The growing popularity of dog meat
From LILLIAN CHUKWU, Abuja
Monday, April 20, 2009

Apart from the popular “bushmeat” phenomenon, Nigerians are fast developing an uncommon appetite for dog flesh. Although dog cuisine has been in existence for decades in backward societies, it has now become a trend in most local “joints” in Abuja. Dogs which in most Western countries are legendry referred to as man’s best friend is fast becoming man’ best taste in this part of the world.

[b]Four-o-four is a southern slang for dog meat, which also is a reference to the dog as a fast runner like the Peugeot 404. The delicacy is served mostly in local beer parlours. Always in high demand, the dogs are got from the thriving dog markets in Cross River, Plateau, Taraba and Gombe States. The meal is sought after by people from different walks of life, including the high and mighty.

So on this cool Sunday evening, Acho is in an ecclesiastical mood as he drives his brand new SUV to Agwu Street in the Diobu area of Port Harcourt. His destination is Mama Awilo’s dog meat joint. But he can’t seem to find a parking space because other VIP patrons have arrived before him to savour the delicacy.
He finally finds a suitable parking space, but another problem looms, Uduak the bar attendant cannot find a sitting space for her latest customer. The place is jam-parked. But Acho is not dismayed, he prefers to wait for some time for the next available drinking table and subsequent savouring of his favourite dog meat peppersoup.

The above story depicts the acceptance of the flavoured 404 meat prepared in different ways like pepper soup and in seasoned palm oil paste. For the curious, this canine cuisine tastes more like pork than like beef but has a distinct flavour. There are a lot more bones, so eating it is more like eating chicken with a much tougher, fattier skin.

At Mama Awilo’s hang-out, this reporter posed as a customer who had fallen in love with her culinary skills. Upon a request for the recipe of the particular meal early ordered for, Mama Awilo willingly offered to name the ingredient which she said “include a mixture of pepper, onions, palm oil, potassium which is optional, and then garnished with unshelled periwinkle”.

The periwinkle is included so that while your teeth crushes the bones, you can compensate the tongue with the savoury sucking of the periwinkle from the shell. It is alternatively washed down with palm wine, solely imported for her from the neighbouring Eastern villages or with some chilled bottles of beer to cool the peppery taste. The prices here range from N200 a plate served at times with boiled plantain.

The dog head goes for as much as N2,500 and a close inspection is conducted by the customer to make sure no part is missing, as this mistake had been known to cause fists fight between the served and the server of this delicacy. The patrons are also provided an option of take-away packs for those who wish their loved ones at home to have a taste of “the juiciest meat on earth”.

In and around Abuja metropolis there are zones nicknamed “South Africa”, “Zimbabwe”, “Soweto” and “Bola” where dog meat is openly displayed; fried, roasted, barbequed, boiled or served as peppersoup.
Upon further probing, Daily Sun discovered that most people who eat this meat believe in the medicinal potency of the meat. In Plateau, this dish is widely eaten mostly by the native Berom. It is also prepared with local spices and for special customers served a la carte.

In one of the local “Bukas” visited in Jos, Plateau State capital, The Sun met up with a patron, Dashe, who was busy relishing the dish and he said that “the head of this 404 is far better than Viagra, it improves sexual performance in a man greatly, it cures a lot of disease like malaria, dysentery in children, protection against witchcraft, typhoid, Gomorrah and I can testify that it works”.
However, medical opinions seem to differ “The claim that dog-meat is very medicinal and gives immunity from different diseases a myth, it is not true” says Dr. Godswill Meaghana a private medical consultant.
In a country like Korea, they perceive dogs as inherently emotional and friendly to humanity, arguing that the slaughter of a dog for food is excessively crue[/b]l.

As the method used in killing these dogs would make an animal-right activist cringe. They are either strangled by an iron noose permanently attached to a wall or simply clubbed to death. In the United States of America one could actually be jailed for such cruelty to an animal.
This not withstanding, dog meat have a growing movement of eaters in Nigeria. The only problem envisaged here is the issue of buying stolen dogs according to Mama Awilo, “dogs are expensive especially in festive seasons, it ranges from N5,500 and above, so some people tend to steal people’s dogs and sell to us but we don’t buy those ones here to avoid police trouble”. Asked whether accidented dogs are also being sold to her customers, she quickly reacted and swore: “God forbid, we don’t collect or buy that one, it is dead animal”. Though she agreed that some other restaurants sell such for maximum gain as it is very cheap to buy or freely collect form the road.

According to Ekaette, another operator of a dog meat canteen “for quick service, we have expressions for the parts of the meat”, she went ahead to educate us on the gearbox which is the dog’s heart, kidney, liver, intestines. Headlights include the dog meat dish, which has all the head parts available with the eyes being the prominent component. And tyre means a dog’s legs cut into pieces for easy consumption.

*jona:

The growing popularity of dog meat
From LILLIAN CHUKWU, Abuja
Monday, April 20, 2009

[b]Four-o-four is a southern slang for dog meat, which also is a reference to the dog as a fast runner like the Peugeot 404. The delicacy is served mostly in local beer parlours. Always in high demand, the dogs are got from the thriving dog markets in Cross River, Plateau, Taraba and Gombe States. The meal is sought after by people from different walks of life, including the high and mighty.

n with a much tougher, fattier skin.

In one of the local “Bukas” visited in Jos, Plateau State capital, The Sun met up with a patron, Dashe, who was busy relishing the dish and he said that “the head of this 404 is far better than Viagra, it improves sexual performance in a man greatly, it cures a lot of disease like malaria, dysentery in children, protection against witchcraft, typhoid, Gomorrah and I can testify that it works”.
However, medical opinions seem to differ “The claim that dog-meat is very medicinal and gives immunity from different diseases a myth, it is not true” says Dr. Godswill Meaghana a private medical consultant.
In a country like Korea, they perceive dogs as inherently emotional and friendly to humanity, arguing that the slaughter of a dog for food is excessively crue[/b]l.

According to Ekaette, another operator of a dog meat canteen “for quick service, we have expressions for the parts of the meat”, she went ahead to educate us on the gearbox which is the dog’s heart, kidney, liver, intestines. Headlights include the dog meat dish, which has all the head parts available with the eyes being the prominent component. And tyre means a dog’s legs cut into pieces for easy consumption.


http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/abujareports/2009/apr/20/abujareports-20-04-2009-003.htm

*jona:

The growing popularity of dog meat
From LILLIAN CHUKWU, Abuja
Monday, April 20, 2009

In a country like Korea, they perceive dogs as inherently emotional and friendly to humanity, arguing that the slaughter of a dog for food is excessively crue.

As the method used in killing these dogs would make an animal-right activist cringe. They are either strangled by an iron noose permanently attached to a wall or simply clubbed to death. In the United States of America one could actually be jailed for such cruelty to an animal.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/abujareports/2009/apr/20/abujareports-20-04-2009-003.htm

Sky Blue:

Personally i don't know what the big deal is and what all the "yuck" and "eww" is all about. I am not saying I advocate eating dogs but from the way people are talking you would be excused for believing they were told people were eating trash or drinking from the gutter. Isn't dog meat also meat? Is it because it has been accepted as "cute" or pets in western conciousness? Its just like when the brits were going mad over canadians clubbing seals, that was the most hypocritical trite to come out of england in a while. What on earth gave England the audacity to go and tell canadians they can or cannot club seals if they wanted to? Do chickens just magically appear in the stores? Oh that is it, chickens commit suicide en masse and that is where KFC and stores get their chicken from, abi? LOL. It is like when westerners or people from other countries express disgust at the thought of eating snails meanwhile Nigerians eat it and so do the french (best when fried or incorporated in soup : ) ). Anyway, to each there own, if you no wan chop am no chop am, na democracy : )

My God

I remember vividly an event in Lagos , This was opposite my parents house, one Ibo man tracked the dog into an uncompleted building where it was clobbered to death. Only to see guy emerge from the building with large bloody ruc sack and cutlass. I wanted to do something or say something but was to scared.

A_K_O:

Nigerians don't know anything about animal rights. In fact, a typical Nigerian would think you are crazy for touting animal rights. I can't blame us, we have 'more pressing issues' to deal with.

Sky Blue:

Making animals comfortable before they are murdered does not mean they are not murdered anyway, or do people really believe making sure the chicken's head is placed on a fluffy pillow with some Al green in the background makes the beheading more diginified? I just don't see how non vegans can claim moral high ground on this issue. This is some ridiculously funny stuf

Sky Blue:

I just don't see how non vegans can claim moral high ground on this issue. This is some ridiculously funny stuff

Kobojunkie:

yuck!!!!!!!!!!!

Jakumo:

Mmmmm So how tasty is it then, El Razur ?

Also could you elaborate a bit on what filet of dog is like as well ?

Sky Blue:

Did you not read the article? Use the right terminology that can be understood, what part do you want to enquire about from El Razur? Do you mean the gearbox, tyres, headlight, suspension, fueltank? Which one? Don't really have any experience but I would assume all parts have their own unique tastes, peculiarities and subtle nuances in flavour : )

Jakumo:

Mmmmm  So how tasty is it then, El Razur ? 

Also could you elaborate a bit on what filet of dog is like as well ?

blacksta:

I think it is wrong eat domestic animal especially after being traumatised by dog killing event i witnessed

blacksta:

I think it is wrong eat domestic animal especially after  being traumatised by dog killing event i witnessed

audio:

About that incident, how could you possibly know the guy was Igbo? Did you interview him afterwards?

@Topic. Although Dogs are also meat, so are human beings. Dogs have been mans best friend for centuries. If we say it's okay to eat them, next thing we'll be killing each other as the newest delicacy. I can't believe someone will look at a dogs head to check the parts.

That to me is gross. I had several dogs growing up and i loved all of them to death. I'm sorry, but the practise is repulsive

A3673:

Please i am rounding up my ND2 and i need some project topics on Business Admin, please post some for me, Tanx.

audio:

Are you on Crack. Didn't you read the topic before you posted, bloody hell.

@ Sky Blue, cool down. My point is this. Yes i eat goats, yes i eat chickens. Traditionally this has always been the case, but it's primarily based on the level of intelligence of the animal concerned. Dogs guide blind people, they can raise the alarm in a fire, they can be trained to understand commands and they will never leave you if you're hurt. It's the same reason we don't go and shoot monkeys and eat them. Or are you going to justify that as well?

The reason we don't kill and eat each other, is because we have attained the level of intelligence to know that it is wrong to do so. The more we cross that line with other species and justify it, the closer we get to who knows what.