Peninsula Hotels are Banning Shark Fin Soup From Their Menus
Anthony Bourdain and other devil-may-care foodies might not be happy about this news but we respect Peninsula Hotels' attempt to do the right eco-thing by banning the Chinese delicacy of shark fin soup from their menus.
After California governor Jerry Brown passed an act banning the from possession, sale and distribution of imported shark fins in the state, Peninsula decided to launch their own ban at all their hotels, even the ones in Asia, starting on January 1.
Clement K.M. Kwok, CEO of Hongkong and Shanghai
Hotels, Limited (HSH) which is the parent company of Peninsula said in a statement:
“By removing shark fin
from our menus, we hope that our decision can contribute to preserving the marine ecosystem
for the world’s future generations. As Asia’s oldest hotel company, we also hope that our
decision will inspire other hospitality companies to do the same and that our industry will
play a role in helping to preserve the bio-diversity of our oceans.
However, since shark fin soup is considered a specialty at Chinese weddings, this may be the reason why Peninsula Hotels will honor banquet bookings involving shark fin made prior to November 21 but taking place after January 1.
If you weren't sure what the exact ingredients of shark fin soup are, well, um, it's exactly that--shark fins. And the process of obtaining shark fins is pretty barbaric--sharks are caught, their fins and tails hacked off, and then they are dumped back into the ocean to die. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that some shark populations have been decimated by this "finning" procedure.
So, now that Peninsula has gone and banned shark fins, which hotel group is going to be next? Anyone, anyone?
[Photo: Jmurawski]
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