Whale meat to return to Japanese school lunches

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Whale meat to return to Japanese school lunches

November 30, 2004

Agence France Presse

 

TOKYO - Local education board official Yoshiki

Tachibana was cited as saying that Japan's whaling

heartland will resume serving whale meat to

schoolchildren after a gap of 20 years in a bid to

preserve the whaling culture under attack from

environmentalists, and that elementary and junior high

school students in southwestern Wakayama prefecture

will be served whale meat twice a month starting in

January, said.

 

The story says that it is the first time the province

has served the meat since international whaling was

banned in 1982.

 

Tachibana was further cited as saying that most of

Wakayama's 490 schools, which have nearly 100,000

students, are expected to serve whale burgers, fried

whale seasoned with soy sauce and sweetened cooking

wine and other recipes, adding, " It is important for

people in Wakayama to maintain the whale culture as we

had long been engaged in the whaling industry here.

 

Also, the plan was realised as prices of whale meat

declined thanks to an increase in the quantity of

catches in recent years. "