Whether to serve Shark Fin????

J

jo

Guest
Jo will not serve sharks fins during her wedding dinner on 13th Sep 2003 in Hyatt.
(pls give your genuine support!)
 


joke

New Member
KPO,

if u don't eat, the others will take your share. So it's also LPPL.
wink.gif
 

kpo

New Member
i get your point.
i guess it's a matter of my own conscience and belief..hopefully, many others will follow suit and eventually, wedding couples will stop treating sharksfins like a must-have.
 

joke

New Member
The best part on the banquets' menu is the sharkfin..simply irresistable.

Yum... I'm drooling..
crazy.gif
 

kpo

New Member
hi joke,

i know...most guests look fwd to the sharksfins.
guess one (wo)man's meat is another (wo)man's poison. we are only answerable to ourselves.
 

mousie

New Member
Hi

I did not serve Sharksfin at my wedding last year. I substitue it with a prawn dish. Some people, especially the older generation view sharksfin as the pricey dish and feels 'proud' that they can 'afford' to have it at the banquet. (sort of face saving.) Some parents may find it hard to subsitute sharksfin with another soup, eg fish maw or seafood/szechuan soup as these are deemed as cheaper alternative. So to avoid comparison, just take the soup out of the menu and substitute it with another dish. Somehow, they will feel that they are not compromising as much.

Perhaps couples who do not want to serve sharksfin but face parental objection may want to try this method. I know it worked for a few of my frens.

Mousie
 

vodka

New Member
hi,

my cousin was the 1st in my family tat started the no shark's fins. she doesnt eat shark's fins served durin family dinners n did not serve shark's fins for her wedding.

i was next in the family tat 'followed her footsteps'. now we even managed to convinced granny not to serve shark's fins durin family dinners.

at my recent wedding dinner, i substituted double boiled lobster soup. the feedback fr my guests were great.

alot of pp feels tat even if i dun eat, others will but fr my experience i personally tink tat a little effort does make a difference.
 
A

a. l.

Guest
Hi all,

I would just like to urge all of you who are planning your wedding dinner to kindly request to opt out of having shark's fins soup on your menu.

The senseless killing of sharks including rare / endangered species for their fins is still on the toll. I do not discourage consumption of any animal becuase essentially I believe it is the humane method of killing that counts. But the mode of obtaining sharks fins is cruel and unsustainable. Sharks unlike other types of fish do not breed very easily. The killing of large numbers of sharks and throwing them back in the sea still alive, but unable to swim leave them at the mercy of predators. And sharks breathe by continual swimming, hence not be able to swim essentially mean they are "drowned" underwater. Picture your arms and legs chopped off, and thrown into the water.

For my wedding, I made the stand to not have sharks fins on my menu and I was encourage by how much support I got from my friends. Of course, the older aunties and uncles were wondering why they were being deprived the delicacy but I explained it to them.

I know some of you are concern that leaving it out of your menu will make you look "cheapskate" but you can always substitute it with other expensive dishes like lobster soup or Buddha Jumps Over the Wall etc. I heard of someone who left a note on all the guests seats explaining things.

Having sharks fins on the wedding dinner has become such a norm that no one even gives a thought to it. Be bold, make a stand and do something different that is also beneficial to an endangered group of animals. As the saying goes, when the buying stops, the killing
will.

http://www.thailandlife.com/sharkfinsoup.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/31/world/main517011.shtml
 

nobody

New Member
Do shark thinks the same when they are killing humans who are swimming at the seaside too?
Just a bit of my thought although I am not against the idea of not having sharkfin during wedding dinner.
Nothing against anybody. Thanks.
 
S

sp

Guest
Hee hee. Nobody, I guess you are a big fan of the movie "Jaw 1" to "Jaw 3".

Just for your info, sharks don't usually go around killing people like in the movie. Their main diet consist of fishes and other sea creature but never human. I suspect they are afraid of human more than we are afraid of them since they are rather dumb animals.
happy.gif


sp
 

info

New Member
Hi A.L.

It's is a very good thing that you are encouraging anti sharks fin.

However, do you know that buddha jumps over the wall contains shark fin??? (Not a very good substitue for your campaign)
 
W

why?

Guest
I like shark fin and I am definitely not going to stop eating. Why care so much about the shark when the world is in such a mess, there is war going on, people are dying. There are much important things for us to forcus on rather than shark.
 
A

a.l.

Guest
Hi Nobody,

Sharks don't eat humans as part of their diet. Cases of human being attacked by sharks are cases of mistaken identity. These are usually surfers or swimmers paddling their hands and feet at the surface and being mistaken for seals which are the natural diet of sharks. I am an avid diver and I have come within very close proximity with up to 40 sharks in the water. Not once was I threatened because the sharks recognise me as a "foreign intrusion" and not part of their diet.

Hi Why,

It is precisely the apathy of people like you that I worry about. True, there are far more pressing issues in the world right now but are you doing anything about them? If you can't solve the big problems in the world, you can at least contribute to some of the smaller problems the world face today.

Let me just put it in a more personal context for you: Imagine in your family, your mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. You feel helpless doing anything about it. Your brother comes back home with a cut on his knee from soccer. Do you tend to him and wash his cut and treat it, or do it leave it to get infected. If you tell yourself, what is the point, I can't even treat my mum, who's condition is far worse and severe, why bother with a small problem like a cut on my brother's leg. Apathy is the biggest problem in Singaporeans today. Never say I can't do anything about it. Take this discussion for instance. I am just a simple person who sees a need to change something. I am not the President of United States of LKY or something. I am not influential. I am anonymous. But I bet you there will be some people who after reading this thread will decide to opt out of shark fins for their dinner. And thatto me is good enough.

Hi Info,

Thanks for informing me about BJOTW. I was unaware of that as I am not well-tuned with such food. I am sure people who choose other alternatives can come up with something better with their creativity. Thanks again for correction.
 

pausini

New Member
Hi
For those who really love shark fin and cant do without it due to many reason. mainly, parents!
Can try using Mock Shark Fin. that is what vegetarian are doing all the while. If there is mock chicken, duck, pork, prawn. sure shark fin is not much of a problem.
 

voice

New Member
My personal note:

I love sharksfin and will be having it for marriage dinner since my relatives will be unhappy w/o it. I've tried the mock shark's fin, its nothin' like the real thing. Its only "mock" when you refer to the way it looks. But taste wise is world's apart.

But I am aware of many issues facing the world in terms of nature & animal protection. I do try my best to avoid items like shark's fin, salmon etc (again, I'm anr lover of salmon). And thankfully, they're expensive items, so at least, it reduces my ability to eat them frequently, if at all
happy.gif


My point is, lets be responsible for our environment and not behave like babarians. We're all grown-ups and I suppose this is the very least that should be expected of educated and responsible grown-ups

And.... heh, i find Nobody funny
happy.gif

My diver friends make specific diving trips to see sharks frequently. I guess if sharks do eat humans, they won't be around right now.
 
A

a.l.

Guest
Hi Voice,

Thanks for sharing your views with us. I can't deny I love the taste of sharkfins myself and occasionally my resolve weakens and I may have a bowl once in a blue moon. I am not infallible but I think choosing not to have sharkfins for my wedding dinner made a big difference. I believe the highest consumers of sharks fins in Singapore are couples holding their wedding. That's why I chose to put up this thread here.

I know the biggest pressure is from family and especially parents. Initially my mum flipped too because it's like "lose face", "what if people think we can't afford to feed them sharks fins". But later I explained the reasons to her and that placated her. Give it a shot, you never know how your parents will react if you really try.
 
T

thedog

Guest
Hi all,

anyone know how to get those cute sharks card that is shown in the latest copy of her world brides where the celebrities place on the table? Wondering if it is custom made one or can get it from wildaid.org?
 

lan

New Member
Hey, we are human and we think! How can you expect sharks to "think"? We wanna protect this "fish" and have you seen sharks been cut off the fin and throw back to sea till they drown?

I support this idea to stop sharkfin during my wedding dinner and yes, biggest problem isn't the sharkfin... it will be my MIL....

But will try my best to change to other food, better grade than sharkfin. You know ppl tends to gossip why no sharkfin etc....
 

voice

New Member
You right, i should try to persuade my elders. Problem is I already hv abalone. Wht other dish can I persuade them to accept?
 
A

a.l.

Guest
Hi Ian, Voice and Radish,

I am very encouraged to hear that some of you are supporting the motion. Why don't you ask your hotel banquet team to suggest something? Those who get any ideas can post it up here. I can't think of very many other substitutes either apart from herbal soups (but was told BJOTW has sharks fins).

If "lose face" is the main concern of parents, how about a substitute for dessert say, have bird's nest soup for dessert and just a simple soup in place of shark fins? Then the relatives will be goin wah wah at the birds nest soup.

I guess we'll have to be creative and think of alternatives. I didn't have shark's fins for dinner and it wasn't too difficult becasue mine was not a traditional chinese ten-course dinner. I did it international buffet style but I think my guests could tell that the dinner wasn't cheap. I had oysters and shellfish on ice and a chef who was specially carving peking duck at a stall. And I had a stall with another chef serving roast beef / lamb. On top of that of course there was the main buffet table spread and dessert table with selection of cakes, ice-creams, fruits etc. Just some ideas.

Those who have been through it, please share with us your ideas of how you organized your dinner without getting poor sharks sacrificed.
 

omveganyogi

New Member
i would love to have a wedding with no shark fin or rather in only serving vegetarian raw uncooked food which is what i usuually eat.

is so tough and hard esp those elderly staring and comment in a high pitch pointing is a disappointment with no shark fin, i started to wonder they gone for food or blessing to newly wed

more ideas will be gd.
 

voice

New Member
Sometimes, I feel this is all generation gap. My parents generation do not have our sense of environmental awareness so keenly. Probably they dun need to in their generation.

So far, I've lobster salad, sharksfin and abalone. Actually, to be fair, the lobster salad looks quite cheapo even though its not, hence, its not as "viable" a replacement. Maybe the bird's nest dessert is a good idea. Will check with my "elders"..haha
 
A

a.l.

Guest
True. It's a generation gap thing. I was quite fortunate that my folks are quite use to my nonsense (like I refused to eat my mum's "dolphin unfriendly tuna" sandwiches when I was in college) so they know these issues mean a lot to me. Can't fault them for not knowing these things but it's up to us to explain things to them. Good luck!
 

grace

New Member
Hmm...did you people even realise that sharks' fins have no taste? The taste comes from the soup stock (which is made from pork, chicken, seafood etc). The secret to the best sharks fin soup is in the soup stock, not the fins.

Hurray for brides who opt-out of having sharks fin soup. Way to go, girls!

Btw I had a Peranakan-themed wedding dinner. Had Bakwan Kepeting (meatball soup with bamboo shoots) for starters! :)
 

alhana

New Member
Hi A.L.

I applaud ure anti-shark's fin drive. I'm also against eating the dish coz of the cruelty dealt to sharks during the cultivation of their fins. My hubby has also been influenced by me..we both don't eat such things at wedding dinners now. And at our own dinner, we had a buffet, so we easily escaped that dilemma.

However just a note abt the bird's nest soup option. I read a newsletter from the Jurong Birdpark once on the dire effects on the swallows whose nests we cultivate for the dish. Apparently overharvesting of bird's nest means tt they have to keep rebuilding the nests, and due to such constant harvesting activity, they can't nest properly & their numbers have dipped. Harvesting of the nest may threaten the species' survival. After I read tt article, I stopped eating the dish.
 
A

a.l.

Guest
Hi Alhana,

You're right about the bird's nest thing. I am still at a dilemma about that myself. Not so much whether I want to continue eating it or not, because I don't really like bird's nest in the first place, but I'm wondering what the facts really are. Some researchers say that harvesting birds nest do not actually have a negative impact on the population because due to the limitations of human harvesters, the birds are usually able to rebuild nest sufficiently to make the whole harvest sustainable as a whole. The only exception are the "weaker birds" who are not able to rebuild quickly enough. Hence, these weaker individuals are eliminated from the population, leaving the stronger ones. If so, human harvesting acts as another force of natural selection.

I guess I not so anti-bird's nest because it doesn't yet strike me as a cruel treatment. Maybe it is. The jury is out on this one.
 

alhana

New Member
Hi A.L.

I remember reading abt the effects on the swallow population on other sites, even on one that's advocating tourism in Phuket! Anyway I feel sorry for the little birdies..so I decided to stop eating it. Plus its expensive anyway :p And like u, I can definitely live w/o it. As for natural selection, I think its best to leave it to nature, rather than have human intervention. Judging by how much man has done to destroy the environment, I wun be surprised if mother earth fights back one day. Reading abt viruses mutating, transferring fr animals to humans etc..just gotta get u thinking doesn't it?
 
A

a.l

Guest
Hi Alhana,

Ya, you're right. Human intervention is bad no matter how you look at it. Bird's nest is something I can definitely live without so it's no big loss for me.

Back to shark fins, Grace,you're so right! Sharks fins itself has no taste. It's just got a texture like vermicelli and it's the soup that gives it the taste. If I cook a bowl of "sharks fins" using vermicelli and the same stock, everyone would still think it's yummy. I think with weddings, it's become an iconic, status thing, which is even harder to change.
 
C

cleomy

Guest
Hi All,

I too will not serve Shark Fins in our wedding dinner coming this Nov 03, as we are both active members of WWF.

My wife have come across some weddings where when the couple do not serve shark fins, they put a card on the table, telling the guest of their believes againts eating shark fins.

I wonder if anyone of you can share with the public (and me) what is actually written on the cards so that we could use it too.
 

cody

New Member
hello

i just returned from lunch at suntec city, and found that there is an exhibition on the merciless killing of sharks.

If you are interested, pls go down to suntec atrium (where The Body Shop is located) and give them your support.

At one of the desks, a volunteer there has also displayed some placecards that you can put on your guests dining table (during a function / wedding etc) to explain why you are not serving sharks fin.
(by the way, the placecards are FOC!)

I think its an excellent idea, coz the chinese wording & english wording seeks your guests understanding on why the hosts decided not to serve sharks fin.

If you are intereseted in the same, pls go down to the exhibition or send an email to Victor Wu, the Shark Campaign Co-ordinator. ([email protected])

Their website is www.wildaid.org

I dun wish to serve sharks fin at my wedding, but was also worried that the relatives may talk. Now that i'm going to get the placecards from them, my wedding is the one and only BIG chance for me to spread the word!
 
M

mt

Guest
Why not substitute with whole roast suckling pig, lobster salad, tiger prawns to upgrade a few dishes. Will be quite refreshing from the usual dishes.

If you explain the upgrade cost is MORE than having the normal few slices cold dish, shark fin. That should shut some unhappy mouths up. Frankly most of the shark's fin served is quite watery so they'll probably complain on that score anyway.

I'm ambivalent about the whole issue. HB's got more of a social conscience though, but both parents would like the usual whole drill so we are going the usual drill.
 

piggy

New Member
they juz ended the exhibition..was wondering how to get those cards......Thks for the additional info, Cody.....
 

cody

New Member
you're most welcome piggy
i can't much except spread the word around.

Have u decided whether you're serving sharks fin soup at your dinner?
 

cookiecorgi

New Member
i think it will be great to have a card that explains the rationale behind such a move!!

I will NOT be serving sharks fin during my wedding dinner at hyatt on oct 15th 2003 too!

Tho i still cant resist when i attend wedding dinners w sharkfins!! Will still gobble it up... hee...
 
V

ve

Guest
hi, cleomy
i remembered seeing the cards which i think had www.wildaid.org printed. i've just checked out the website, but couldn't find how to get the cards or anything on them. i remember seeing it in her world brides recently as well, either the current issue or the one before that.
 

missylan

New Member
In fact, what's so great about shark fin? What makes it tasty is the starch, vinegar, crabmeat and the soup base... NOT the shark fin!!!! :)

I watched TV and saw the way they killed sharks, scope them up by a net, just sliced off their fin ALIVE!!! Then just simply throw them back into the sea, they drowned!!!

Though they seem cruel(JAWS), bite or ate human.... they are just an animal w/o the feelings of human. Good idea, to stop eating shark fins whenever attend wedding dinner etc.
 

blin

New Member
i'm not serving sharksfins too!! all of us can play a small part in saving the environment...however minute it may be =) lets start standing up for what we believe in ladies =) i'm getting the cards from victor...thanks for the info cody!!
 

pencilgirl

New Member
I think people who boycott sharks' fin are silly. Why don't you not serve roast chicken as well? They keep the poor chickens in dreadful conditions and kill them for food too.

People are just influenced by the media. Have you seen how they kill frogs for their legs?
Why boycott only sharks' fin?

I am certainly not for killing sharks that way. I am just fed up with the way people react to the media, especially Western media.
 

missylan

New Member
Why people boycott sharkfins here is because of extinction!!! See the way they hunt, drown and poison them to be serve up as "expensive" meal. Like turtles are getting extinct too....

Yes, media did a great job to "educate" people, let them know that some animals are getting extinct. Are chickens or frogs, pig, cow etc getting extinct?!?

No 1 boycott abalone... why? It will not be extinct.... Think!!!!
 

smurfy

New Member
hi,

I want to save the sharks but I love sharkfins. I always look forward to this dish whenever I go to any banquets and its only at banquets do I get to eat this delicacy...

I do understand the feelings of the animal lovers... why don't anyone come up with some mocked sharkfins or a way to save the sharks without foregoing this delicacy. No offense to anyone though
 

pencilgirl

New Member
please, sharks are not going-to-be extinct animals. only certain species of sharks.

why the loud cry about sharks being cut for their fins then? why boycott sharksfins only then?
lots of sharks died from being caught in nets.

i think then we should all boycott diamonds. the poor miners risk their lives for them, only to sell cheaply to cartels.

Think.
 

shook

New Member
Actually sharkfin is tasteless. The taste of sharkfin soup comes fm other ingredient like crab meat, prawn, chicken, parsley, sesame oil, pepper, the soup.....

Smurfy
U cld replace sharkfin wif vermecelli (tong feng). Taste equally gd.
 

cody

New Member
hi babydoll,

I would give them a token donation, not an outright payment. Its really up to you how much you want to give.

Pencilgirl, no offence but have you done any research before you made those statements?
We can't stop you from saying whatever you like coz of freedom of speech, but we would also appreciate some respect & netiquette. Thank you.
 

kpo

New Member
dear pencilgirl,

nobody's stopping you from boycotting diamonds, frogs, chicken etc as long as you feel that consumption of such are against your principles. there's no need to be sacarstic really!
 


alhana

New Member
Pencil Girl,

So its okay for some species to become extinct as long as there are others around? What kind of msg is that? Mankind is decimating so many of earth's creatures that its scary. If people here want to do something for the environment and want to spread the word, then its their perogative. If you don't believe in it, then so be it. You don't have to pour cold water on their efforts. So what if pple are affected by the media? That's what the media is for isn't it? To make us aware of what's going on. I've seen the way sharks are harvested and it is horrible. At least the chickens you talk abt have a fast quick death. I dun approve of how other animals are also harvested for meals, like frogs, turtles etc...so i nvr touch such dishes. Hey, if pple want to do something, let them take things one step at a time. Its way better than being apathetic.
 

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