Suanie wrote a post about her planning her wedding (updated) a few days back. I tried looking for it but gave up after merely 10 seconds of search. Firstly, I’m tired. Secondly, I’m running short of time for this post. LOL.
One thing about Chinese weddings that I do not understand is, “Why must they (we) have shark’s fin soup?” As I know, they slice/slaughter off the shark’s fins and throw them back into the sea. That’s because the rest of the meat is somehow not “valuable”. The sharks couldn’t swim without their fins (of course right? You try walking without legs and see) thus lay at the bottom of the sea and die.
(The photo above taken from flickr. Contact me if it should be taken down.)
I’ve eaten shark’s fin before. What I do not understand is, “WHY?” Firstly, it’s just some “tiny strands” of “meat”. If someone were to serve me shark’s fin in a plain water soup, I wouldn’t know it’s shark’s fin. I might think it’s just some kind of “mee” or “meehoon”.
Seriously, shark’s fin soup taste good because of the soup itself. It has crab meat, eggs, and some other things (I’m not a cook :-P). So, why shark’s fin? Why a Chinese wedding cannot go on without serving any shark’s fin? Is it a “symbol” of prosperity or something?
*sigh*
If you are going to kill the shark, at least do not leave the rest of the fish to waste.
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This is funny! LOL…
Yeah, say NO to shark’s fins soup! When the demand stops, so will the killing..
This just shows that sometimes cultures encourage us to be jerks.
@pelf
hehe. Unfortunately, the demand might never stop. At least I do not know what’s the importance of having shark’s fin soup in weddings, especially.
@Andrew Odlum
Well, it’s just a difference in cultures. I’m a Chinese myself. However, I do not see the significance of having shark’s fin soup. Maybe it is a sign of prosperity or something. I really have no idea.
hi kelwin! me again… i also wondered about why we need to serve shark’s fin soup. its just cruel. but of late i’ve noticed that some places have replaced the shark’s fin with other types of ‘fake shark fin’ or substitute with crab meat. dunno if its to cut down cost or because they realize how cruel it is, though!
@lingzie
Yeah, it’s cruel. The thing I don’t understand is, it is actually quite tasteless I think. It’s only that the soup is tasty. Therefore, I really don’t know what’s the purpose of the fins.
http://www.suanie.net/2007/07/24/should-i-get-married-someday/
apa nak? heheh
@suanie
Ahh, yes. That is the post. Hehehehe. Didn’t have the time to look for it earlier on.
I’ve tried the fake yee chee and it taste just as same as the original one. It will only be tasty if you add it with vinegar. So support pirated yee chee! Don’t know Uncle Ho got sell pirate yee chee ornot.
@anthraxxxx
That’s what I was trying to say. I’m not sure what’s the exact taste of shark’s fin but it isn’t really the fin that is really tasty. So, it’s really unnecessary to be killing the sharks just for their fins.
wanna be a millionaire?
Invent a substitute that taste as good as
sharks fin soup without using sharks fin,
I is shore it kood be done. jesus
@jesus
I think there are already shark’s fin alternatives in the market. Anyway, it’s a good idea. As long as it can help save the sharks.
Its cruel and not neccesary. The shark will take days to die in great pain and hunger. Besides, the “value” of shark fin is purely perceptual or even superstitious. Its foolish to me.
By the way, I am hunting for a video that documented how shark fin is harvested. Any help will be appreciated.