Job Discussion Forums

[malcoml]

Does anyone else find this disgusting?

Burger chain adds whale to menu
6:28 PM June 23

A Japanese fast food chain says it will sell 200 whale burgers a day to meet strong demand from its customers amid global criticism over the country's bid to expand whaling.

Burger chain Lucky Pierrot, which runs 10 shops on the northern island of Hokkaido, says the burger using minke whales caught under Japan's controversial "research" whaling program is selling like hotcakes.

"We fry minke whale meat and the burger really tastes like beef," manager Miku Oh said.

"We have decided to add a whale burger to our menu due to strong demand from our customers and feel very thankful to the whales for allowing us to make the burgers."

Twenty whale burgers, each priced at 380 yen ($4.50), will be sold from Thursday at each of the chain's 10 outlets.

The launch of the whale burger came as the International Whaling Commission rejected a bid by Japan today to resume commercial catches of minke whales in the Pacific Ocean.

Japan, which calls anti-whaling campaigners disrespectful of its culture, kills whales as research under a clause in a 1986 moratorium.

Japan is campaigning for a full-scale return to commercial catches, saying whale stocks have recovered sufficiently during the 19-year ban.

It also plans to double its hunt of minke whales and to resume killing endangered fin whales and vulnerable humpbacks, despite fierce opposition including from Australia.

Ms Oh says the restaurant is aware of global criticism over Japan's efforts to expand research whale hunting but argues that eating whale meat is part of the country's traditional food and should be treated with respect.

"We value our whale food culture and would like to offer it to our customers," she said.

"We have a long tradition of eating whale meat as a port in Hakodate used to be a major whaling hub."

Earlier this year, most schools in Wakayama, Japan's western whaling heartland, resumed whale lunches which had gone off the menu amid global anti-whaling campaigns.

Hoping children will take a liking to whale, the schools have served the meat in burgers and marinated it in sweet and sour sauce.

[Glenski]

Yes, I find pretty much most politically oriented threads on employment boards to be disgusting.

[AndyH]

Personally, I don't LIKE it, but is it really any worse than Chinese and Koreans eating dogs, or any other creature for that matter?
Hell, the Hindus probably think regular hamburgers are more disgusting!

[OaklandZoo]

Of course some people are going to find it disgusting, just like how some people find eating beef, dog and cat to be disgusting, end of story.

P.S. By the way, this isn't exactly a news is it?. The exchange rate the article used to convert the yen to the dollar is one dollar=118.42 yen. the last time the exchange rate was at that level was August, 2003 (according to http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/data/EXJPUS.txt).

Edit: This is my first post, hooray. I'm actually a Japanese national, but I just came back from Pittsburgh after 10 years. Anybody here living in Southern Ibaraki?

[Sage]

Except whales will go extinct and dogs won't.

Just because you like something dosen't mean you have to eat it.

Humans are stupid. So, so stupid.

[moot point]

Where I live the cuttlefish population has been in great decline over the past few years. Many attribute this to the rise in the whale population (we've seen 3 washed up on our shore over the past six months).

I'm afraid I can't provide any scientific proof, but it is just a common perception amongst my neighbours. Similarly, the OP didn't offer proof of the threat to a whale species. Until then, I'm afraid I can't condemn the eating of whale.

BTW, I've had it on a few occasions myself but not really fond of it. Whale and dolphin are usually the cheaper sashimi's offered in our supermarket.

[Sweetsee]

Nuke the unborn gay whales.

[JimDunlop2]

You forgot to add: for Jesus.

Nuke Gay Unborn Whales for Jesus. Otherwise known as, "How to cheeze- off 5 major groups in 6 words".

Never seen em' but I've heard you can get bumper stickers and T-shirts with that line....


It's kinda like one of those old, "Man walks into a bar" style jokes. "A baby seal walks into a club....."

It's not just Japan. Canadian Inuit and other hunters have been arguing their right to hunt seals, whales and other "traditionally hunted" animals for decades. It's just that every so often it hits the news media (presumably on a slow news day) and a fresh set of people get outraged by it.

I'm not commenting one way or another on the ethics of it, but one thing I CAN say is, I don't think this one's gonna go away for a long time, folks.

[malcoml]

[Glenski]

OaklandZoo,
The Associated Press ran this story and cited 380 yen (US$3.50). The story was released June 20th this year. Don't know where the OP found the story. Probably from an Australian news source because the exchange rate (84) fits the math from the article posted here, and because the OP's avatar cites Australia.

In my opinion, if one is going to post such things, one should cite the source.

Having a footnote link to a sex glossary doesn't exactly lend an air of credibility to one's views, either.

[malcoml]

[JimDunlop2]

Geez...No kidding, huh? How long have you been into shitakidorobo, malcolml?

[malcoml]

Jim,

I'm into the Ime-kura and I prefer the take out service

[JimDunlop2]

Do you have to pay extra to take her to a lolicon?

[malcoml]

Jim,

I usually just head down to soapland and meet some of the other ft's down there. It was all fun until one of the guys, a 55-year-old man in western Japan was caught with more than 4,000 pairs of womens underpants in his apartment. We then gave him the name Shetagidorobo and Dave's Esl Cafe made him a moderator.