TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT DOG MEAT IS NOT the question. The question is the lack of respect each side gives the other when it comes to the dispute between those who have developed the habit of eating dog meat and those who consider the habit as cruel and inhuman.

The controversy started over a gala featuring dog meat and lichee in Yulin, a city in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Those who love dogs and insist that man should never eat dog meat because dogs are a man's best friend called for a boycott against the gala. They went to the city before the gala on Saturday, which was summer solstice, to stop local people from butchering dogs.

It is understandable that dog lovers will feel heartbroken when hearing that dogs are consumed at the dining table. There is no problem with them voicing their opinion that it is cruel to eat dog meat and even asking people to give up the habit.