We are no longer what we were. More and more of our daily choices are being felt in remote corners of the world.

This time, it is not our thirst for ore or oil. It is our obsession with shark fins.

The World Conservation Union has appealed to the European Union to stop exporting shark fins to China because of the drastic drop in the number of sharks.

China and the EU are singled out because we are the No 1 consumer, and they the No 1 exporter. Some rare species of sharks are on the brink of extinction because we like the taste of their fins.

Shame on us.

This is a loss of biodiversity that is relatively easy to reverse.

Shark fins are not a regular dish on the dinner table of an ordinary Chinese home. They are favored by the rich.

For China's nouveau riche shark fins are symbols of wealth and class.

Though the rich makes up only a small portion of society, the absolute number of shark fin consumers is still shockingly large given the nation's huge population.

They share that misperception because shark fins are expensive. And they need expensive foods to prop up self-confidence.

Shark fins carry exorbitant price tags because they are scarce, their processing is complicated, and they are cooked with rare and expensive ingredients.

But shark fins' vaunted unusual nutritional value turns out to be unfounded.

They are indeed rich in protein, but no more than meat, scientists say. As for taste, the accompanying fancy ingredients are responsible for the coveted flavor of shark fin soup.

Many who have tasted plain shark fin say it is tasteless, like fine vermicelli. In fact, there are reports of dishonest restaurants substituting vermicelli for shark fin.

So we do not have to kill the sharks to guarantee our protein intake or the dishes' special taste.

Our challenge is to inform our wealthy but ignorant shark fin afficienados.

If they cannot change their status symbols to something that does not threaten our planet's species, our authorities should take action.

(China Daily 05/21/2007 page4)