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| Jose and Cheling on their happy day. |
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There is always a lot to think about when planning a wedding, but Jose Montano of Ontario, Canada had a special concern. He and his fiancée, Cheling, were making arrangements for their celebration, complete with a traditional Chinese wedding banquet for 250 guests. But there was one Chinese tradition they were afraid they could not avoid—shark fin soup.
Shark fin soup is still considered an essential dish at traditional Chinese weddings. However, this custom is causing significant damage to shark populations around the world and to the species that rely on them.
Moved to Action
Jose and Cheling were aware of the cruelty of shark finning and the ecological devastation it causes. They had been very moved by “Sharkwater,” a film that details the inhumane carnage behind each bowl of shark fin soup. However, they were concerned that Cheling’s parents would be upset if they tried to remove it from the menu. Many people regard serving shark fin soup as an integral part of being a generous banquet host, and fear they may lose face with their guests if they omit it. Yet Jose and Cheling decided that this cause was important enough to justify standing up to tradition.
As a recipient of HSI email updates, Jose became aware of the HSI campaign against shark finning and he contacted Humane Society International to seek advice. With the help of HSI, he and Cheling brought the case to her parents.
As expected, Cheling’s parents were not initially pleased with the idea. However, the young couple took the time to carefully explain the issue. They began by sharing HSI’s educational materials with her parents and showing them “Sharkwater” on DVD. Cheling’s parents, like many others, had not been aware of the importance of the shark as an apex predator or of the brutality involved in shark finning. Once they realized this, they agreed that whatever status came with having shark fin on the menu was not worth the cost.
Explaining to Guests
However, simply leaving shark fin soup off the menu was not quite enough. Jose and Cheling wanted a way to explain to their guests exactly why they were not serving it, and possibly to convince others to do the same. When Jose heard about HSI’s beautifully designed table tents, he realized they were just the thing to get the message to their guests in a tactful way, without spoiling the appearance or the mood of the banquet.
Jose and Cheling’s success story is truly an inspiration for others to follow. Their wedding is set for early August. While they still have many things to worry about until then, sharks will not be one of them.
If you are planning a traditional Chinese wedding or other banquet and would like HSI to send you a complimentary set of printed table tents (available in traditional and simplified Chinese as well as English), please contact Shu Jen Chen at schen@hsi.org. You can also download them here:
Wedding (English and traditional Chinese; English and simplified Chinese)
Celebration (English and traditional Chinese; English and simplified Chinese)
Banquet (English and traditional Chinese; English and simplified Chinese) 
