Why do (some) Asians eat dogs?

And why don't you?

Some people eat dogs.

It sounds horrific to most Americans, but it’s normal in parts of the world. So who’s weird: them or us?

So I dug into it. Is the whole 'Asians eat dogs' thing real, exaggerated, or just another casual stereotype? I wanted to know if the whole “Asians eat dogs” thing is real, exaggerated, or just one of those casual stereotypes we all grew up with. The answer, like most things, is more complicated—and more interesting—than it first seems.

Let’s start with the basics: Yes, people still eat dogs but it’s less common than people think, and fading.

In South Korea, once known for a dog meat stew called bosintang, about 8% of people said they’d eaten dog in the past year. That’s down from 27% in 2015. A new law passed in 2024 bans it entirely within the next few years. Younger South Koreans are overwhelmingly against it, which is a trend we see in all the countries.

In Vietnam, they eat about five million dogs a year. Even there, though, public opinion is shifting, with most people wanting it banned.

China’s still the world’s biggest consumer of dog meat—anywhere from 10 to 20 million dogs a year. But it’s concentrated in rural areas, and attitudes are changing there too. In 2020, Shenzhen became the first major city in mainland China to ban the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat. The contentious Yulin Dog Meat Festival still exists though.

And while other parts of the world eat dogs as well, it’s still seen as an “Asian” thing. Why’s that?

War, mostly. American soldiers in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam came across unfamiliar food, and brought their stories home. Then came the visuals—wet markets, animals in cages, strange smells. It stuck in the Western imagination as a symbol of “uncivilized” or “gross,” and once a stereotype like that takes hold, it’s hard to shake.

Here's the real question: Why do cultures pick and choose which animals to eat?

Americans don’t eat dogs. But we do eat pigs, which are just as smart, emotionally aware, and I’m told are even cuddly. We eat lambs, which are basically stuffed animals with legs. We eat rabbits too, and nobody blinks.

In India, cows are sacred. In large parts of the country, harming one isn’t just frowned upon but a crime. Nearly 40% of Indians are vegetarians.

In Muslim and Jewish communities, pork is off-limits. In parts of France, horse meat is on the menu. In Japan, you can find it raw. In Mexico, some indigenous communities still view dogs as traditional food.

What we find disgusting isn’t about logic or morality—it’s about culture. It’s about where we draw the line. And those lines are less about health than they are about identity.

A psychologist named Paul Rozin put it perfectly: “Disgust protects the soul, not the body.” In other words, it’s not about what’s dangerous, but what makes us feel clean, righteous, or “normal.”

So when someone eats something we see as lovable, like a dog, it feels like a violation. Not just of taste, but of values. And that reaction makes it easy to look down on people who don’t share our food code.

But the truth is, we all draw lines. We just pretend ours make more sense.

— Ken