Comments on: General Chao's Pork

General Chao's Pork

jonson — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:13:38 -0800

2000 pigs sacrifice to the deity General Chao of Wudeh temple.

By: jonson

jonson — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:13:46 -0800

First the mural on the Farmer John's plant, then the fire at the hog rendering factory and now this. Jesus... I clearly have a thing for dead pigs.

By: quin

quin — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:19:18 -0800

6000 years of recorded human history and we are still sacrificing animals to gods. Yeah, we've come a long way.

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:20:14 -0800

Wow. They really went the whole hog.

By: gurple

gurple — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:21:03 -0800

I don't get it... how do dead pigs help to make General Chao's chicken so tangy and crispy? Really, though: .

By: quin

quin — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:21:33 -0800

Or less snarky; Damn, that's a lot of bacon. Pity it's verboten in so many cultures. shit, I think that might have been snarky as well. Damn it, I don't think I have anything good to say here.

By: LarryC

LarryC — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:25:38 -0800

Holy shit! Does anyone have some background on this? Do they at least eat the pigs? 6000 years of recorded human history and we are still sacrificing animals to gods. Who is we?

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:32:04 -0800

It's all for a good cause.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:54:22 -0800

Trichinostonishing!

By: jonson

jonson — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:55:12 -0800

Oh yeah, btw, I found this via.

By: ibmcginty

ibmcginty — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:57:53 -0800

Damn disturbing. Think I'll see what info there is on AskMe about becoming vegetarian...

By: quin

quin — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:17:53 -0800

LarryC : Who is we? Humans. In general. But I'm betting you knew I meant that. And yeah, 6000 years might be overstating my point, (thinking back to my anthro classes a decade and a half earlier) 4000 years for sure. Point is, we as a race and/ or lifeform, still believe that slaughtering animals will appease our god? I don't want to turn this into a gods vs. atheist debate, but really, when it comes to massive animal sacrifice, someone needs to talk about the giant elephant in the room. And hopefully, no one will decide to kill the elephant. Because that would just be rude.

By: senor biggles

senor biggles — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:19:50 -0800

Amateurs.

By: nola

nola — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:32:15 -0800

ain't got nothing on general tao's chicken!

By: quin

quin — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:42:55 -0800

Amateurs, maybe. But it's not really far to compare animals slaughtered for food for a state to animals slaughtered for a ceremony that may or may not feed people later. Not that the animals care, either way it sucks for them.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:44:22 -0800

I was listening to Koyaanisqatsi when I clicked the link. Seems fitting.

By: yeloson

yeloson — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 23:47:10 -0800

Point is, we as a race and/ or lifeform, still believe that slaughtering animals will appease our god? We also believe in killing unbelievers and people who look different than us will appease our god. Yay for progress!

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:03:59 -0800

Astonishing. Very beautiful in a horrid sort of way. ibmcginty: I gave up eating all meat except seafood over five years ago and I never regretted it. It certainly broadened my palate. Somehow I don't actually find this anywhere near as offensive as the factory machines turning pigs into meat. In a weird way, this ceremony is showing respect for the pigs. (And I went into this thinking, "Barbarians!" and I still think that with one part of my mind...)

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:14:58 -0800

By the way, this guy is a kickass photographer, well worth checking out.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 01:37:04 -0800

I was listening to Koyaanisqatsi when I clicked the link. Seems fitting. Echoes on Meddle, Pink Floyd on iTunes. Me: under the desk, shaking.

By: flapjax at midnite

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:48:31 -0800

animals slaughtered for a ceremony that may or may not feed people later. I'd bet that these pigs were indeed eaten by people after their ceremonial function had been achieved.

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:22:13 -0800

I would like to point out that I am listening to Pig Destroyer while reading this post.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:30:26 -0800

> 6000 years of recorded human history and we are still sacrificing animals to gods. Some people believe in God, and wonder where He is. Others believe in Human Progress, and wonder where it is.

By: thirteenkiller

thirteenkiller — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 03:53:00 -0800

I like meat, but this is disgusting.

By: The Straightener

The Straightener — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:14:45 -0800

AND THEY WERE STILL HUNGRY AGAIN A HALF HOUR LATER.

By: alidarbac

alidarbac — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:30:28 -0800

Yes, they eat the pork. I live in Taiwan and have seen similar sacrifices on a much smaller scale (only a couple dozen.) Here's a picture of a guy and a pig and here's a picture of someone cutting up the pig to get it ready for consumption.

By: alidarbac

alidarbac — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:48:09 -0800

6000 years of recorded human history and we are still sacrificing animals to gods. Yeah, the average Taiwanese person is a bit more superstitious than the average American. But at least their religious beliefs don't interfere with the science and sex education here. I chuckle at how people are afraid to go swimming during Ghost Month, but when I tell people here that it is illegal to teach evolution because it is in disagreement with the religious beliefs of a certain sect of Christianity, their mouths hit the floor.

By: mattr

mattr — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 05:58:45 -0800

Hmmm, porkchops.

By: srboisvert

srboisvert — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 06:08:07 -0800

It's pigs. Bacon is made out of pigs. They're making our food out of pigs. Next thing they'll be breeding pigs like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!

By: and hosted from Uranus

and hosted from Uranus — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 06:27:10 -0800

2000 pigs sacrifice to the deity General Chao of Wudeh temple at a temple festival I don't understand all this we (aka humans) talk. The pigs sacrificed themselves. Don't be so anthropomorphic. (And, yeah, 6000 years of recorded history ... big whoop. Humans have supplicating to gods—receiving sustenance in return—for 100s of thousands of years.)

By: LarryC

LarryC — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:00:43 -0800

Man, 6000 years of recorded human history and the human race is still addicted to meth, piling trash in our yards, and letting our neglected cats reproduce and take over the neighborhood. Or my neighbor is anyway. Same thing.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 07:21:10 -0800

Yes, they eat the pork. All the pigs look like they're having a good time, so there's that, too. Mmm, sacrilicious.

By: empath

empath — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:14:38 -0800

I think this shows far, far more respect to the animals than factory farming, but I'm sure someone has already said that.

By: mortimer

mortimer — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:10:37 -0800

Humans are awesome!

By: hojoki

hojoki — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:51:06 -0800

Wow, that god sure likes pigs. Or doesn't.

By: crake

crake — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:30:51 -0800

I think this shows far, far more respect to the animals than factory farming What makes you think these pigs weren't factory farmed? I bet General Chao isn't picky about free-range sacrifices. And it is not respectful to kill something, spread its corpse on a folding table, and stick a jaunty little flag into its head. There's a reason you don't see many people choosing that funeral package when Grandma dies. Anyway, no thread about Chinese pig sacrifice is complete without a word from Chuang Tzu. I like Thomas Merton's version of this best, but Lin Yutang's is probably more accurate, being a direct translation: A soothsayer put on his priest's garb and approached the pig pen. He spoke to the pigs, "Do you hate to die? I shall feed you for three months, then fast you for ten days and segregate you for three days and then I shall put you on the sacrificial altar and cover your shoulders and haunches with white hay. What do you think of such a proposition?" Then he thought that if he were in the pig's place, the pig would reply, "I would rather that you would feed me with bran and leave me alone in the pig pen." But when a man plans for himself, he does not mind living with the honor and glory of badges and titles, and being put on a hearse inside its decorative arched cover. When a man thinks for the pig, he rejects such a proposition. But when he plans for himself, he accepts it. What difference is there between him and a pig?

By: luckypozzo

luckypozzo — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:18:48 -0800

Yep, that's religion for ya.

By: slimepuppy

slimepuppy — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:23:22 -0800

Bacon is made out of pigs. You got that the wrong way around. Pigs are made out of bacon. Remember this when a pig looks at you with its 'smarter than dog' eyes, pleading not to be slaughtered: it's their own fault for being made up of bacon and pork chops. Mmm... Tasty murder.

By: tehloki

tehloki — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 17:15:46 -0800

It's not a sacrifice if you eat it. A sacrifice involves actually giving something up and burning it/leaving it to be consumed by the vultures, etc. This is just a mass public slaughter of pigs for consumption, with a religious ritual tagged onto it. Not nearly as appalling as a real, genuine, "let's waste a whole lot of meat so the big man in the sky will send us fortune" sacrifice.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:07:35 -0800

In case anyone was curious about who sacrifices these pigs in Taiwan, it's part of tha Hakka culture. February 18th 2007 will also be the Chinese Year of the Pig.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:33:53 -0800

It's a heck of a lot less offensive than tomato fights, which waste about a 100 000 lbs of fruit. Geesh.

By: tehloki

tehloki — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 08:31:38 -0800

Stupid tomatoes, being fruit. They've been in league with the vegetables for generations.