# Rather Unpleasant Topic-fetus soup. UL? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562 "2006-03-30T17:13:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Iamnotwhoidream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Iamnotwhoidream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamnotwhoidream)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/1 "2006-03-30T17:13:30Z")
Hello, My name is Patrick, this is my first post, and I am asking about a rather terrible topic. I do not believe this topic is real, but was wondering if somebody could hardcore debunk this one for me. It’s about fetus soup being served in China. If anybody here could lay to rest this awful urban legend, or at least knock it down a bit, I’d greatly appreciate. Here is a friends, blog post on the topic, be warned, her links contain graphic stuff. > **[Error](https://dumdummuoi.livejournal.com/317761.html)** > > Your life is the best story! Just start your blog today! Again, I know this is not a nice topic, but I would like this put to rest. Thank you. -Patrick ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/2 "2006-03-30T17:21:25Z")
[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/snopes.asp) (an excellent site for doing research on any unbelievable internet claim) has this to say on [eating fetuses in China](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.htm). (Note the comment about the 1995 investigation near the end of the article.) ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/3 "2006-03-30T17:29:51Z")
Welcome to the Board **Iamnotwhoidream**! This was a good question and a good example of the best side of this group. I have yet to see a serious question arise that some member (if not many) was able to address. I hope you elect to stay here as a member. **tomndebb** - nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/4 "2006-03-30T17:30:47Z")
I know this is GQ. But whenever people bring up things like this I always ask them to please consider the feasbility. Is it feasible to obtain fetuses, cook them, and eat them, without anyone noticing? Is it practical? Will people be losing more money to do it? Gossip is gossip, be it about individual people or companies or countries. I’ve known of a handful of Chinese restaurants that were forced to close down because of the “cat” rumor - people stopped going, and no business. This is people’s livelihood. The fetus rumor is simply a form of racism. And I suppose China if anything has done things to warrant it. Snopes says it much better than I could: > [@](#): > > Our knowledge of the existence of cultural differences (even if we don’t know exactly what those differences are) helps prepare the soil for wild rumors like this one to sprout in, because this tidbit of “information” seems to fit so well with what we think we know about a deeply mistrusted foreign culture. One could not successfully kite the same tale about Canada, for instance, because folks would immediately reject it as wholly false. But set it in China, and it begins to sound if not plausible, at least possible. The Chinese treat bodies of executed wrongdoers as piles of recyclable parts lying there for the taking; why wouldn’t they view aborted fetuses as something that could be added to a lunch menu? (We note that it is the People’s Republic of China, not Taiwan, which has a policy of harvesting organs from executed prisoners.) > > The taboos against eating one’s own are universal, and rumors about violations of these taboos are used to vilify members of competing cultures. Think of them as peacetime atrocity rumors, for they serve the same purpose, albeit on a smaller scale. Thanks for at least asking, btw. I get so tired of people parroting these comments without ever looking it up. Makes me ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/5 "2006-03-30T17:32:05Z")
…was **un** able to address. :smack: Must preview more carefully ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/6 "2006-03-30T17:32:05Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > And I suppose **{in people’s minds}** China if anything has done things to warrant it. …but that doesn’t make it OK. Sorry. I went on to the next thought in the middle of the first one. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/7 "2006-03-30T17:45:10Z")
There is a link to Snopes in the article itself… ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/8 "2006-03-30T17:48:02Z")
> [@Iamnotwhoidream](#): > > It’s about fetus soup being served in China. If anybody here could lay to rest this awful urban legend, or at least knock it down a bit, I’d greatly appreciate. Sounds like a variant on [this urban legend about dead fetuses or babies being eaten in Taiwan](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/cannibal/fetus.htm). Snopes has debunked it. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/9 "2006-03-30T17:48:36Z")
Timing of question interesting given Italy’s Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s recent [comments.](http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/china.italy.ap/) ---
**Author:** ![Iamnotwhoidream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Iamnotwhoidream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iamnotwhoidream)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rather-unpleasant-topic-fetus-soup-ul/350562/10 "2006-03-31T16:23:15Z")
Thank you all for your help. I had heard of the Snopes article, it’s linked in the post that I linked too. My concern more was the site full of probaly fake photos, that is the second link on my friend’s blog post about the topic (very graphic photos, you have been warned). It’s probably fake though, an extension of the original idea. People really need to figure out better ways to spend their time. I also think this is partially cultural ignorance, racism. And thank you Operation Ripper for that CNN article ([http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/china.italy.ap/](http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/29/china.italy.ap/)). That’s some pretty stupid and horrible comments he made.