Abstract

Dog meat is also known as ‘fragrant meat.’ Throughout the whole of East Asian history, most regions have had a culture of eating dog meat, and in some countries the culture is long-lasting and continues to this day. What is the situation in Taiwan? There are very few proper historical studies to help us sort this out. The aim of this study is to investigate the history of ‘fragrant meat’ culture in Taiwan as a means to explore the cultural origins of Taiwanese dog-meat consumption, from its high point after 1949 to its decline and disappearance. The starting point is to explore the mentality connected with dog-meat eating and the current situation in Han Chinese society, from the standpoint of the dietary consumption of ‘food supplements,’ so as to clarify the outline of its historical development. During the 1980s, the custom of dog-meat eating reached its peak, but calls for the prohibition of eating dog meat, and actual prohibition, have been appearing constantly. Every year when winter comes, news of dog-meat eating would appear, becoming a topic that often elicited public discussion. This study attempts to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of eating dog meat according to public opinion, from the medical, health and legal aspects, and explore weaknesses in law enforcement and the neglect of professional opinion at that time. The reasons that really influenced Taiwanese people’s prohibition of dog-meat eating are the poor international outlook and the rise of animal protection consciousness, as well of the consciousness of citizen groups, all of which exerted great pressure on government, and contributed to the popularity of mutton stoves as alternative consumer goods, replacing the original dog-eating custom. Additionally, on January 2, 2001, the Legislative Yuan officially passed an amendment of some provisions in the Animal Protection Law. The new amendment explicitly prohibited slaughtering or eating cats or dogs which had been taken in as pets. The dietary culture of eating dog meat finally faded out under the comprehensive pressure of various social forces.