dog meat shop - thịt chó - vietnam

Dog meat sold on the market (Lang Sơn, Vietnam)

This photo is part of a series called Thịt chó: eating a (hot) dog. A lots of interesting comments and reactions have been posted on the various photo sites where this series has been published.­

WARNING: These images are graphic, not suitable for kids and people with a weak stomach!

Western culture considers that eating a dog is cruel, barbaric and disgusting (not illegal, though), but ironically we have no problem eating all other sorts of animals as long as they are not called pets.­

But for the vast majority of people on earth, cultural values are very different.­ Dog meat is considered a delicacy in some asian cultures, and indeed cooked dog meat is very tasty and protein rich.­ You should try it some day! (if you are not vegetarian)

"Food dogs" are not pets and they have no names.­ They are bred and raised in farms, just like pigs, cows, lambs, chickens and other farm animals.­ They are put down "humanely" just like any other farm animal, usually by slitting the throat and beeding the animal until it passes out.­

This series of photos shows the process involved in preparing a dog for dinner, from slautering to cutting-up, eviscerating, de-boning, cooking and of course eating! These photos were taken in Bac Ha, a small town in the Northern part of Vietnam, and in various markets of the region.­

In case you are wondering, I did not order the dog for dinner, I just stumbled on the scene in the street and documented it, since I had my camera.­