Taiwan is a sophisticated, technically advanced country I’ve had the pleasure of visiting five times dating back to 1989.
Its citizens, until just recently, have exhibited some, um, fascinating culinary tastes.
But good news has come from the island nation. Taiwan has become the first Asian nation to ban the consumption of — gulp! — dog and cat meat.
As United Press International reports: An amendment to an animal protection law, passed Tuesday by the Legislative Yuan, indicates a changing attitude in Taiwan from “a society in which dog meat was regularly consumed, to one in which many people treat pet cats and dogs as valued members of their families,” the state-run Central News Agency reported.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen was photographed during her campaign for office holding her pet cats, which well could have provided the impetus for approval of this new law.
OK. There you have it.
This new law gives me hope that dogs and cats newfound status as pets will spread to other nations in Asia.
I’ll now share with you an episode dating back to the spring of 1969. I had just arrived in Vietnam to serve a tour of duty in the U.S. Army. I ventured into downtown Da Nang, where I found an outdoor market next to the harbor.
What do you suppose I witnessed? I watched Vietnamese women inspecting caged puppies, probing them for their — um — plumpness.
That sight sickened me. I knew better, though, than to object. I understood the culture into which I had been thrust as a very young man.
Will the Taiwanese ban find its way to Vietnam — or other nations throughout Asia — where such meat remains a delicacy?
As for Taiwan’s ban, let’s also hope that the enactment of a law will be followed up with stiff punishments for those who violate it.