- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmy.ml
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/38982154
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95% of Japanese rarely or never eat whale.
for good reason; i tried it in japan, its pretty gamey and tough.
Japanese eat between 4000 and 5000 tons annually, only one ounce per person per YEAR on average, and the country throws away 3500 to 4000 tons per year, about 40%.of all harvested whale meat
They sell it at my supermarket in northern Japan. I’ve had it at a restaurant I think twice and it was ok; nothing to write home about but I didn’t find it gamey or anything.
Why buy it and directly support such a devastating industry?
It’s so funny to me when people are like ‘oh yeah I participated in and helped fund this disgusting thing, it’s wasn’t that great so I did it again…’
Most people seem to have no personal morality or shame, it’s so weird.
I never specifically ordered whale. In Japan, there are places you go and get whatever set menu is being served that day. I did, it contained whale, and either I ate it or it went in the trash. As such, I ate it.
A lot of people would eat human if it was cooked and in front of them
What the fuck is up with the Japanese and whaling? Do they eat that much whale meat? Or what?
I think that it’s been a thing for a while. Japan’s an island nation, and harvesting sea life has been important. Probably some people who want it just for tradition.
kagis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_whaling
The oldest written mention of whaling in Japanese records is from Kojiki, the oldest Japanese historical book, which was written in the 7th century CE. This book describes whale meat being eaten by Emperor Jimmu. In Man’yōshū, an anthology of poems from the 8th century CE, the word “Whaling” (いさなとり) was frequently used in depicting the ocean or beaches.
One of the first records of whaling using harpoons is from the 1570s at Morosaki, a bay attached to Ise Bay. This method of whaling spread to Kii (before 1606), Shikoku (1624), northern Kyushu (1630s), and Nagato (around 1672).
Kakuemon Wada, later known as Kakuemon Taiji, was said to have invented net whaling sometime between 1675 and 1677. This method soon spread to Shikoku (1681) and northern Kyushu (1684)
Using the techniques developed by Taiji, the Japanese mainly hunted four species of whale: the North Pacific right, the humpback, the fin, and the gray whale. They also caught the occasional blue, sperm, or sei/Bryde’s whale .
In 1853, the US naval officer Matthew Perry forced Japan to open up to foreign trade. One purpose of his mission was to gain access to ports for the American whaling fleet in the north-west Pacific Ocean. Japan’s traditional whaling was eventually replaced in the late 19th century and early 20th century with modern methods.
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/big-fish-history-whaling/
People have been whaling for thousands of years. Norwegians were among the first to hunt whales, as early as 4,000 years ago. The Japanese may have been doing so even earlier.
Isn’t whale really unpopular cheap trash meat in Japan?
They added whale meat to vending machines last year to boost consumption. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/24/asia/japan-whale-meat-vending-machine-intl-hnk/index.html
Great idea Japan. Artificially trying to fuel consumption of a product you KNOW is controversial and unpopular instead of just… stopping
That’s the impression I’m getting front reading this thread. Most people don’t care about it yet they still insist on killing and fishing whales
Americans own piles of guns. Russians drink themselves into the ground. Rich people the world over pay for ‘exotic’ hunting trips to shoot endangered animals. All of these things are bad.
The Japanese aren’t the only ones clinging to outdated traditions despite controversy.
