Beef vs the Chinese

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
Let's start with the Chi-comms. They send us inferior toys. They send us pet food which kills our pets. They continually ignore our standards, and our government totally ignore their transgressions.

Now, let's talk about Canuckian cows. Way back when Bush took office, they found 1 or 2 Canadian moos to have mad cow disease. Instant ban on beef from north of the border. I don't know about the rest of you, but I haven't heard of anymore outbreaks of the disease. Know what? Still, no beef from Canada.

Let's talk about profit. Chinese? We're talking about billions for the companies who do trade with China, and inferior products for us. Beef? We're talking billions for the American ranchers and beef industry, and $15/lb for ribeye. In both cases we're talking about millions in donations to those calling the shots. Call me ignorant, but that doesn't add up to what the American ppl deserve.

Here's an idea I just had. What if the government, its agents, or someone working for the American beef industry infected those Canadian cattle with mad cow disease? If you take a look at the British mad cow invasion, it acted NOTHING like the Canadian outbreak of a couple of cows. The all clear was years ago, yet we still aren't getting beef from our neighbors.

Here's the question... Do you think the government is capable of doing such an act? Do you think the president would keep Canadian beef out of our country as a favor for his recieved contributions? Do you think the Chinese safety issues vs Canadian beef is a double standard?

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 

dieseldiva

Veteran Expediter
>
>Here's the question... Do you think the government is
>capable of doing such an act? Do you think the president
>would keep Canadian beef out of our country as a favor for
>his recieved contributions? Do you think the Chinese safety
>issues vs Canadian beef is a double standard?
>
>

YES
YES
YES.....and I'm for the most part conservative!

Let me ask you.....do you think it's all a commie plot and what the heck is a Canuckian cow??? LOL.......oh wait, I got it!!! Instead of saying moo, they say eh!! Eh??
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
T-Hawk,
No there is no double standard, we are just stupid Americans.

The toy thing is the parents fault, if they would just go back to basics and get the kids something like wooden blocks made in America with American wood, we would not have the lead paint issue or the arsenic in the pacifiers issue. The parents get all these fancy toys, give hundreds of dollars to the retailer because the kids want it - sometimes it is a vanity thing for the parents. What ever the reason, the market is huge because the parents don't think.

Now the meat thing is somewhat funny, when the ban on Canadian beef went into effect, our imports from China and Venezuela went up to replace the Canadian meat that was banned, coincidence? who cares abut Mad Cow anyways, cook your steaks well done and it is all right.

We stupid Americans want cheap meat, for that matter most Americans don't know a good piece of meat even if it bit them in the a**, they take the Super Duper Grocery Market butcher's word for it after they select a prime cut that was part of the butchers Sunday job repacking 500 pounds of meat that went past the expiration date, a little trim here ... a little trim there.. brine it up and looks just like it was hacked out of the cow yesterday. Most Super Duper Grocery Market don't sell even choice or select grades, let alone know what prime is. I think most of what is sold in these factory stores is cutter or canning grade. But again, there should also be a country of origin stamped on the meat, because we have no clue what is in the meat we get from overseas, at least here the pigs don't eat human remains.

Do you know your butcher's name by the way?

Steak for $15 a pound? what do you buy, Wagyu beef?

But for what it's worth, I do think that China has the right idea when it comes down to the scandals that we all have, like the minister who took bribes and dumped all kinds of fillers, like plastics and pressure treated wood shavings into vats of food products for the Chinese market, one bullet.
 

yaaintdeadyet

Expert Expediter
Greg I won't go into every detailed remark you've made about the retail meat industry yet I will clue you into this. You're wrong on all counts. I was a retail butcher for well over 30 years, managing many large/upscale markets. As well as a federally licensed meat inspector. I know the meat industry well enough that I could easily refute much of what you've stated. Including remarks about the type of Canadian beef that was put on ban. The claims offered up are very similiar in style as to how much of the general public views anyone driving a truck. We both know better.
Back to the origin of this topic. I've a concern of Chinese products in this country. Most of the "China"marts the U.S. consumer has come to suckle see profit as the end all.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
yaaintdeadyet

I don’t mean to be disrespectful but my post was a sarcastic comment about the American public and their ignorance about food and the food supply chain in general and the facts about purchasing quality food. It is they, the masses who want cheap food, cheap everything for that matter – not me. I want quality; I want to use more locally supported farms and such, not those people who shop the Wal-Marts, Kroger’s and all the other mega things, they want to see cheap.

If it seems to be beating up on the meat industry, an industry that most people have no clue about, let alone understand, than so be it. But in truth, most people think that the cr*p they get from the super duper grocery store at $1.85 a pound is superior beef, it is not. In turn the encounters I have had with the butchers at some of these places have turned me off in buying any meat at those stores – some butchers are rather questionable. Even today, I know what I bought was not the best cuts, being 50 miles from my butcher and not feeling like making the trip I selected and bought what I consider stop gap meat for my consumption at $6 a pound, not the best but good enough.

I don’t buy into the marketing of large scale retail facilities, mainly due to how they have used psychology that goes into the entire operation and how it is profit driven greed of both the company and suppliers that actually fuels some of the issues with bad food. It don’t matter what you were, sorry for the disrespect, because in the food chain, you as a butcher/inspector have absolutely no control over the source of beef that comes from foreign suppliers and in the past outside of really bad tainted meat which was caught and publicized, the truth is there is not enough inspectors to go through the needed percentage of the intake of food product into our country to ensure safety to the general public – something that many in the USDA have said in the past although reluctantly because it still is about money.

See I too am very concern about the imports of food stuff; I want to see an increase in inspectors and inspections with possibly banning whole countries from being allowed to sell in our markets.
 

Tennesseahawk

Veteran Expediter
We like cheap everything, yes. But beef isn't cheap now. I can buy boneless pork loin at $1.79/lb. But quality beef? Can't touch the good stuff for under $10/lb on sale. Just before the Canadian mad cow scare, I could get Angus porterhouse for $8/lb. Now, it's 16 or more. So, there's some REASON we're not buying Canadian beef, and I don't buy it being mad cow. Can you think of another reason?

Oh... we like cheap gasoline too. Unfortunately, we like to be complacent also, and not cloud our minds with details or inquiry.

-Vampire Super Slooth Trucker!!!
 

yaaintdeadyet

Expert Expediter
As I said, I won't comment. You can continue prove you're mistaken. It doesn't matter. Believe what you will. I know the industry.
 

riverrat2000

Seasoned Expediter
why is the price of beef or any meat for that matter going thru the roof hmmmmmmmm, could it be that we are now using our food stocks to make fuel with,go figure!!!!!!!
 

RichM

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
In addition to SuperMarket proces going up I am seeing $1-2 increases in restaurants for steaks or hamburgers. Don't know if this is related or not but 3 RoadHouse Resataurants closed last week in my home area.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
The price for a bushel of corn is skyrocketing on the commodity markets due to increasing ethanol production...dairy and beef producers use corn for increased weight and milk, hence your increase.
Also as long as The American Beef Producers pressure DC to keep the ban on Canadian cattle over 30 months old it's creating a false shortage of U.S beef hence higher prices again. My brotherinlaw is a rancher in SD and is loving taking his cattle to market!!

As you can see these conditions are all self induced.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Hawk...you toying with me???? ;-)

Sometimes a run or 2 gets in the way of my online time.....Thank Goodness!!
 
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