At what point in the slaughtering process do animals go from sentient beings to cuisine? Is it when they appear in front of us on a plate? Or when the muscles, still twitching, are hacked off from the carcass? Perhaps it’s the moment when the bolt shatters through the skull and burst through the panic stricken eyes of the restrained cow? Or maybe, it’s as soon as they splash on the floor in a mess of limbs and afterbirth? It’s a philosophical conundrum I’m totally unqualified to answer.

Being a veggie in Asia ain’t easy! In fact, it’s makes one about as sociable as a John McCririck in a bikini. Though, that’s fair enough to be honest. This is not my home, and I am a guest here. Sure, vegetarianism is a privileged western concept that is utterly meaningless in the rest of the world. And I’m under no illusions that an abstinence from meat actually contributes to anything (apart from an acute feeling of smugness). Yet as a veggie wanker myself, one thing that continues to surprises me out here, is how animals are sometimes seen as food before they’ve even been sent to the abattoir. The cutesy animals that adorn the front of restaurants and lure customers in baffles me.

Why do restaurant owners do that? Is it just to be cute? Do dinners want to be reminded of what they are eating? Do the signs make dinners feel like the animals want to be eaten? I’ve no idea.

All I know for sure is these ads are weird!

What do you reckon?

A note from the Editor-in-Chimp: This article was originally written for Asia Pundits. You can read it here