DCW,

I can assure you first hand

that the dog eating thing is accurate. I lived in various parts of China for a year or so and spent some time in

Korea too. It is widely believed and practised by many in China that eating dog meat during the winter will keep

you free of colds. My roommates (both Americans) used to eat the odd dog every now and then in the winter and

frequently came home with some sort of rice dish featuring goat meat chunks, which they bought at a local vendor

near our home.

When I was in Seoul I used to hit the street market area to stock up on supplies and in the food

area, you could find virtually any animal you could think of being sold for food: rabbits, dogs, cats, birds of all

kinds, snakes, all sorts of rodents. At the night market in Taiwan you can easily find a bowl of cobra soup, which

men believe will put the lead back in the ol' pencil. I also saw seahorses, all sorts of insects, horns of many

different animals and on and on and on in my neighborhood herb shop.