Chinese officials eat endangered salamander, beat journalist

[Thanas]

Link

Chinese officials feasted on a critically endangered giant salamander and turned violent when journalists photographed the luxury banquet, according to media reports Tuesday on the event which appeared to flout Beijing’s austerity campaign.

The 28 diners included senior police officials from the southern city of Shenzhen, the Global Times said.

“In my territory, it is my treat,” it quoted a man in the room as saying.

The giant salamander is believed by some Chinese to have anti-aging properties, but there is no orthodox evidence to back the claim.

The species is classed as “critically endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of threatened species, which says the population has “declined catastrophically over the last 30 years.”

“Commercial over-exploitation for human consumption is the main threat to this species,” the IUCN said.

The Global Times cited the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily, which said its journalists were beaten up when their identities were discovered by the diners.

One was kicked and slapped, another had his mobile phone forcibly taken, while the photographer was choked, beaten up and had his camera smashed, the reports said.

A total of 14 police have been suspended and an investigation launched into the incident, added the Global Times.

One of the Shenzhen diners provided the salamander and said it had been captive-bred, according to the report.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a much-publicized austerity drive for the ruling classes, including a campaign for simple meals with the catchphrase “four dishes and one soup.”

The ruling Communist Party also says it is cracking down on the consumption of endangered species, including shark’s fin.

China’s legislature last April approved a law including prison sentences for people caught eating rare wild animals.

The Chinese government considers 420 wild animal species as rare or endangered, state media previously said.

The police are eating the animals they are supposed to protect.

[madd0ct0r]

man, I should make a list of the obscure animals I was offerred by different contractors out in vietnam. Civet, porcupine, pig's brain...

[Borgholio]

Porcupines and pigs are obscure?

[Batman]

I'd say as food, yeah, porcupines are, and at so's pig brain, at least in the west.

[Alyrium Denryle]

One of the Shenzhen diners provided the salamander and said it had been captive-bred, according to the report.

Likely not. Captive ranching is a possibility and there is some speculation that someone has managed to actually breed them using hormonal induction of oviposition, but that is unproven as far as I can tell.

More likely people are just going out, collecting the larvae, and raising them to adult size.

[mr friendly guy]

If this is true, wait for those running China's anti corruption drive to find out.

[Broomstick]

I'd say as food, yeah, porcupines are, and at so's pig brain, at least in the west.

Brains didn't used to be an odd food in the west - I had a grandfather who really enjoyed brains in his scrambled eggs. And I'm positive my hillbilly in-laws have eaten porcupine.

[Batman]

I'd say that still doesn't absolve them of being obscure, especially in this day and age, but duly noted

[Thanas]

If this is true, wait for those running China's anti corruption drive to find out.

It really is hard to take this drive serious when the president of China is using his plane to smuggle back poached ivory.
If only the good king would know....

[mr friendly guy]

If this is true, wait for those running China's anti corruption drive to find out.

It really is hard to take this drive serious when the president of China is using his plane to smuggle back poached ivory.
If only the good king would know....

Considering your own link already mentions police being suspended.... are you suggesting these police will have sufficient clout to avoid the same fate of more high profile officials, when those very same officials' clout could not protect them.

[Thanas]

I wouldn't think this more than lip service until there are convictions.

[LaCroix]

I'd say as food, yeah, porcupines are, and at so's pig brain, at least in the west.

Brains didn't used to be an odd food in the west - I had a grandfather who really enjoyed brains in his scrambled eggs. And I'm positive my hillbilly in-laws have eaten porcupine.

Scrabled brains&egg is something you find in most restaurants, at least in Austria and western parts of Hungary.

[Thanas]

It is also a local delicacy in northern cities, often with differing names. Brains, scrambled eggs, cucumbers and potatoes with or without red beets are found everywhere in Germany in some variation or the other.

[Broomstick]

Well, grandpa was from Germany, which might explain his fondness for the above.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Does germany have a high incidence of organic dementia in old age? Maybe combined with relatively high incidence of early onset alzheimers and a variety of other progressive neurodegenerative disorders?

[madd0ct0r]

I must admit, when I was eating the pig's brain I had the word PRIONS stamped in red across the inside of my eyelids. Too much for my vocab to explain, so I ate it out of politeness.

[LaCroix]

Does germany have a high incidence of organic dementia in old age? Maybe combined with relatively high incidence of early onset alzheimers and a variety of other progressive neurodegenerative disorders?

Since that dish is served well-done (due to the eggs), I think all prions eventually present are denaturated. Unlike in steaks.

[Patroklos]

Its got to be an interesting time to be corrupt in China. If you are low enough you become easy pickings to slam and sacrifice for numbers without upsetting any powerful interests. If you are too high you become a perfect trophy sacrifice for effect. Its probably never been such an advantage to be a middling grey shirt.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Does germany have a high incidence of organic dementia in old age? Maybe combined with relatively high incidence of early onset alzheimers and a variety of other progressive neurodegenerative disorders?

Since that dish is served well-done (due to the eggs), I think all prions eventually present are denaturated. Unlike in steaks.

Nope! They dont denature with cooking unless they are so well done they are little charcoal briquettes.

[Thanas]

Does germany have a high incidence of organic dementia in old age? Maybe combined with relatively high incidence of early onset alzheimers and a variety of other progressive neurodegenerative disorders?

Since that dish is served well-done (due to the eggs), I think all prions eventually present are denaturated. Unlike in steaks.

Nope! They dont denature with cooking unless they are so well done they are little charcoal briquettes.

That is precisely how brain is served in Westphalia. Link
Though I think most do use other meat know as most brains are used in other forms in the meat producers.

[LaCroix]

Nope! They dont denature with cooking unless they are so well done they are little charcoal briquettes.

That is precisely how brain is served in Westphalia. Link
Though I think most do use other meat know as most brains are used in other forms in the meat producers.

Well, you should look up Austrian brain health for your study, then...

[Alyrium Denryle]

That is precisely how brain is served in Westphalia. Link
Though I think most do use other meat know as most brains are used in other forms in the meat producers.

Um, Thanas... that last sentence became confused to the point that understanding is impaired. Please repeat.

But when I say charcoal briquettes, I mean it literally. Prions are very resistant to heat-shock. So long as there is actual brain tissue left (as opposed to a block of carbon) brain is dangerous to eat.

Granted CJS and other prion diseases take a long time to become noticeable in a patient. IIRC 5-10 years before symptoms are noticed.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

Keep your herbivores on a herbivorous diet and this isn't a real risk! Our best guess is that the point-source of vCJD was someone turning bodies floating down the Ganges into cattle feed, since cattle don't normally have CJD. I of course haven't eaten beef in the US since around 2002 with some very limited exemptions, and stopped entirely in 2010. I simply don't believe the supply can be safe with current capitalist practices in managing it.

[madd0ct0r]

Its got to be an interesting time to be corrupt in China. If you are low enough you become easy pickings to slam and sacrifice for numbers without upsetting any powerful interests. If you are too high you become a perfect trophy sacrifice for effect. Its probably never been such an advantage to be a middling grey shirt.

nah, because there's multiple playing fields. There's local administration, regional administration, national bodies such as the party or various goverment committees and the politburo.

So you might be a grey middle at regional level, but locally you'd be Mr Big and nationally you'd be the sacrificial pig to the corruption investigation committee. There isn't really a safe level to be at.

[Pelranius]

Given that this incident has been reported in the Global Times, it looks like a guilty verdict is all but assured for said policemen and security personnel.