A Universal Rule for Traveling: ‘Never, ever insult another country’s cuisine’

NEW YORK — Before I departed for my first foreign reporting assignment in South America 20 years ago, R.W. Apple Jr., the legendary New York Times globetrotting gourmet, gave me two valuable pieces of advice.

First and foremost, he said, never be afraid to report the truth, even if they put you in jail – “they’ll come to get you out.” Second, he said, “you’re going to eat some great food and some not so great food. Some of it you’ll probably find disgusting, but never, ever insult another country’s cuisine. That might get you killed.”

The latter is advice that should have informed a controversial tweet by the United States Ambassador to Japan, Caroline Kennedy, who last month criticized Japan for its long-held practice of hunting dolphins, which have been a delicacy in that country for thousands of years—from fried dolphin meat to dolphin stews.

Kennedy denounced, as “inhumane,” a Japanese hunting method in which hundreds of dolphins are herded by fishing boats into an enclosed area and then killed in what critics call a blood bath.

The ambassador’s comments ignited a bitter backlash from Japanese officials and citizens, some of whom accused the United States of “culinary imperialism.” They argued that eating dolphin, which is not an endangered species, is no different than consuming beef or mutton, and that dolphin hunting is a rich Japanese cultural tradition that is painless to the small cetaceans.

It was not the first time that Japan has collided with foreign governments over what it farms from the sea.

In what has become an annual ritual, many western countries and conservationist groups habitually condemn Japan for allowing not only dolphin hunting but also that of whales, which detractors say violates international whaling treaties.

While Japan is a member of the International Whaling Commission, which has adopted a ban on commercial whaling, the convention allows signers to engage in hunts for scientific purposes, which Japan maintains is the objective of its hunts, though much of the whale meat harvested eventually makes its way to restaurants.

To be clear, I support the humane treatment and harvesting of animals and laws and treaties to protect endangered species. But the uproar over Japan’s hunting of dolphins and whales is not as simple as it may seem, and there are convincing arguments from both sides that complicate this issue.

Nonetheless, one might wonder why Japan would continue to provoke international outrage, at great damage to its reputation, by continuing these hunts.

The reason is multifaceted but primarily an issue of food security. Japan has limited domestic capacity to feed its people and relies heavily on food imports and what it can catch from the sea.

Indeed, whale meat, an inexpensive source of protein, was a vital food source after World War II when Japan was deeply impoverished. Many elderly Japanese have fond memories of eating juicy whale steaks in the school lunches when there wasn’t much else to eat.

Though there are thousands of tons of frozen whale meat in storage in Japan, no one is suggesting that this stockpile would save the country from famine. However, the Japanese are concerned that if limits are placed on sustainable hunting of whales and dolphins, the door will be opened to restrictions on other forms of seafood, particularly tuna, of which Japan is the primary consumer of the world’s catch.

Few Japanese eat whale or dolphin meat. It is an expensive luxury and an acquired taste. But the notion of a foreign entity belittling its cuisine does not sit well with the Japanese or any people for that matter.

“Telling the Japanese not to hunt whales is like telling the British to stop having their afternoon tea or denying French people their pate,” Takashi Sato, a Tokyo whale-meat restaurant owner, told me in an interview several years back. As a correspondent based in Tokyo, I tasted both whale and dolphin meats, which I recall being dark red purple in color and rather chewy and gamey.

To tell a nation that its food is illegitimate, barbaric, or inhumane is an insult to its history, culture, identity, and that’s exactly what Ambassador Kennedy did, though perhaps indirectly.

Japan is not alone, of course. South Korea has come under fire from animal rights activists protesting the country’s long history of eating dog, which is served roasted and stewed in thousands of restaurants, especially during the sweltering summer when the meat is believed to cool the body.

Activists have also targeted countries that produce foie gras, contending that the practice of overstuffing geese and ducks is cruel and causes the animals great pain and suffering.

And who can forget New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s failed attempt to limit the size of soft drinks that could be sold in an effort to reduce obesity.

The bottom line is that no one wants to be told what they can and cannot eat. Unless there is an ironclad case that the production of the food is in fact inhumane, I say try it—you might like it.

Food is a vital conduit for cross-cultural learning and exchange for the 800 graduate students and scholars from 100 countries, who live, eat, play, and study at International House New York, where I serve as president. Residents are required to take a meal plan in the dining hall, where a cornucopia of cuisines from across the globe is served and lively discourse ensues. There are so many special culinary nights and cultural events showcasing global gastronomy that insulting a person’s food is a foreign concept.

Truth be told, in my travels around the world, I myself have eaten dog, horse, guinea pig, bat, possum, cow tongue, camel, foie gras, chitterlings, porpoise, whale and dolphin—some to my delight others to my disgust, knowingly and unknowingly. But I never offended my hosts.

Calvin Sims is a cross-sector leader with more than 20 years of experience in journalism, philanthropy and international affairs. In August 2013, Sims was named President and CEO of International House, the New York non-profit program and residence center with a mission to promote cross cultural understanding and peace and prepare leaders for the global community.

—

This piece is part of a new GlobalPost Special Reports/Commentary initiative supported by the Ford Foundation called "VOICES." The mission of VOICES is to present the ideas and opinions of those who are less frequently heard in the media, including women, people of color, sexual minorities, citizens of the developing world and young people. These voices will consistently discuss topics important to GlobalPost Special Reports including human rights, religious issues, global health, economic inequality and democracies in transition.