Saving the sharks with pigs

Saving the sharks with pigs. Well actually, the original title is "Fake Shark Fins Made From Pork" but I find the one I chose more appropriate. Check out the original article from Discovery News here. Alternatively, I have uploaded a backup here. From the news report, it seems that Nikko Yuba Seizo Co., a Japanese company, has created fake shark fins with pork and is currently marketing it to China. I am not sure how many gourmets we have with us here but do shark fins and pork really taste the same? I have not the chance to taste this new creation myself so I am in no position to award any thumb ups or downs to it. The rational part of me thinks that it is quite a culinary feat to create a dish with pork that tastes like or close to shark fin. If this idea settles well with the masses in China and the world, this company is going to be rich. I say the "masses" because the rich will likely scoff at the idea of eating fake shark fins. After all, most of them probably eat shark fins because they are expensive - not because of anything else. To the shark lovers and those in support of NO SHARK FINS campaigns, this is very good news. It is a nudge in the "right" direction for reduced consumption of shark fins. We have not seen any NO PORK campaigns yet (I know Muslims do not eat pork but I have not come across any overly passionate ones threatening to snuff out my life flame if I dare munch a hamburger) so these fake shark fins seem to be a boon to many parties. I quite pity the pigs though. They are already being bred for the pork they can contribute to our dinner tables. So if this idea takes off, even more of them will be spawned into existence to pander to our new "taste". It seems... barbaric. Whichever, the choice to try this new "delicacy" remains with you. Most of us already eat pork anyway so I wouldn't think this decision is any monumental one. But if you are now bothered about even eating pork after reading what I wrote, I guess you should contemplate switching to vegetarian or vegan. :P Live well. Eat to live or live to eat. It's cliche but I have to say it - the choice is yours. =)