PEt (as in dog) Peeve..

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 6:13 pm

I think things are improving, especially is you see how organisations like SSPCA and ACRES are now mainstream and effective advocacy groups. The latter didn't even exist 10 years ago.

the lynx · Post by **the lynx** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 6:13 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:
the lynx wrote:
movingtospore wrote:You know what I don't get is the number of cold weather breeds I see here, huskies et al, owned by local families. That's just mean, making them live here!
Exactly!!!

I just don't understand how huskies would survive this tropical climate... Goodness... There are some families I've met that actually claimed they keep their huskies in air-conditioned kennels/rooms but still, I believe these poor huskies are better off elsewhere other than Singapore...
These are the same people who pay $80 for a No. 10 tin can of tasteless abalone because in cantonese or hainese or some dialect is sounds auspicious.

That sounds ridiculous! Which abalone btw? No idea about it...

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 7:59 pm

Go into any supermarket here and check out the prices of Abalone. During the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) those cans double & triple in price.

Now days, it's about $40/425gm can but before the financial meltdown of '97 it was around $75 to $80/can, mostly because they have now figured out how to breed and raise abalone inland in tanks.

Abalone
The pricy abalone is known as bao yu, which has a parallel meaning of "assurance" (bao) of a "surplus" (yu) in the year ahead. It is thus popular for New Year meals amongst businessmen

http://www.makansutra.com/reviews/2011_0202/index.html

Lucky foods: How to shop on Hong Kong's dried seafood street
Abalone, conpoy, black moss... here's a guide for buying and cooking the most auspicious foods for Chinese New Year

Lucky foods: How to shop on Hong Kong's dried seafood street | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/none/sea ... z1dm7HwRtO

The star of most Chinese banquets, dried abalone is valued for its resemblance to the ancient Chinese ingots used as currency.

the lynx · Post by **the lynx** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:32 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Go into any supermarket here and check out the prices of Abalone. During the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) those cans double & triple in price.

Now days, it's about $40/425gm can but before the financial meltdown of '97 it was around $75 to $80/can, mostly because they have now figured out how to breed and raise abalone inland in tanks.

Abalone
The pricy abalone is known as bao yu, which has a parallel meaning of "assurance" (bao) of a "surplus" (yu) in the year ahead. It is thus popular for New Year meals amongst businessmen
http://www.makansutra.com/reviews/2011_0202/index.html

Lucky foods: How to shop on Hong Kong's dried seafood street
Abalone, conpoy, black moss... here's a guide for buying and cooking the most auspicious foods for Chinese New Year

Lucky foods: How to shop on Hong Kong's dried seafood street | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/none/sea ... z1dm7HwRtO

The star of most Chinese banquets, dried abalone is valued for its resemblance to the ancient Chinese ingots used as currency.

Oh I get it already... Seriously... These people need to get real life - for real!

nuff · Post by **nuff** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:46 pm

$80 a tin!! Think I'll be sticking to pedigree.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:07 pm

I don't reckon it's any worse than Luwak Coffee though!

Civet Cat Crap!

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:11 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:I don't reckon it's any worse than Luwak Coffee though!

Civet Cat Crap!

Cough cough, yes I think I'll pass on that

p.s. Never understood abalone, to me it is like very expensive marine-grade rubber.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:43 pm

JR8, when I was going to school in San Francisco (commercial diving school) we used to go red ab diving up in Marin Country north of the Golden Gate Bridge. We'd sit around with hamburger buns at night around a campfire and cook whole red abs (these are the biggest species) and slap 'em in a bun and eat 'em like hamburgers! Price wise I guess it would have been the same as eating Wagu Hamburgers today. I always had the same impression as being much the same a eating over cooked sotong!

I doubt Goodyear or Michelin makes better rubber!

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Wed, 16 Nov 2011 2:45 am

Ah, nice. I didn't know they grew as far north as that. In any case I bet they tasted better fresh that they do out of a tin.

p.s. One thing I certainly miss in the SG/grocery line of things is the fresh NZ green-lip muscles that you can get from Cold Storage. Surprisingly cheap for the quality and two thumbs up for overall seafood bang-for-the-$.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 16 Nov 2011 6:51 am

I'll second the green-lipped mussels! In fact, the Red Ab cannot be taken south of the Golden Gate by law. Only in Marin County up and can only be taken while freediving with a maximum of 24/year (must be tagged) and a maximum of three in possession an any one time (don't hoard 'em in the freezer).

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Wed, 16 Nov 2011 7:01 am

OIC interesting, I bet getting those critters off the rocks free-diving is really good fun

I understood one reason abalone are expensive is that they hand-picked in cold and highly seasonal waters, and obviously on rocky shores (i.e. dangerous, dangerous and dangerous for divers)

p.s. Don't remember what I used to pay for the mussels at CS but it was bogglingly cheap, something like $3 a kilo or something. (Compared to my last purchase here two weeks ago, of fiddly gritty little French things at twice that price. The wife and I had no problem cleaning up 2.5kg between us!)

Robnc · Post by **Robnc** » Wed, 16 Nov 2011 8:48 pm

Hi all. well, Ive read all the posts, I know nought about abalone or mussells,

but I do know dogs and how I feel about them and obviously from the replies here, I am not alone. Yes, OP was strongly worded, (I had just come back from the child climbing her parents legs and screeching like someone was about to murder her and dog and I were at least 100ft or more away from her..i thought it a tad overkill) BUT I thought thats what these pages are for. (I read that a lot here and often wonder why people come back so attacking and intolerant of people working out what being here is like??) So, i am a descriptive writer and I didnt hold back. O well. Yes, I will be the first to admit it. I am in DEEP culture shock. 5 months isnt long. I HAVE met some lovely dog owners. Things ARE getting better as I figure it out. I am adjusting. I dont always get it right, BUT thats not my dogs fault and to anyone who doesnt have a dog in thier lives , I wouldnt expect them to know that leaving her behind was not an option. (can you say 10 year old son?) Thank you to everyone else who understood what I was saying and gave thier own opinions of the other, many, dog injustices that occur when humans dont give other species the respect and care they deserve.

Smilla1978 · Post by **Smilla1978** » Thu, 17 Nov 2011 1:28 pm

I find this interesting as I have never seen this fear or dislike of dogs that everyone is talking about. We lived in Robertson Quay/River valley for a year and there are loads of dogs there (mostly owned by Asians mind you, I don't know if they were expats or not) and not once did I see someone scared or a dog or show dislike towards a dog. I suppose it comes down to areas.

richie303 · Post by **richie303** » Thu, 17 Nov 2011 1:49 pm

Hey Robyn, Are my kids the ones that are scared of your dog? I think my son might have been. I chucked them over the fence of our backyard in the UK to my neighbours house one time to see the dog and it jumped all over both of them....

I think I broke my kids!

I love dogs.

JR8 · Post by **JR8** » Thu, 17 Nov 2011 5:01 pm

Smilla1978 wrote:I find this interesting as I have never seen this fear or dislike of dogs that everyone is talking about. We lived in Robertson Quay/River valley for a year and there are loads of dogs there (mostly owned by Asians mind you, I don't know if they were expats or not) and not once did I see someone scared or a dog or show dislike towards a dog. I suppose it comes down to areas.

I suspect that it might be less of an issue in areas where the residents are more cosmopolitan in outlook (such as those you mention).

I have certainly seen the fear/dislike described. As has been mentioned dogs are haram or unclean to muslims. That is they are on a par with pigs. If a muslim is touched by a dogs nose the person is then considered unclean, and I forget precisely now, to reverse that they have to go through various ablutions. It is not a huge leap of imagination to see how a material section of society is brought up afraid or feeling negative about dogs.

On the other hand once they have crossed the bridge of acceptance, they seem to be as batty about them as any other urban Asian.

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PEt (as in dog) Peeve..

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