Post by tekmac on Jun 27, 2005 10:25:04 GMT -5
By Anna c*cke
26jun05
JAPAN has introduced an education program into primary and secondary schools to teach students to eat whale meat.
Almost 60,000 whale meals were served at 280 schools during the program's first three months in the Wakayama province, south-west Japan.
The program has proved so successful, education chiefs are considering making it national.
"We'd love to expand to all over Japan because it's part of Japanese food culture," said education board spokesman Tetsuji Sawada.
" We want to tell our children, 'this is part of your culture', and we want to protect it."
Although Japan maintains its annual catch of 440 is primarily for research purposes, the school program encourages students to make whale a regular part of their diet.
Whale was once a regular fixture on school lunches throughout Japan until an International Whaling Commission ban on commercial whaling in 1982.
But in Wakayama province, an hour from Osaka, education officials decided to reintroduce the meat this year to mark the 400-year anniversary of whaling in the region.
Last month the scheme was expanded to older students at schools such as Naga High, where whale meat meals start at just $4.15 in the school canteen.
Naga principal Makoto Taniwaki has enthusiastically taken up the education board whale lunch program because: "I want my students to know the (cultural) value of whale meat".
Many of his students had never eaten whale meat until its inclusion on the school menu.
Fried whale has proved the most popular so far, but schools are also serving whale schnitzel, whale meat on spaghetti, whale meatball soup, sweet and sour whale and whale hamburger.
Inside the Naga school cafeteria, Yuri, 17, trying whale for the second time in her life, notes "it tastes like chicken".
"My parents were really surprised when I told them we could order a whale meal at school and my mother wants me to tell her what it tastes like," she said.
The education board believes whale meat is a healthy choice for growing bodies.
"It's a good source of protein, it's low in calories, has less fat than other meats and less cholesterol," Mr Sawada said
Calling for understanding from other countries whose culinary habits differ from Japan's, Mr Sawada said the education board hoped the taste for whale might encourage students to explore the environmental issues associated with whaling as well as appreciate its historical significance to their region.
Last week the International Whaling Commission ruled Japan was not allowed to increase its annual catch to more than 900.
However, Japan said it was prepared to defy the ruling - which Australia vigorously supported - and would consider quitting the IWC.
The commission also refused a Japanese request to allow it to kill whales commercially.
26jun05
JAPAN has introduced an education program into primary and secondary schools to teach students to eat whale meat.
Almost 60,000 whale meals were served at 280 schools during the program's first three months in the Wakayama province, south-west Japan.
The program has proved so successful, education chiefs are considering making it national.
"We'd love to expand to all over Japan because it's part of Japanese food culture," said education board spokesman Tetsuji Sawada.
" We want to tell our children, 'this is part of your culture', and we want to protect it."
Although Japan maintains its annual catch of 440 is primarily for research purposes, the school program encourages students to make whale a regular part of their diet.
Whale was once a regular fixture on school lunches throughout Japan until an International Whaling Commission ban on commercial whaling in 1982.
But in Wakayama province, an hour from Osaka, education officials decided to reintroduce the meat this year to mark the 400-year anniversary of whaling in the region.
Last month the scheme was expanded to older students at schools such as Naga High, where whale meat meals start at just $4.15 in the school canteen.
Naga principal Makoto Taniwaki has enthusiastically taken up the education board whale lunch program because: "I want my students to know the (cultural) value of whale meat".
Many of his students had never eaten whale meat until its inclusion on the school menu.
Fried whale has proved the most popular so far, but schools are also serving whale schnitzel, whale meat on spaghetti, whale meatball soup, sweet and sour whale and whale hamburger.
Inside the Naga school cafeteria, Yuri, 17, trying whale for the second time in her life, notes "it tastes like chicken".
"My parents were really surprised when I told them we could order a whale meal at school and my mother wants me to tell her what it tastes like," she said.
The education board believes whale meat is a healthy choice for growing bodies.
"It's a good source of protein, it's low in calories, has less fat than other meats and less cholesterol," Mr Sawada said
Calling for understanding from other countries whose culinary habits differ from Japan's, Mr Sawada said the education board hoped the taste for whale might encourage students to explore the environmental issues associated with whaling as well as appreciate its historical significance to their region.
Last week the International Whaling Commission ruled Japan was not allowed to increase its annual catch to more than 900.
However, Japan said it was prepared to defy the ruling - which Australia vigorously supported - and would consider quitting the IWC.
The commission also refused a Japanese request to allow it to kill whales commercially.
