The Way of Maintaining Culture and Tradition

     Today, many different kinds of cultures and traditions exist in the

world. Each of them has their own origins and unique features in the

types of certain groups or nations. Generally, most of those cultures and

traditions are handed down from generations to generations for a long

time in history. In Korea, we have our own unique eating habits, on of

which is the custom of eating dog meat. Even though some people might

think that it’s such a savage and uncivilized custom without considering

its unique origins and our country’s historical situation in the past, the

custom of eating dog meat is part of our valuable cultural heritage, and it

needs to be maintained as a tradition.

     About 100 years ago, Korea went through hard times in financial

difficulties because of continuous wars and invasion by foreign countries.

At that time, all Koreans were struggling against poverty and suffering

from a lack of food. So, from that time, our ancestors began to make

some foods with dog meat as a last resort. This is the origin of the

custom, eating dog meat in Korea. Actually, also in eastern cultures, dog

was regarded as an intelligent and familiar animal like as in western

cultures. However, during wartime, Koreans had to find some foods to

survive on from their destroyed hometowns. So, for this reason, dog

meat was useful alternative food for the survivors, and cooked as many

kinds of cuisines to starve off their hunger in the hellish war.

     For many years after the war, and until up to now, a dish of dog

meat has been loved by the Korean people as a popular food. My grand

father was one of the people who really liked to enjoy eating dog meat.

Every summer, he usually used to go to the one of his old favorite

restaurant located in the peaceful countryside, to eat dish of dog meat

with his old friends, together. Especially, to older generation people, like

my grand father, having a meal of dog meat with old friends meant a lot

more than a just food. When he was alive, he often said to me, that eating

a dish of delicious dog meat with his old friends carries his mind back to

the old times he longed for. Although it was a very hard time in the war,

those old times were also unforgettable beautiful memories to him. So,

by sitting together around the table in the restaurant and eating dog meat

with his old friends, he wanted to recollect the sweet memory of his

childhood. I was too young to understand his feelings and mind at that

time. But, now I also grew up and left my beloved hometown to live in

strange country. So, I can understand a bit how nostalgic he was for his

beloved hometown, old family and friends, who separated with him after

the war,and all memories related to his old time. Like this, the cuisine of

dog meat was a very special food for the older generation people, and

closely related to their personal lives.

But, differently from the minds of old people, eating dog is not a

common eating habit any more for the generation of young people,

ironically. Even, most of them haven’t tried to eat dog meat before in

their lives. I guess, that is because of the trend that the number of

population who are raising their own dogs as a pet, is growing so rapidly

in these days of Korea. For those people, it might be hard to accept the

fact that while they are raising their pet dogs with full love and affections,

at the same time, some other dogs are being killed by someone to be

served as food. So, the problem of eating dog meat is now very

controversial issue in Korea, and it has been argued between the old and

new generations for the last few years.                                             

     In my case, now I’m raising two dogs in my house. I was at that

moment when they were born, and I’ve seen they were growing for some

years, and also I will be with them even when I will have to let them go

to death. Like this, I have looked after them with love, and treated them

like my family and friends. Ironically, however, I think that the custom

of eating dog meat still need to be maintained as part of our valuable

traditions. Because, all kinds of cultures, traditions, and customs have

the precious value as the reason of existence itself. All of our own

cultures and traditions have been handed down from our ancestors, by

going through many hard ships for a long time in history. And finally, it

reached down to today. Also, it’s an important heritage to perpetuate for

our descendant. As one Korean saying goes, the castle which is built up

strongly for a long time, can never be collapsed in a moment. Like this, 

our own culture and traditions are not the things that can be thrown away

like an old shoe. One nation’s own unique culture and traditions

should be accumulated for a long time in the future as a evidence of our

valuable history.