"Five grains are abundant, six animals are prosperous" is the most ordinary working people in China for thousands of years, the most simple wish. The Zhou Li Tianguan Herpes records that "the herpes palms a total of six animals, six birds, and six beasts, and distinguishes their names." "Among them, six animals refer to six animals that have been domesticated and kept in captivity by humans: horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, and dolphins (pigs).
These animals can not only be driven by people, facilitate people's daily production and life, but also serve as meat, not only to satisfy the appetite of "meat eaters", but also occasionally to provide rare high-quality protein for people who are engaged in nongsang all year round, optimizing the diet of the people.
However, in recent decades, with the improvement of people's living standards, dogs have gradually been specialized by people. In the past, most people raised animals to either eat their flesh, or sleep on their skins, or to obtain some actual and considerable income. However, modern people's view of dogs has indeed become an exception, and many people keep dogs just to treat cute dogs as friends, companions or their own children to meet their psychological needs.
More and more people believe that dogs are born to be treated only gently, not to be slaughtered. As a result, some people who have eaten dog meat dare not admit that they have eaten dog meat, for fear of accidentally hurting the feelings of others.
In fact, in ancient times, dog meat was a very precious meat, and ordinary people were not eligible to eat it. "Moon order to eat dogs, Yan Liyan to cook dogs." Fan Duo is engaged in slaughtering dogs, and it is said that the dog meat he cooks is fresh and attractive, and Pei Gong likes to eat it the most, so he derived the name of Peixian dog meat. Even today, many of Mr. Mo Yan's works often have plots of eating dog meat. It shows that eating dog meat not only has a historical origin in China, but is also still regionally popular.
Regarding the slaughter of dogs, there is an interesting allusion in the Northern Song Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, there was a doctor named Fan Zhixuan. One day, he said to the emperor: "Your Majesty belongs to the dog, the dog is The true destiny of His Majesty, and now there are many people in the capital who are engaged in slaughtering dogs, which will hinder His Majesty, and it should be decreed that the people should be forbidden to kill dogs." ”
Although this suggestion was adopted by Emperor Huizong of Song, it was opposed by many people. Among them, there was a student who was too old, that is, Fan Zhixuan's student, who made the most interesting reason for protest: "The Divine Sect belongs to the rat, will he order a ban on the keeping of cats?" (Note: Shenzong was Emperor Huizong's father) Emperor Huizong of Song was speechless and had no choice but to cancel the decree prohibiting the slaughter of dogs.
It is worth mentioning that in the fourteenth year of Ming Zhengde, Ming Wuzong also issued a similar ban, prohibiting people from raising pigs and killing pigs. The reason is that he belongs to the pig and "Zhu" is the national surname of the time. However, this ban was only maintained for about three months, and Yang Yanhe, the first assistant of the cabinet at the time, terminated the ban on "Please Exempt from the Ban on Killing Pigs". However, in the final Ming Dynasty, the word pig was forbidden, and people could only use "豕" to call pigs.
The ancient Chinese people firmly believed in the theory of ghosts and gods, and they were loyal to the king and patriotic, and they were punctual and punctual. Almost all orders given under the authority of ghosts and monarchs are considered golden rules. People have no intention of fighting for the rights of individuals, but eating is often an exception. Even the most rigid and harsh Confucian classic, the Book of Rites, says: "Men and women who eat and drink, the great desire of man is to survive." Among them, the desire to eat is ranked first in front of the desire of men and women, and if possible, people still want to try to fight for a little welfare for themselves."
Admittedly, dogs are a cute animal, and it's not surprising that people can't bear to eat their flesh because they have dogs. It's just that the Buddha said that all beings are equal, and if you think about it, which of those beings who become our meals on the plate does not have a little aura? Since it has been chosen to keep it, it can have different uses, it can have pets, and of course it can have food. The ancients have divided this, and the Book of Rites and Shaoyi says: "There are three kinds of dogs: one is to guard the dog, and the one is to guard the imperial field house." The second is the field dog, which is also used for field hunting; the third is also used for eating dogs, which is also used for cooking and shyness. "Dogs for different purposes have different endings.
Although in today's material abundance, dog meat is no longer the mainstream meat product. For a long time, we were forbidden to eat beef because cattle were the heroes of agricultural civilization. Now, however, except for vegetarians, very few people will not eat beef. As a traditional animal eater, dog meat is neither poisonous nor dangerous to the survival of wild species, so what reason do we have to oppose it? We should respect the emotional needs of people who treat dogs as intimate partners, and we should respect their eating habits for people who treat dogs as food.
References: "Qu Huan Old News", "Wanli Ye Zhi Zhi"