# Shark fin soup, what is the fuss about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135 "2015-04-08T16:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/41 "2015-04-10T13:33:26Z")
> [@Saturn\_Dreams](#): > > Show me a place that can sell real shark fin soup for $5 and I’ll show you a place that makes McDonald’s look like their food is based on organic recipes. You can’t even get decent chicken soup for $5. I would think that price would depend on where you live. Here in the US I don’t think there is much of a demand for shark fin. It is a ridiculous assertion that you can’t get a decent bowl of chicken soup for $5. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/42 "2015-04-10T13:40:56Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I wish they’d eat mosquitoes, can’t they come up with some super-boner-potion made from mosquitoes and rats’ noses? > > I had shark’s (or sharks’) fin/s soup in China once. I remained bonerless and it tasted pretty vapid. The tiny bits of gristle in the broth had less taste than the ‘meat’-on-a-stick that was 1/100th of the price in the street outside. but it’s all about the _texture,_ you see :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/43 "2015-04-10T15:56:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Never tried panda, but I’ve heard it’s gamey. remember, you have to have it cooked … rare. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/44 "2015-04-10T16:20:22Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > but it’s all about the _texture,_ you see :rolleyes: The weird thing is the Chinese do not waste a single item of protein. The fish head goes to the guest of honor, the duck’s face is cut off and nibbled (looks like a lamb chop in low light _shudders_), they eat _everything_. I won’t go on as I’m starting to feel queasy. But they throw away a whole shark? I guess it goes back into the food chain so all is well, but shark steak would surely sell. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/45 "2015-04-10T16:31:48Z")
I understand hating (some) Chinese people for these horrible habits, but could you guys please not pick on American born ethnically Chinese people for it? Also tell your friends not to? My SO always gets comments about it, and sometimes they’re downright nasty. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/46 "2015-04-10T16:40:35Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > The weird thing is the Chinese do not waste a single item of protein. The fish head goes to the guest of honor, the duck’s face is cut off and nibbled (looks like a lamb chop in low light _shudders_), they eat _everything_. I won’t go on as I’m starting to feel queasy. But they throw away a whole shark? I guess it goes back into the food chain so all is well, but shark steak would surely sell. This is likely the case for when sharks are caught locally, but the sharks under discussion are frequently caught [on the other side](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_fin_trading_in_Costa_Rica) [of the world](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharkwater) from China, on an industrial scale. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/47 "2015-04-12T14:09:58Z")
What about bird’s nest soup? The nests are found in limestone caves, very dangerous to reach. The flavor comes from the mucous that the birds use to stick the grass pieces (from which the nest is made) together. I have never had it, but Chinese friends tell me the soup is based upon chicken broth, with the nest contributing stickiness. Seems like an awful lot of trouble for not much in return-wouldn’t gelatin give pretty much the same effect? ---
**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:** [April 12, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/48 "2015-04-12T15:48:57Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I understand hating (some) Chinese people for these horrible habits, but could you guys please not pick on American born ethnically Chinese people for it? Also tell your friends not to? > > My SO always gets comments about it, and sometimes they’re downright nasty. ☹ Yeah, some of the comments in this thread are kind of gross. ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a587f6/32.png) [@Eric\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/49 "2015-06-24T12:30:48Z")
some people will believe anything - oh, its tradition oh, the cavemen ate it, therefore it must be good oh, my mother and father told me to Chinese believe it will give them a hard on… all it does is kill sharks by the 1000’s then again, they also eat cats and dogs, usually boiling them or cooking them with a blowtorch while they are alive - again all based on “traditions” and “culture” ---
**Author:** ![Eric\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a587f6/32.png) [@Eric\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/50 "2015-06-24T12:39:50Z")
I can tell you from personal experience, I have not eaten anything from animals in over 20 years and it does not make any difference in terms of dietary requirements. I did not lose weight or gain weight. What I gained was knowledge that man does not require animals as food (or clothes, or entertainment or other enslavement) 2) eating meat causes huge collateral damage to the planet. Crops that are fed to animals could have been fed to millions of starving people around the world… instead, it takes 30-50 times as much land to feed animals, after which only 30% of the animal makes it back to the plates of humans… the water use and energy use in the process as well, is unfathomable. The only reason people eat meat today in 2015, is “Habit” - its what they are used to - but people give up smoking. People have beat highly addictive drugs like heroin. This means we can also quit the meat habit. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/51 "2015-06-24T13:05:42Z")
> [@Eric\_Seltzer](#): > > I can tell you from personal experience, I have not eaten anything from animals in over 20 years and it does not make any difference in terms of dietary requirements. I did not lose weight or gain weight. What I gained was knowledge that man does not require animals as food (or clothes, or entertainment or other enslavement) 2) eating meat causes huge collateral damage to the planet. Crops that are fed to animals could have been fed to millions of starving people around the world… instead, it takes 30-50 times as much land to feed animals, after which only 30% of the animal makes it back to the plates of humans… the water use and energy use in the process as well, is unfathomable. > > The only reason people eat meat today in 2015, is “Habit” - its what they are used to - but people give up smoking. People have beat highly addictive drugs like heroin. This means we can also quit the meat habit. right…and that propaganda is on topic how exactly? It is perfectly possible to enjoy meat and animal products and not adversely effect the planet at all. Other animals do it all the time. Rather more relevant to the OP…yep, Shark Fin soup, bird nest soup etc is just edible poverty porn. As Terry Pratchett put it, you wouldn’t be eating shark’s fin unless some other rich bugger had eaten the rest of the shark. So the peasants make the most of what they can scrounge and before long it becomes an oh so quaint tradition that the rich can appropriate to show their good taste. It is insipid and pointless as anything other than a signifier of wealth. For some people that is enough whereas for the shark it is a source of some regret I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/52 "2015-06-24T13:47:05Z")
> [@Eric\_Seltzer](#): > > I can tell you from personal experience, I have not eaten anything from animals in over 20 years and it does not make any difference in terms of dietary requirements. I did not lose weight or gain weight. What I gained was knowledge that man does not require animals as food (or clothes, or entertainment or other enslavement) 2) eating meat causes huge collateral damage to the planet. Crops that are fed to animals could have been fed to millions of starving people around the world… instead, it takes 30-50 times as much land to feed animals, after which only 30% of the animal makes it back to the plates of humans… the water use and energy use in the process as well, is unfathomable. > > The only reason people eat meat today in 2015, is “Habit” - its what they are used to - but people give up smoking. People have beat highly addictive drugs like heroin. This means we can also quit the meat habit. Wow… thank you for opening my eyes! I had never heard of nor thought of such things. Thank you again for joining today to share your wisdom! I’ve been a serious “meat and potatoes” kind of guy, but I promise I will change my ways based on your information and not eat any meat. (for at least the next 30 minutes) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135/53 "2015-06-24T18:45:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@telemark](#): > > > > it has purported health benefits. > > which are entirely bogus. They were good for the shark. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shark-fin-soup-what-is-the-fuss-about/717135.md?page=2)