For many, eating dog meat would be unimaginable, but for those who have done so since childhood, it’s just another meal.

Since he was a child, Simson Sidebang has eaten dog meat.

His hometown has a tradition of slaughtering dogs to eat on certain days, including for New Year celebrations, when villagers combine the dish with a cup or two of tuak, a Batak palm wine.

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Simson hails from Paropo, a small village on the shores of Lake Toba, in Dairi regency.

“At the time – I was maybe 6 years old – there was an event in the village where people cooked dog meat to eat together. The first piece of dog I ate was given to me by my father,” the 36-year-old said. His father, Simson said, “loved” dog meat.

"In our village, the weather is cold,” he said, adding that the combination of dog meat and tuak was perfect for warming up the body.

Communal tradition

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