The pork in Taiwan just like the rest of the world is from genetically "modified" hogs. A farm vet told me the history of the specific hogs that are used for meat in Taiwan. That they imported genetically modified ones from Germany and now breed them all over the country.
They are quite large, with some almost the size of a tiger. but also because of their genetic mutations to make them larger, grow faster, and be meatier, they have a lot of flaws. The one pictured has skin grown over his eyes so he can't open them. And his teeth are extremely long yet curled, so he seemed to be having quite a bit of difficulty eating.
It's rare that i see one alive. I often see dead ones in trucks making deliveries in the early mornings to the various morning markets around town. The most curious genetic flaw I have seen on these is various patches of what seems like almost human hair growing on their faces.
I also learned the chinese word for "ears" from one time strolling through a morning market and stopping at a butcher's stand because he had hanging up, the largest pair of hog ears i'd ever seen. these things were massive, so much so that if i told you how big they were, you would call me a liar. so i just wont say how big they were, yet i can say they were big enough for me to actually strike up a conversation with the butcher and ask if they really were hog ears.
All of this is enough to question your beliefs about what you eat. I do thank these animals for their sacrifices so that this country can go through thousands of animals a day. Although I know i will always be a meat eater, i don't often eat meat. not because of any moral view towards eating animals, but rather because i know all the things that are put into animals to make them "better" for eating. thankfully i live in a country where there are hundreds of dishes made by soybean and other such foods that are high in protein.
