Monday, March 7, 2011

Shark's Fin and Salon.com Readers: A Sweet Memoir of Americans Who Can't Read


Either this guy and his friends just discovered Salon.com or the literacy rate in America has hit rock bottom. Read Francis Lam's article on the Shark's Fin Ban. It was a great piece about how Shark's Fin has a very important place in Chinese cuisine. It is the quintessential Chinese banquet food. What really bothers me though are the commenters on the article. This is my second language and clearly I reads mo better than yous. Francis states very well why he favors a ban on Shark's Fin Soup but points out the selective enforcement and application of the law. Yet, commenters who probably can't get past the word "racist" long enough to read, are posting knee-jerk "they're taking america away from me" type shit.

When I got straight-A's, I asked for Mario Kart. Instead, I got a bullshit bowl of Shark's Fin Soup. Looks like Francis got the same thing and in the process captures what Shark's Fin Soup means to Chinese people. It is a rite of passage. Sure, it seems silly to you, but it's kinda like our axe body spray. Can't go to Prom without it. #winning

Shark's Fin Soup is all about winning, but while it has a revered place in Chinese culinary history, it's time to let it go. We can still eat bird's nest and if they take that away, well, we'll just have to find something new and gelatinous to worship. My grandma had bound feet, but when I begged to get mine bound, my parents had the foresight to say, "He'll never understand that Robert Frost poem in College about traveling on roads if he has bound feet!" Yes, assimilation is a bitch but sometimes it prevents bound feet. In this case, it can also prevent the destruction of the eco system. If we don't have sharks, clown fish will take over the world.

There is a very good point made here. While we're banning Shark's Fin, let's ban Blue Fin Tuna, Caspian Caviar, and ... if we must... Atlantic Cod. I'm sure people in Boston will protest by dumping fish and chips into the harbor, but if history has taught us anything, there is only one Bostonian worth saving: Bill Simmons and luckily he lives in LA. Banning just one item reeks of political posturing when there are a number of items that should be taken care of as well. Food politics is pretty important so this is a step in the right direction. This isn't about Chinese people or shark's fin at the end of the day. It's about the environment and cutting the things out of our diet that mortgage our future. Just like the deficit, we probably should have done something decades ago. It's not too late. Fuck the people who can't let blue fin tuna go and do the right thing, Mookie. Next time I get straight-As, I want tiger's blood and Alexis Texas. Neither of which have a large carbon footprint unless she sits on my xerox machine.

FYI, if you like blue fin tuna belly, try yellow tail belly, it's better.

3 comments:

  1. But, but it tastes good. It's like a chewier vermicelli. Fine, environment, save the world, fine.

    ReplyDelete
  2. When I got straight-A's, I asked for Mario Kart. Instead, I got a bullshit bowl of Shark's Fin Soup. Looks like Francis got the same thing and in the process captures what Shark's Fin Soup means to Chinese people. It is a rite of passage. Sure, it seems silly to you, but it's kinda like our axe body spray. 2945abc45 0323

    ReplyDelete