# I'm tired of people claiming ethnic restaurants use mice and cats instead of food **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724 "2005-01-14T16:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/21 "2005-01-14T19:42:22Z")
I’ve been to China, and the food there is different from the food served in Chinese restaurants in the US. For one thing, Chinese food has a lot of vegetable and tofu dishes that you don’t see here, like some delicious wilted spinach I had in Taiwan that had been stirfried with anise and shaochu. YUM! Chinese food uses many different spices, and Chinese food served in the US is quite bland by comparison. Americans also don’t realize that China is a big country with a lot of regional variation in their cuisine, like Beijing, which has different varieties of dumplings and dishes that are eaten with small pancakes, such as Beijing Duck; Shanghai–seafood dishes, heavy on the oil; and the ones Americans know, like Sichuan, Cantonese, and Hunan. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/22 "2005-01-14T19:47:45Z")
Oh, and as for Korean food, yes, Koreans eat dog, but only in special dishes that are really expensive and that are used as medicine, such as _boshintang_, and they only serve dogs that have been specially bred for the purpose. For daily meals, Koreans eat things like soup, _bulgogi_, _kimchi_, bean sprouts, rice, and seafood–dog is a rarity. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/23 "2005-01-14T20:01:56Z")
Yeah, I hate this story. I probably hear it more often than other folks because I work for a humane society, and being interested in animal welfare doesn’t preclude being a racist dickwad. I usually try to find a polite way of telling the dickwad that they’re factually incorrect, but sometimes it can be very difficult–the person telling the story is as often as not a donor, and I risk my job if I piss them off. Joy. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/24 "2005-01-14T20:32:48Z")
> [@gobear](#): > > Oh, and as for Korean food, yes, Koreans eat dog, but only in special dishes that are really expensive and that are used as medicine, such as _boshintang_, and they only serve dogs that have been specially bred for the purpose. > > For daily meals, Koreans eat things like soup, _bulgogi_, _kimchi_, bean sprouts, rice, and seafood–dog is a rarity. Just a nitpick - yes, poshindang is a health food, yes, it is not something you’d eat every day, though I know people who eat it as often as they are able to afford it. But it’s incorrect to say that all or even most dog that you would get is specially bred for consumption. It is common for butchers to try and save some money by catching street dogs and selling them off. This is a dishonest practice, but it’s done. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/25 "2005-01-14T20:54:09Z")
> [@karomon](#): > > Just a nitpick - yes, poshindang is a health food, yes, it is not something you’d eat every day, though I know people who eat it as often as they are able to afford it. But it’s incorrect to say that all or even most dog that you would get is specially bred for consumption. It is common for butchers to try and save some money by catching street dogs and selling them off. This is a dishonest practice, but it’s done. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were incidents like you describe, but the government inspects dog restaurants to insure compliance with regulations. I have a photo I took in 1997 (not digitized yet) of dog carcasses hanging in a market in Taejon. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/26 "2005-01-14T21:15:10Z")
This is not about ethnic restaurants, but a jokish insult levelled at any restaurant. Any one not heard of Kentuky Fried Rat? Still it is an old and stupid joke. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/27 "2005-01-14T21:23:40Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > This is not about ethnic restaurants, but a jokish insult levelled at any restaurant. Any one not heard of Kentuky Fried Rat? Still it is an old and stupid joke. Well, Bippy my dear, it offends me more when it’s about ethnic restaurants because it strikes closer to home. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/28 "2005-01-14T21:30:16Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Count me as one American White Guy who has nothing but respect for family ran ethnic restaurants. > I like a lot of these places because you can always count on the owners and staff taking pride in their place. I can tell a lot of them put in lots of hours since they are there no matter when you drop by. > I’m also more apt to tip bigger at these places because I know it’s their livelyhood, the don’t overcharge, and they know what service is. > > Become a regular, be a generous tipper, and they’ll treat you like family. Me too. I try to imagine the amount of courage and pluck it would take to move around the world to a foreign country and open a small business. I admire these folks a lot. Also, I love hot and sour soup. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/29 "2005-01-14T21:32:50Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Well, Bippy my dear, it offends me more when it’s about ethnic restaurants because it strikes closer to home. Well, while I travelled in India, I was most put out that not once did anyone ever serve me chilled monkey brains a la _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_. After eating dal and rice day after day, monkey brains and eyeball soup would have made a refreshing change. ---
**Author:** ![Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/30 "2005-01-15T01:05:24Z")
When I was stationed in Florida, one of my moron co-workers told me that the health inspector’d found a dog carcass in the freezer of the Chinese restaurant a couple miles outside the front gate. I looked at him and said, “It could have been worse.” “Oh? How?” “They could have found a half a dog carcass.” Took him ten minutes to figure that one out. ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/31 "2005-01-15T01:18:51Z")
A Chinese-American coworker, originally from Hong Kong, took a group of us to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. He ordered for everyone in Cantonese. We got a bunch of great dishes, none of which bore any resemblance to the stuff on the regular menu. I’ve often wondered what you had to do to get real Chinese food if you didn’t know the secret handshake. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/32 "2005-01-15T01:28:32Z")
[It’s still out there folks](http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/rats.asp) > [@](#): > > Popular Atlanta Restaurant SHUT DOWN! > > A popular Asian/Chinese restaurant bistro in Atlanta was closed down this morning after authorities received a tip that the owner was accepting shipments of rats and mice from a vendor to prepare in his dishes. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/33 "2005-01-15T01:37:17Z")
> [@](#): > > _Anaamika in OP:_ > We’re Indian, his family’s Chinese. If people only knew how hard they worked! If it makes you feel any better- the hard working nature of Indian and Chinese people is part of their standard stereotypes. So rejoice. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/34 "2005-01-15T02:15:40Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > [It’s still out there folks](http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/rats.asp) what, the rumor? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/35 "2005-01-15T02:30:03Z")
> [@Mynn](#): > > what, the rumor? seeing as the link takes you to Snopes, yes. ---
**Author:** ![35340](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/8baadc/32.png) [@35340](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/35340)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/36 "2005-01-15T02:43:58Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > seeing as the link takes you to Snopes, yes. Ah, must be a penis ensues kind of thing. Okay. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/37 "2005-01-15T02:45:05Z")
The thing that gets me is that if you order a sub or a burger or a pizza, they make it out of sight in the back of the restaurant and bring it out to you. Take-out Chinese restaurants are usually the only places that have their kitchens open to the customer’s view so you can watch them cooking your food if you choose to. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/38 "2005-01-15T02:54:25Z")
I have to disagree with my pal **Bippy the Beardless** here. In my neck of the woods growing up, it was only said about Chinese restaurants (we didn’t have much else for “ethnic” back then). It may be a jokish insult in your experience, but in my experience it was told as a dead serious warning. There was always someone’s relative who was a police officer or health inspector who was the “source”. Said source had typically found a cat, but sometimes also rat or – I’m surprised this one didn’t make the OP – seagull from the dumpster out back. To this day, I can still remember the names of the 2 restaurants this was said most about. I’m ashamed to say that as a kid I never wanted to eat there. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/39 "2005-01-15T03:12:10Z")
> [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > [It’s still out there folks](http://www.snopes.com/food/tainted/rats.asp) Actually, this is what caused the Pit thread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724/40 "2005-01-15T03:13:12Z")
Oh, and **gobear** , there’s so much more to Indian food than dal and rice. I think I 'll make some rotis and potatoes & chick peas tomorrow, now that you mention it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-tired-of-people-claiming-ethnic-restaurants-use-mice-and-cats-instead-of-food/284724.md?page=3)