How much is that doggie per kilo?

How much is that doggie per kilo?

By William Furney

JAKARTA (JP): When recently I asked an Indonesian acquaintance
for advice on the feeding habits of young puppies, the reply I
got was not one I had expected. He said that he didn't like dogs
as pets as he preferred to eat them instead. Unperturbed, I asked
some more people, only to end up with similarly unhelpful
replies.

For some in this country, the meat of dogs is considered
something of a speciality. If, for instance, you are to attend a
traditional Batak wedding ceremony, in Medan, North Sumatra, you
will likely be served dog meat at some point in the proceedings.

Aside from eating the creatures, the keeping of them as pets
is not always accepted in this country. Remember that this is the
largest Muslim population in the world and that the Koran has
strict rules on dogs. As Indonesian Muslims are quick to point out,
it is not they who enjoy dog meat, rather their Christian
counterparts. For most Muslims in this country, dogs are a no-no,
on a par with the equally forbidden pig.

For instance, if a Muslim is licked by a dog, they must wash
the saliva off their body seven times followed by rubbing earth
on the area. Recently, a visiting Indonesian friend's jeans were
licked by our resident mutt, which necessitated a quick trip home
for a change of clothes prior to evening prayers.

The two-month-old terror that we have was given to me by a
colleague. When going to the beach for the weekend recently, we
took her with us as our pembantu had cried off and, being Muslim,
is not overly fond of the animal anyway.

Judging from our unusually peaceful weekend at the beach, I
recommend you take a canine companion with you on your next trip.
Normally, on our beach sojourns, we spend the majority of the
time beating off sellers of everything from bows and arrows to
turtles in jars. But this time there was nothing of the sort as
the hawkers were fearful of coming near us because we had puppy
in tow.

Grown men jumped up and ran away, crying "dog", making us look
at the mutt at the end of the leash to see if it had instantly
metamorphosed into a doggie Godzilla.

Generally, people in this country are not great pet keepers.
Birds are popular, of course, and a recent trip to Pasar Burung
(Bird Market) in Pramuka, East Jakarta, demonstrated the
popularity of the species. All manner of animals were up for
sale, not just birds, including a baby black bear, a baby
chimpanzee, Garuda eagles, armadillos, bats from Bogor and a six-
month-old orangutan (asking price Rp 3.5 million). Altogether,
enough endangered and protected species to send a WWF official
into a tizzy.

It's a horrific place and stressful for both concerned animal
lovers and the animals themselves. However, I came away with a
four-month-old cockatoo from Ambon who is no doubt happier on our
front lawn than he would be in Maluku at this time.

There were no dogs for sale at that market and they are quite
difficult to find at any rate. However, there are areas in
Jakarta where sellers line up on the streets with small puppies
in cages for sale.

As we are now responsible dog owners, a trip to the animal
hospital was necessitated. We went to the Animal Hospital, next
to Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta.

Where previously I had not seen one dog owner in the city, the
waiting room of this hospital was brimming with pooches of all
breeds, their owners patiently awaiting their turn to see a
veterinarian. The only other animal to be seen was a cockerel, to
which one presumed was attached some monetary value.

But it is not just dogs that are eaten here. There is a wide
variety of alternative fare on offer. A wander down Jl. Mangga
Besar in Kota, downtown Jakarta, will offer you the chance to
chow down on reptile dishes -- namely that of snake. For there is
a restaurant that offers customers a varied choice of live snake.

Simply choose the one to your liking and it will be
slaughtered before your eyes, and shortly thereafter served up as
a delicious meal. And like all exotic food, the taste of snake
apparently resembles that of chicken. You may also drink the
blood of the snake, as it is known to be a powerful aphrodisiac,
coursing through your veins and leaving you with thoughts of
after-dinner activities.

With a price tag of about Rp 200,000, you either have to be an
ophidian connoisseur or be firmly convinced of the health-giving
properties.

Other types of food available on this Chinatown street include
baby red rats, which are eaten alive (remember the TV series V?)
shortly after they are born. One can also sample adult white
rats, although this variety is cooked prior to consumption.

Many Indonesians, however, turn their noses up in disgust at
the mention of these dishes, saying they are the preserve of the
Chinese community here.

From now on, whenever puppy goes walkies, she will be on a
lead.