I bought a bit of baking powder and baked a batch of biscuits. I brought a big basket of biscuits back to the bakery and baked a basket of big biscuits. Then I took the big basket of biscuits and the basket of big biscuits and mixed the big biscuits with the basket of biscuits that was next to the big basket and put a bunch of biscuits from the basket into a biscuit mixer and brought the basket of biscuits and the box of mixed biscuits and the biscuit mixer to the bakery and opened a tin of sardines.

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CONVERSATION PRACTICE

As the weather gets hotter and hotter, we easily feel exhausted and pooped. Summer is a fun season, but most of us don’t really enjoy the devastating heat wave. To ward off summer heat and stay healthy, many people eat invigorating food such as Sam-gye-tang and Bo-sin-tang to boost up energy. However, controversy over eating dog meat is mounting since many people consider dog as a pet. Animal rights activists even claim that eating dogs should be banned by law. On the other hand, dog meat eaters say that there’s no problem with eating dogs because such dogs are specially breed to be eaten just like cows and pigs.

To talk about Korea’s dog eating culture, The Teen Times met up with Jenny Dodson and Fred Norman, English instructors from the U.S.

Fred: It’s really hot these days. Many Koreans eat dog meat to fight the strong summer heat wave. What do you think about it?

Jenny: I think it’s very barbaric and inhumane to eat dogs. I mean, they are our friends, not a source of food! As a dog lover, I don’t think it’s right to eat them. There are many other nutritious foods that can pump you up in summer!

Fred: Well, I love dogs, too. But I also love eating them. Before I came to Korea, I also thought it’s very wrong to eat them, but now I understand it’s just a cultural difference. You know, different cultures have different animals they have traditionally raised for food. There is no difference with raising dogs, cows, cats, rabbits, pigs, horses, or any other animal for food purposes.

Jenny: But unlike beef, pork or chicken, dog meat has no legal status as food in Korea. So, the slaughtering process has gone underground with no official guidelines to guarantee hygiene and animal welfare. I heard some people kill dogs in very cruel ways. They beat them to death or hang them to death to make the flesh softer. Maybe this is why eating dog is considered wrong or inferior. Just thinking about it makes me creep all over!

Fred: Well, eating dogs is neither wrong nor inferior, Jenny. Of course, I condemn all inhumane treatment of any animal being raised for food such as the practice of beating, burning or hanging the animals whether they are dogs, cows or pigs. Many people take the totally incorrect view that eating dog meat is wrong because most cultures view the dog as a pet. But Koreans don’t eat pet dogs, of course. They raise certain breeds of dogs for food. In fact, dog meat is considered as an alternative source of meat in some cultures.

Jenny: I still don’t understand. They can eat other livestock such as cows, chickens and pigs. But dogs are different. They are not food.

Fred: Are you a vegetarian, Jenny? If you aren’t, I guess you eat pork, beef and chicken. So, what’s the difference between them and dogs?

Jenny: But the dog is man’s best friend. There are other good sources of protein other than dog meat. You don’t need to eat dogs to stay healthy.

Fred: People tend to react emotionally from their own cultural bias. You see, in some countries, eating pork is prohibited and in other countries, eating beef is banned because cows are considered as sacred animals. Listen, Jenny. It’s just cultural differences, but not wrong. You see, there are cultures that drink blood from their live horses as a primary nutrition source. This is also different, but not wrong or inferior. Why don’t you respect other cultures’ choices?

Jenny: Well, I guess you’re right. Actually I heard people in North Carolina and Spain enjoy eating the rabbit. Also, my friend from England said hare is a delicacy there. Although I’m still not going to eat dog meat, now I understand it’s a cultural difference. And I’m glad to know that Bo-sin-tang is made from a specific breed of dog that differs from those breeds that are kept as pets! But still, there are some problems to solve such as inhumane practices and hygiene problems.

Fred: Right. I think dog meat should be legalized in Korea so that only authorized preparers can deal with the meat in more humane and sanitary ways.


VOCABULARY BANK

exhaust
• verb tire out completely; use up (resources or reserves) completely
pooped
• Extremely tired
devastating
• adjective extremely distressing or shocking.
ward off
• prevent ; turn aside
invigorate
• verb give strength or energy to.
boost
• verb help or encourage to increase or improve.
controversy
• noun debate or disagreement about a matter which arouses strongly contrasting opinions.
claim
• noun a statement that something is the case; a demand for something considered one’s due.
banned
• verb officially prohibit.
barbaric
• adjective savagely cruel, brutal, rude
inhumane
• adjective without compassion for misery or suffering; cruel.
nutritious
• adjective full of nutrients; nourishing.
unlike
• preposition different from; not like; in contrast to.
slaughter
• noun the killing of farm animals for food; the killing of a large number of people in a cruel or violent way.
underground
• adjective beneath the surface of the ground.
guideline
• noun a general rule, principle, or piece of advice.
guarantee
• noun a formal assurance that certain conditions will be fulfilled; something that makes an outcome certain.
hygiene
• noun conditions or practices that help to maintain health and prevent disease, especially cleanliness.
creepy
• adjective causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease.
condemn
• verb express complete disapproval of.
breed
• noun a distinctive type within a species of animals or plants, especially one deliberately developed; a sort or kind.
alternative
• noun one of two or more available possibilities.
livestock
• noun farm animals regarded as an asset.
vegetarian
• noun a person who does not eat meat for moral, religious, or health reasons.
protein
• noun any of a class of organic compounds forming structural components of body tissues and constituting an important part of the diet.
tend
• verb go or move in a particular direction.
react
• verb respond to something in a particular way.
emotional
• adjective arousing or showing emotion; easily affected by or readily displaying emotion.
bias
• noun inclination or prejudice in favour of a particular person, thing, or viewpoint.
sacred
• adjective holy; embodying the doctrines of a religion.
primary
• adjective of chief importance; principal; earliest in time or order.
hare
• noun a fast-running, long-eared mammal resembling a large rabbit, with very long hind legs.
delicacy
• noun a choice or expensive food.
solve
• verb find an answer to, explanation for, or way of dealing with (a problem or mystery). l
legalize
• verb have (a document) legalized by a notary.
authorize
• verb give official permission for or approval to.
deal
• noun an agreement between two or more parties for their mutual benefit.
sanitary
• adjective relating to sanitation; hygienic.

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