Shark Fin Soup, Anyone?

A recent article in CNN.com reported on the popularity on what used to be a rare delicacy, but is now threatening to have a significant impact on the ecosystem. The delicacy is shark fin soup, and incrasing demand for these fins are threatening to scuttle an already struggling shark population.

I've eaten shark fin soup a few times (feel free to consider me food ecologically uncouth, as I'm also a big fan of foie gras and order it whenever I can), usually during Chinese wedding banquets, including a couple I attended while in Taiwan. I've always found it to be decent enough, but nothing to write home about. As the article states, the taste of shark fin is almost non-existent. People sometimes call clear rice noodles "fake shark fin" because that's exactly how it tastes. Naturally, one with a more sophisticated palate would be aghast at such a comparison.

I personally don't see the appeal of spending so much money on something that doesn't taste and has such negative ecological impact. Then again, I'm the guy who whose favorite culinary pastime used to be taking advantage of Taco Bell's "Taco Tuesday" 2 for 99 cents special.

The article is a real eye-opener and I do find it tragic that sharks are having their fins cut and dumped back into the ocean to die. We all know that the more humane way to harvest seafood is to use massive nets to collect schools of whiting. This, in addition to amazing batter, is naturally why I'm such a big fan of Long John Silver's.