A Dog's Lunch?

(5/10/2002)

You wouldn't find one unless you went looking for one. And, we have to ask: Why would you be looking for one, anyway?

Fortunately rare around the island, where they do exist they're marked with a simple sign stating "RW" and are consigned to locations down side streets, small alleyways and in remote neighborhood where the gastronomically challenged gather for their favorite repast. RW, pronounced "Air way," is the name given to the local dish favored by a small minority of people hailing from remote areas of a few of Indonesia's outer islands.

There's no point in procrastinating further, so let's get to the point. RW's main ingredient: Canis familiaris. That's right, the best friend of man and boy, nemesis of the postman, and despoiler of sidewalks and fire hydrants everywhere - the family dog.

Before you get angry and launch into a high dudgeon, let's be perfectly clear on this point: the people at balidiscovery.com love dogs. We keep them as pets and lavish them with love and attention. So, if you find the idea of eating one of our four-legged companions repulsive, you'll receive no argument from this quarter.

Now, while RW restaurants are mercifully few and far between on Bali, reflecting how really very few local residents actually partake of this delicacy, the sad truth is that such restaurants do exists. In fact, every time one of our dogs goes missing for a few days, we visit the RW Warung nearest the house, armed with a picture of our missing pooch and offer a generous reward if they manage to return the missing dog unscathed, as it were.

A Better Image or Barking Up the Wrong Tree?

Perhaps sensitive to the pre-World Cup criticism being leveled at Korea where canine meat is substantially more popular, the Bali Association of RW Kiosk - abbreviated to B.A.R.K. - have banded together to preserve their culinary inclination while, at the same time, trying to improve their image with the legion of dog lovers who visit the island each year.

Engaging the heavily-discounted services of a retired Madison Avenue Corporate Image Guru on extended medical leave in Bali, B.A.R.K. has come up with two poster pups to popularize their catered product while at the same time trying to underline their deep regard for man's best friend.

The vote's still out on whether or not B.A.R.K.'s new campaign will have the desired effect.

While balidiscovery.com remains thoroughly unconvinced, we're taking the liberty of publishing a picture of B.A.R.K.'s poster dogs - named mustard and catsup, at our website to permit our readers to come to their own conclusion.

PLEASE NOTE: balidiscovery.com wishes to affirm that no animals suffered any injury in the preparation and coverage of this story.