Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe?

Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe? - Man in Black Crew Neck T-shirt Covering His Face

The Kung Fu Panda universe contains both carnivores (tigers, leopards, wolves, crocodiles etc.) and animals commonly eaten, both by those and in Chinese cuisine (pigs, ducks/geese, cattle, sheep etc.). All of these are portrayed as sentient and one would assume that they are thus not part of the diet. I can't recall any reference to them being eaten.

As far as I'm aware we don't see any sentient fish or prawn in the series, although I haven't seen all TV episodes, only a handful as well as all the movies and short film specials. It's possible those might be non-sentient and used as food, similar to how it is in Redwall.

The food portrayed in the series doesn't explicitly show meat, but there are things like dumplings (often but not always filled with meat or seafood) and noodle soup (usually served in a broth cooked from animal bones). Still, so far everything seems consistent with everyone being vegan, even the carnivores.

There are a few doubts. Mantis blissfully talks about a future girlfriend biting his head off, referring to real mantises sometimes practicing sexual cannibalism. From Tigress' childhood we know that predators can be feared by others because of their greater power and potential for violence. With some parts of real world biology referenced, the fact that many carnivorous animals cannot in fact live on a vegan diet also bears mention again - then again they can cook and eat noodles, so clearly realism isn't much of a factor.

So basically what I'm asking is: while it seems likely that nobody in the Kung Fu Panda universe eats meat, is there in fact an official canon answer to this question?



Best Answer

I have found this source that quotes one of the directors of the first film, John Stevenson as saying

"Everybody is vegetarian, even our predatory characters—otherwise it got too weird," explains Stevenson.

That is the only evidence/canonical answer I can find regarding the dietary habits of characters in the Kung Fu Panda universe.




Pictures about "Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe?"

Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe? - Man in Green Jacket and Gray Pants Sitting on Red and Brown Hanging Heavy Bag
Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe? - Photo of Panda and Cub Playing
Is meat/fish eaten in the Kung Fu Panda universe? - Elegant bride tossing bouquet to unmarried girlfriends on celebration of wedding in garden



What food do they eat in Kung Fu Panda?

His father expects him to follow in his footsteps, but Po has a bigger dream and it concerns kung fu. But Po loves to eat, so he can be witnessed stuffing his mouth with bean buns, flying through the air to grab dumplings, climbing counters and cabinets to reach the cookies, and even enjoying radishes.

What are the animals in Kung Fu Panda based on?

The most skilled warriors in China, they are homages to the Five Animals Southern styles of Chinese martial arts: crane, viper, monkey, mantis, and tiger. While the Five initially dismissed Po as the Dragon Warrior, they grow to respect his courage and tenacity.

What animal species is Shifu?

Shifu was a raccoon. But, as they were told off-camera, Master Shifu is actually a red panda. "I'm a red panda?" asked Hoffman. "I want people to know that Dustin Hoffman has made $930 million dollars off of a character, and he's not completely sure who the character is," quipped Lauer.

What are the animals in Kung Fu Panda Paws of destiny?

  • Tigress.
  • Monkey.
  • Viper.
  • Mantis.
  • Crane.




Kung Fu Panda (2008) - Impersonations at Dinner Scene (5/10) | Movieclips




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions, Diana Silaraja, Cleyder Duque