Excuse me! There is Shark Fin in My Soup

Yet another reason for me to detest the wedding season, as if more reasons cited.

Excuse my predisposition to not enjoying an extravagantly boring evening on a perfectly good weekend in exchange for mediocre food and even worse wine, or my disbelief when bearing witness to the most frivolous way to spend $10k– wedding videography. Excuse me while my already-tested patience is further eroded by this season’s hot button issue in a steaming bowl – shark fin soup. Alas, a can of soup ripe for a scintillating dinner conversation or a kerfuffle at banquet dinner between the traditional Asian parents and their vocal and politically correct next-generation.

Source: www.sustainablewaters.com

The most pronounced line of argument comes from the ecological side armed with scientific facts: expanding with the Chinese middle class is the demand for shark fin, causing up to 73 million sharks to be killed a year from the act of finning – when fishermen cut the fin off and throw the shark back into the water to die, and as a result as many as 90 % of sharks in the world’s open oceans have disappeared, with negative externalities rippling across the ocean’s food chain.

Also bombastic and uncannily righteous is the knee-jerk political side (my least favourite side) alluding to human rights abuse and racial discrimination of a ban on shark fin, galvanizing the issue in Chinese communities while juggling a balancing act in scoring votes from the both environmental and the ethnic sides. Way to go, politico.

The most painstaking arguments come from the political bandwagon-side (I recant my earlier statement, they are my least favourite side) – the self-proclaimed “activists” who saw a Discovery documentary and decided that the act in question is the abomination of mankind that will effectively decimate the ocean and humanity thereafter. The axis of evil against sharks must be crucified, hyperbole notwithstanding.

Rhetoric runs thick, octane runs high, and my patience runs thin.

The alleged stigma that racializes shark fin consumption need not to be. When Iron Chef America used shark meat as the Secret Ingredient there was no issue at all; Iron Chef (original one from Japan) cooks shark fin and people get belligerent. If the issue at hand is killing of sharks and decimating the ocean, center the solution on regulating the industry to prevent over-fishing. The demand side will equilibrate itself and substitute away from shark products if the supply becomes prohibitively expensive. While at it, ban shark oil, skin, blue fin tuna, sea bass and all the other industries with sustainability concerns until those concerns are resolved. But don’t go on a shaming crusade for animal cruelty if you have not a clue where the mystery meat in your burger comes from. It is not a prudent juncture to loudly boast sentience for the environment when scarfing down a Big Mac. (True story)

A comprehensive and coherent legislative initiative behind proposing the ban should come from the federal level of the government to ward off politicization from local officials racing to win cheap points with constituency. Taking a national stance on the issue of conservation and preservation through education coupled with policy measures to address affected businesses within the industry (potentially thought tax incentives to ease the switch to alternative products) will better heel the policymakers to satisfy the involved parties alike. Less preachy sound bites also make for affable audience even on the most skeptic of eardrums.

Local grass root groups ought to take on the role of educating from within ethnic groups lest they default to a counterproductive “us against them” sentiment. The appeal of a cultural tradition in ethnic cuisine is close to home, yet even closer is the cultural tradition of family and longevity – sustain the ocean so their grandchildren will not run out of fish to eat. Helping earlier-generation ethnic groups understand the importance of sustainability without shaming or condescension will prove more effectual than perpetuating xenophobia.

Source: Discovery Channel

Indeed, the Chinese do not have an innate desire to consume shark fin, (if you’ve ever tried it, you’ll know it’s tasteless). This prevailing status symbol is neither indispensable nor irreplaceable. Afford the confidence that Chinese cuisine, not unlike its culture, is resilient. In a well-regulated market with socio-economic foresight, consumers and industries will manage to wean off shark fin like they have of bear paws and sea turtles.

As for the rest of us civilians who (as per usual) are caught in the middle of the contention, learn where your food comes from, and heed the sage advice of Tracy Morgan in “30 Rock” – “live every week like it is shark week.”

Credit for featured image on this article goes to: istolethetv

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