com/wp-content/upl...don-ramsay.jpg

http://media.portland.indymedia.org/.../08/378473.jpg
http://blog.peta2.com/foie_gras.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Ei02G5JKSV...0/s1600/14.jpg
Force-Fed liver Vs normal liver

Wow, i never realized what a huge industry sharks' fins are. People are real idiots to kill the baby sharks, way to make sure ur industry is sustainable.

No, just idiots in general for killing an endangered population which grants NO NUTRIOTIONAL HEALTH BENEFITS over any other type of animal.

I think the situation is not quite the same because people actually EAT the whole duck. Whereas for a shark....well no one wants to eat shark, OTHER then shark fin.

I love this stuff so much it's not funny.

I know it's wrong - the way they "harvest" thing fin off the shark and just throw them back into the sea.

But when it ultimately comes to what's "right" and what's "wrong", is it really realistic to expect a culture's eating habit to change overnight? I can see shark fin soup being a rare food item in several generations, but to think that should "just stop eating it" is rediculous.

Just to put in into perspective, if all of a sudden turkeys were closing into being extinct and/or the way turkeys are raised is inhumane, will your family immediately cease having turkey dinners every Thanksgiving or Christmas (assuming you do so now)? I know it can be a different story but the idea is there - these food items have been long drilled into a culture's traditions and values, and to simply think that "OMG THEY NEED TO STOP NAO" is just stupid. Give it time, and with time it will stop.

/rant

geese aren't going extinct.

Shit is shady as hell. There really are people in this world who really don't give a fuck about others and the environment.

In fact, I simply don't go to dinner with my family if they serve shark fin's soup. They can eat dinner without their son, or they could have a happy family dinner, ~$100 cheaper to boot. If they want luxury, they can go eat a sea cucumber for all I care. That shit's going to do more for your body than some retarded shark fin.

So far it's ben working...

Also, shark fin can actually be detrimental to your health, because sharks are known to have a high mercury content, some of which is inevitably stored in the fins.

Paying money for something that is unsustainable, has no nutritional content, and a high concentration of mercury = FAIL.

First off, I'm Chinese, I don't find shark's fin particularly attractive because I personally don't believe it has any health attributes, although I do love the soup lol

But let me just say, it's easy to accuse another culture, especially one you're not a part of, of something heinous and ridiculous.
A lot of people here are hammering in the fact that the Chinese don't deserve to live because its a) horrible to kill an endangered animal and b) horrible to just kill a shark for it's fin and nothing else; all for satisfying their "stupid" materialistic needs.

Cattle farming, aka the artificial (re: against nature) increase of cow populations to satisfy demand of beef; as a result accounts for 18% of greenhouse emissions.
A lot of you here will probably respond to that by saying, the Chinese have billions of people, you don't think they account for a huge chunk of that too?
Well, no, by domestic consumption, China is 4th, and by consumption per capita, old data reports not even top 10, newer data should have them just breaking into top 10.

Someone also mentioned goose liver. Yes the animals are eaten for meat as well, not just the liver (in most cases), and yes the geese/ducks along with cows, aren't endangered.
But to produce foie gras, you basically slit a hole in the animals throat, and shove a tube straight down to allow for constant feeding. While the animal is alive. Have you ever tried spending some time with a tube shoved down your throat, let along a untreated gash by which the tube is inserted?

So which is more inhumane? Fucking up our environment by overpopulating with a certain species, keeping animals alive for weeks and months with tubes shoved down their throats, or killing members of an endangered species?

Let me tell you, NO ONE has the right to rate which of these crap practices is worse than the other. They are just ALL bad practices.
And unless you abstain from all the above, imo, shut the fuck up.

Side note, name me one culture that doesn't have members obsessed with materialistic things (I'll give you a hint, the amish, thats about it).
As materialistic as the Chinese are, they dedicate a good chunk of their population to manufacturing goods to meet the materialistic demands of the rest of the world.

(I bet people here are going to say, but using child workers/ shit paid workers is not as bad as killing endangered species)

So once again, unless you're amish, shut the fuck up.

1. Enlarged liver due to eating lots is normal. it's what happens to geese during the autumn when they prepare for the winter.
2. Geese don't have gag reflex. They are not in pain or discomfort with the gavage process.
3. They are farmed, the species is not in danger of extinction. It is a sustainable practice. One that does not do potentially horrendous massive damage to our world wide food chain.
4. The entire animal is used, meat, bones, organs, everything. There is no waste.
5. Foie gras farms are more careful of their product (geese) than chicken farms are. The clients are pickier (fine food resellers vs fast food and supermarkets). The animals are demanded to be in good condition because the rest of the body can be sold (see #4).
   
   Like it or not, "ethical food" is a choice, and the clientele for foie gras can afford to be ethical.

There are still a few bad apples out there, farms that aren't ethical, but these are being forced out due to consumer awareness.
By and large, this market is already well on it's way to fully ethical means.



now what? :fullofwin:

It's kind of like asking why they still believe in ghosts and shit. Bunch of uneducated mongrels pretty much.

Ahh the everlasting struggle between ballooning population and mass consumption, and ethical and environmentally responsible practices.

Let's ad "saving the sharks" to our long list of things we ALL need to do to save the planet, and hope we address it before the sharks are all gone.

So the solution is simple, Gordon Ramsey should instead advocate for Shark Farming, and eating the rest of the shark!

the point he is trying to make is that 90% of a species is going extinct (if i recall from the video) because of unregulated fishing on harbors in costa rica and in taiwan. It's not so much that they're killing them in inhumane ways, it's just the way they're taking them from the oceans doesn't allow for the sharks themselves to reproduce naturally (hence extinction of many aquatic species).

if you read the thread you would have found some user post stuff about how chicken/turkey eating is highly regulated by the government and although it may be "inhumane", at least we're not driving these particular animals off the face of the planet

I think the bigger issue is that we're fucking up animals in the name of 'delicacy' and 'fine food'. One is slicing the fin off and the other is forcing shit into a duck's stomack.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Foiegras4.jpg

The bigger issue is that we're fucking up animals. Based on your logic, if I shoot a sled dog in the face, watch it limp away, then slice off it's leg, and shoot it again, but eat the whole thing, it's ok. It's not.

:speechless:
so any type of superstition or belief considered something for the uneducated? Otherwise, please do educate me.


Yup I know, but the message that I think he carried in that video (and the message that is spreading) is that consumption should stop IMMEDIATELY. How can you stop a culturally important food item in a heartbeat? Sure there's a "display of wealth" side to the sharkfin soup, but it's gotten to the point where it's a celebratory food item reserved for MAJOR events such as: Weddings, Chinese New Year, Baby showers, etc... it is NOT an everyday food item for sure (at least in my extended family).

Where's Hyde to defend the pro-shark fin soup team when you need him?

If something is affecting our environment at a rate which is unsustainable, and has reached dangerous levels, then it must be stopped, altered, or supervised. Be it a culturally important food item/sacrifice/ceremony ... whatever.

You're saying that they're reserved for major events? well obviously it is turning into an everyday food, or it is increasing in popularity at least from only major to even minor events, which is there is a 60% decrease in overall shark populations within the last 9 years. Some species of which before there was an abundance are now on the brink of extinction. Therefore the message in the video is correct, it SHOULD stop immediately.

Of course it can't be, which is why it hasn't, but at least its a step in the right direction. Its not about giving it time and with time it will stop, because with time it has grown, and is actually continuing to grow, thus the importance of stopping it as soon as possible.

isnt the obvious answer to make shark farms? repopulate the shit out of them.

people are gonna eat what they want no matter who tells them not to. I have to say, unless a Chinese god comes down from the heavens and announced, "Thou shall not eat shark! It doesn't make your cock harder or your brain any smarter!" people will just ignorantly keep eating.

There's several fantastic (and stomach turning) docs about the shark fin fishing in Asia. While you're at it I recommend The Cove (which is about dolphin slaughter).

You might as well check out Food Inc too to remember we're fucking bastards here in North America too and Jamie Oliver's Chicken Dinner - about the poultry industry. Reading the book 'Skinny Bitches' about the way we treat meat animals (and what it does to your body) will probably turn you vegan for at least a couple weeks too.

Yes, the Japanese like their dolphin and the French their stuffed geese. I think most of us should be a little more open to other culture before jumping in like a global policemen telling what everyone should do.

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I think this is easier said than done. I finally watched the video and they mention since sharks are at the top of the food chain of the marine ecosystem..I don't think you can simply farm them. If they could i'm sure someone would have already come up with the idea and implemented it rather than sending folks out for months trying to hunt them down.

i love kangaroo meat

Most sharks 1. won't breed in captivity and 2. take WAYYYYYY too long to grow to maturity to be economical to breed on the sort of scale that you would need.

As he said in the video, most shark species need 10 - 15 years to grow to breeding age/maturity.

There ARE substitutes to shark fin that carry pretty much the same texture and properties, made with nothing but flour and gluten. If they mass market it as the sustainable alternative, i'm sure it'll catch on.

Again, simply telling people to STOP just isn't going to work