Foodenator

Under a new law against animal abuse in China, individuals in caught eating either cat or dog meat could face a fine of 5,000 yuan (approximately $735) or up to 15 days in prison. Businesses involved in the practice could be fined up to 500,000 yuan (or $7,325), according to the Times Online.

The draft going to Parliament in April would be first law against animal abuse by a new, increasingly animal-loving Chinese society that no longer has the taste for canine and feline meat.

Dog meat appeared in Chinese cuisine as early as the third century B.C. and is long believed to provide warmth to those who eat it. Restaurants offering dog — or “fragrant meat” as it’s often poetically referred to — appear throughout the entire nation. Its “warming” property makes it particularly popular in winter stews and the frigid northeastern region of China.

Cat meat, however, is primarily consumed by the people of the southern Guangdong province. Cat is not as popular because of an old superstition that the feline will come back at night to retaliate.

Waking up to a vengeful minx? No thanks. We’ll leave the tail-wagging eating to Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain.

source: slashfood