Dogs

The weekend passed by quickly with a few things of note.

I went on Saturday to Rocky Mountain Tavern, the Canadian bar that serves huge nachos with cheese and sour cream, even. We went to watch team Canada play Switzerland. No, I'm not particularly into hockey, or any sports for that matter, but I like excitement and emotion, and national pride ain't so bad either. I've been watching a lot of the Olympics - it makes time on the treadmill pass by in a jiffy! (You should see my iron pumping arm muscles, by the way. They are sort of visible, even.)

Anyway, the live game was to begin at 11:30pm so we got there early because we expected the entire Canadian expat community to show up. That's a lot of beer guzzling maple syrup suckling so-called English teachers. We got a prime table at about 8:30 so by the time midnight rolled around, a half hour into the game, I looked up from the ever-dangerous (and not played since first year university) game of Kings to realize that the big screen wasn't even working. We left soon after and later heard that Canada lost. What?

On Sunday I went to Moran market, this sprawling event occuring on any day of the month with a 4 or a 9 in it. I went there months ago and took pictures of kittens and puppies for sale. Remember? This time I took a stroll down the live animal aisle meant for consuption, not household pet. I didn't have the nerve to take out my camera but it was more disturbing, I think, than the Bangkok pingpong show.

Most of you are well aware of the fact that people eat dog in Korea. It's not all that common or frequent a meal, mind you. I never really thought this was a big deal - how is it any different than eating other animals? I've seen the dogs they use and they're big, brown ones I can't say I've seen at home. I can't even really compare them to a breed that I know of. So I never thought it was so bad.

Yesterday I saw a dog get killed. They used an electric current on its neck and he slowly crumpled to the ground. It all happened quite fast, for I was just walking by and hardly slowed my pace. I wonder if he was yelping and that's what drew my attention, but I'm not certain. I looked at the other dogs with their deep, intelligent eyes, crammed in their cages on top of each other with huge roosters handcuffed above. I don't know whether dogs are more intelligent than cows or chickens, but I'm sure Kwinter or Oliver wouldn't feel too comfortable in a cage where one by one their cellmates were electified in plain view. It was pitiful and repulsive.

You know those pigs that are roasted or cooked somehow so they look shiny and charred? I don't know what that process is, but I hope I never see another dog like that again.

And that's all about that for now.

Tomorrow is the big festival day and I'm nervous for the sake of my kids. And myself, I guess. I'm pretty sure at least one kid will freeze and they all might not sing or speak loud enough. On the plus side, I only have to go into work at about two thirty! Wish Happy Class some luck!