Naga Videos Online: Dog Meat

Sunday 22 January 2012

Dog Meat

Food habits vary from culture to culture determined by a lot of factors such as - availability, attitude, beliefs, income, taste, appetite, skills, education, knowledge about food etc. According to the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) the major determinants of food choices are based on the following factors -

Biological determinants such as hunger, appetite, and taste

Economic determinants such as cost, income, availability

Physical determinants such as access, education, skills (e.g. cooking) and time

Social determinants such as culture, family, peers and meal patterns

Psychological determinants such as mood, stress and guilt

Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about food

source: http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/review-food-choice/

Nagas are known to consume dog meat. In fact, it is a delicacy beside many other exotic food here in Nagaland. Besides, there is a hilarious lore that is often told to a non-Naga - "Nagas eat anything with four legs except chairs and tables, anything that crawls the earth, that flies in the air except aeroplanes...".

But feeding on dog meat is not exclusive to Nagas. Dog meat is consumed in several countries like China, Vietman, Switzerland, Phillipines and Mexico. Whether an individual like a certain food is his or her choice, and there is no reason to detest. It might not be advisable to make dog meat a common meal on your dinner table but it might not be so bad for the 'adventurous-in-food-habit-ones' to try once if you haven't. Even in Nagaland, dog meat even though it is consumed is not a common meal in many household. Many people in towns and cities do not consume dog meat.

The exotic food habit in Nagaland (also some parts of North East India) compared to rest of India have attracted quite some articles in media. Some are unjustly written without understanding the culture and by comparing to the rest of the country, while some are alright. Though an article in the media might be judgmental, it is interesting to know that the author is writing from his or her personal perspective. So it is interesting to read the comments from readers on such news. People who are adventurous in food habit and who have experienced different food cultures around the world are the most rational in their comments. Check out some article links below the video.

I found this video on YouTube and thought I'd share on this topic. Share us your views too ... :)

Video Coutesy / Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/J0sephMJac0bs