His big blue eyes glared straight through my soul. When he snorted, every gurgle in his throat made me flinch, and as the drool rolled down his face, filling the crevices of his wrinkles, he knew.

He knew I had done the unthinkable. Buck knew, and there was no turning back now. I had eaten one of his friends while I was abroad in China.

I had unknowingly eaten dog meat.

Judge me, label me a psychopath who preyed on man’s best friend, but don’t assume I did this on purpose.

In China, respect is everything. When you are invited into someone’s home you are expected to eat what is served and do what is asked of you. When one of our homestays served a sautéed