Fin de fin: Hong Kong restaurants offer alternatives to shark's fin
As controversy rages over shark's fin soup, kitchens are coming up with equally extravagant substitutes for banquets
"We felt obligated to stop the cruelty by saying no to shark's fin at our wedding," says Arthur Chan.
Considered a delicacy by the Chinese for centuries, a luxury staple at weddings and Lunar New Year celebrations, the soup is synonymous with status and prestige. But in recent years it has provoked controversy. Marine conservationists decry the trade in shark fin, which has driven some species to near extinction.
Support for the conservationists' stance intensified this month as images of an alarming number of fins drying on a Kennedy Town rooftop went viral on the internet and sparked international outrage.
Some more traditional diners, however, are outraged at the idea of losing the dish from menus for formal occasions.
Averting parental outrage was a concern for the Chans when they informed their parents that they would be foregoing the speciality at their wedding banquet. Chan conceived a three-pronged plan: "First, we laid out our objections to serving shark's fin. Then we showed them pictures of what happens to them. Thirdly, we suggested the bird's nest soup option instead, which is as premium as shark's fin soup," says Chan, implying that serving the substitute can still be a way to show "face".