Straits Times Forum 8 Feb 11;
MR KIRK Leech responded to British chef Gordon Ramsay's comment that shark's fin soup 'tastes of nothing', with the statement: 'Food is a matter of personal taste, and Ramsay can have his opinion.' ('One man's delicacy, another's poison pill'; last Thursday).
Very true, except that it is used in the wrong context when we refer to a delicacy that is actually tasteless.
A friend of mine secretly served mock fins at her wedding last year, but no one tasted any difference, till she informed the guests. This is enough to prove that no one actually knows how shark's fin tastes, and it is essentially the flavours of all the other ingredients that make the soup.
It is also misleading to generalise that sharks are not endangered just because few are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (Cites).
Species protection proposals are presented at biennial Cites meetings, and Cites members, made up of related government agencies, would vote in agreement or disagreement to trade restrictions. Considerations such as how the decision will affect the country are often in place before votes are cast.
While Cites is the determining body of whether species are to be protected from trade, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the oldest and only organisation that provides classification of risk statuses of plants and animals. Not Cites.
According to a 2010 IUCN study, 17 per cent of the world's 1,044 shark species are threatened with extinction, and 47 per cent of shark species are data deficient. Assuming half of these 47 per cent are threatened, this would mean that more than one-third are threatened.
The existence of unethical farming approaches (such as foie gras) does not justify our unsustainable hunt for sharks. We cannot say that it is okay to pick pockets because shoplifting is worse, can we? Let's not forget that both shark's fin and foie gras are non-staples in our diet.
It would be respectable to look at food from a view further than the dining table.
The importance of cultural practices should not supersede the importance of maintaining sustainability. Because Singapore is among the top trading nations for shark's fins, Singaporeans have great potential in making a positive difference.
Jennifer Lee (Ms)
Founder,
Project: FIN
