It's a pet's world

Do you know that...

• In America, the top 1% of pets live better than 99% of the world's population.
• In the past 15 years, the drop of percentage of households with children and the rise in percentage of househols with pets have been practically the same. - Seems like people nowadays prefer pets to children!
• In 2006, Americans spend $40b on pets, more than double what they spent in 1990.
• New pet luxuries: teeth-witheners, breath fresheners, fur glisteners, designer sweaters, jewelry, animal car seats, acne cream, nail polish, anti-aging creams, pet contact lenses, paw-fumes
• There's actually a "The Hound of Music" package. For $1600 you can let your dog have ride on a limousine to a recording studio and have his barking accompanied and digitally mastered onto a holiday CD. Massage included - for the dog.
• Doggie dating services, wedding, animal retirement homes, pet funerals

Life as a pet is definitely getting better in most places. But turn to the other side of the world to Vietnam or Korea and dogs are savored as a delicacy. Yiieerr..... But that's the sad truth. Vietnamese eat dogs to rid off bad luck. Apparently they only eat dogs towards the end of the month to rid off all the bad luck in hope of brighter new month. Dogs are never eaten in the beginning of the lunar month. In Vietnam, there are 7 ways to cook dogs:

• Thit cho hap - steamed dog meat
• Rua man - steamed dog in shrimp paste, rice flour and lemon grass
• Doi cho - dog sausage
• Gieng Me Mam Tom - Steamed dog in shrimp paste, ginger, spices and rice vinegar
• Thit cho nuong - grilled dog meat
• Canh Xao Mang Cho - Bamboo shoots and dog bone marrow
• Cho Xao Sa Ot - Fried dog in lemon grass and chili

Feeling sick already? Vietnamese eat cats too.... Someone told me cats taste better dogs.

Perhaps it may seem sick to foreigners, but it's just a culture and custom. What seems right to us may not seem right to them anyway. Disclaimer: they don't pet dogs or cats. The eaten ones are reared for that purpose pretty much the way we rear chickens and ducks.