Do a taste check of shark's fin Letter from Jennifer Lee Sep 12 I refer to David Pilling's commentary "Excuse me waiter, there's a shark in my soup" (Aug 26). I would add that when a variety of ingredients are used in a single dish, we lose our ability to distinguish individual ingredients because we taste the soup as a whole. We know how fish meat tastes and how chicken meat tastes, but how does shark's fin taste, on its own? I spoke to consumers of shark's fin who told me they like the taste of the soup. It is ironic that although most could describe its texture to me (slightly crunchy, etc), not a single person was able to describe its taste. Simply because the fins are completely tasteless. Our tastebuds have been tricked. The soup is tasty because of other ingredients: Seafood, vinegar, chicken stock and so on. A friend of mine served mock shark's fin with the same soup at her wedding some years ago, and none of her guests noticed the difference, not until she told them. Unknown to many, mock shark's fin is readily available in the market and makes a perfect replacement at a fraction of the cost. There are different types of mock fins: Vegetarian (made of seaweed gelatin) and non-vegetarian. We do not need shark's fin to make the same soup. The World Wildlife Fund's Seafood Guide 2010 lists various sustainable seafood alternatives that can be considered if wedding couples would like to serve a seafood soup in place of fins. Other than mock shark's fin, a melon called the "shark's fin melon" can be used. Alternatively, if the host is looking for an expensive replacement, ginseng soup can be considered as a show of generosity. The possibilities are endless, and a good restaurant would have chefs who are creative enough to whip up interesting options. In the same aspect, more companies across the world are moving competitively toward greater corporate social responsibility. With the growing controversy surrounding shark's fin, many market leaders have inked conservation deals to grow their CSR image. The dish is becoming an outdated fad that could be seen as a show of nonchalance or ignorance toward conservation. As time progresses, the gains made through flaunting generosity by serving the soup no longer justify risking the potential damage to a company's image. The additional budget for shark's fin soup could be better parked elsewhere.