I'm FINished with FINS, too!

Lunar new year is coming, that's when more shark fins are consumed. 13 years ago I was among those typical chinese who eats shark fins during lunar new year, and the days following..I had even poured shark fins soup into my rice and eat for 3 meals a day. It was so tasty and the texture was so unique.

One day during my poly years, Jiayi and I were assigned with a project. If I remember correctly, it was Marketing class and our lecturer told us to pick our own topic to "brainwash" and sell it. Jiayi and I are animal lovers, we wanted to educate our classmates to like animals too..well, at least not to dislike animals if possible..Then we thought of...

Sharks.

Sharks look ferocious, they ambush, hunt and flip the prey in the air. They are super sensitive to the environment and most of all, they hurt humans with their razor sharp rows of ever-renewing teeth.

And then we came across some videos on shark finnings in youtube. I could feel the pain when they sliced out the fin of the shark alive. From then on, I quitted shark fins.

They have been so misunderstood by us all along.

Nobody wants to born to look that way, funny eyes, protruding teeth, long nose and cold blooded..they are creatures created by nature (or rather, by God). I'm sure if sharks have a choice, they will choose to look like dophines. But everything in the sea needs balance, and everything on it has its purpose. Humans have been taking the purpose for granted and destroy the balance.

I remember a marine biologist said before

"the more we study the dead creature, the more we hope to study them alive, but when we study them alive in the sea, the more we are convinced that we know nothing about them"

Humans should be the upmost species in the planet, we are not barbarians anymore..we should be providing our youngs great knowledge, educating them on what is wrong and right, humane and inhumane. Shark finning is inhumane and should be banned. Shark fins should be banned.

70 millions of sharks are killed a year, and a big portion is endangered, just for the soup that is believed to boost sexual potency, enhance skin quality, increase one's qi or energy, prevent heart disease, and lower cholesterol.

Please. If you want to boost sexual potency, enhance skin quality blah blah blah, see a doctor. A bowl of shark fin won't make you Deuce Bigolo or Rambo..always eat healthily and exercise.

A bowl not enough then take more bowls? Come on... there are so high mercury content, neurotoxins and toxic contaminants in Sharks, they will make you insterile and cause mental disabilities to your babies.

But having shark fins shows my status, it is luxury. No, you are a big fool spending money on a bowl of poison.

The best arguement that my mom gave was "but sharks eat thousands of us!" Sharks are not man-eaters, they are built to touch with their nose and mouth instead of using hands (which obviously they don't have). AND we eat millions of them!

Search through the youtubes for videos on shark finning and see how cruel humans are, to cut off the sharks' fins alive and throw the useless bodies back into the sea. They are either drowned or bleed to death on the sea bed. If sharks have a voice, we would have been deafened by their excruciating screams.

Affected by the marketing project, I quitted shark fins soup, for 13 years. I've seen changes in wedding dinners since then.

First 8 years I was the only one who skipped the shark fins soup and people at the table mocked at me and they happily thanked me for the extra bowl of soup. "Pay so much and never eat the expensive dish. Please leh, one person can't help the sharks in the world la..".

Then gradually, there were 2 strangers who skipped shark fins soup and nobody mocked at us. "Oh, you are one of those who condemned shark fin ah? Then can I have your share please?".

The rest of the years, shark fins are out of wedding dinners' menu. I'm proud to mention that hotels are beginning to offer shark fins free menu officially!

Fairmont Singapore

Resort World Singapore

Shangri-La Singapore

Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort

Siloso Beach Resort

Swissotel The Stamford

The Fullerton Hotel

Traders Hotel

Xi Yan Private Dining
 

I think I should add Regent Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Grand Copthorne Riverview Hotel myself because I've attended wedding lunch and dinner that did not serve shark fins soup although their weddings were grand.

If you are getting married and you have kicked shark fins soup out of your menu, do visit this website, or print out this card and place on the tables to remind your guests about it (*cough* I think the next to wed are Jiayi and Raymond in March). 

Remember, say NO to SHARK FINS. If I can do it, so can you. Do not have to "give face" to the elders on eating shark fins soup, educate them instead.

xoxo