Concur.

Make that a third! We were talking about it at lunch today as I ate chicken strips instead of a burger and mentioned that I was trying to come up with things to make for dinner to at least cut down on beef (especially ground beef, which seems to be higher risk). A co-worker said "there are a zillion ways to make chicken" and I just looked at her.. then I said "but we want things that taste good!"

I am not cutting out beef completely, just cutting back some. I did end up with a Wendy's cheeseburger for dinner tonight after all!

Dee

That's one reason I'm glad my dad raises feedlot beef cattle. I know what they're fed, I know where they're butchered and processed and I get my beef for free! :D Don't know what we'll do when he decides to retire!

mmm.... medium rare steak..... ***drooollll***

Can we talk????;)

I see potential for a business here.. the beef black market!

Dee

I spent a week in Washington D.C. over winter break at the Lutheran Student Movement National Gathering. In my "Let's Go" tour book the USDA Headquarters cafeteria was mentioned as a place to eat cheap with decent food. It was also around the corner from the Holocaust Museum, so there was a convenience factor.

I would like all of you to know that I took my time seeing what was available for lunch, hot items, sandwiches, soups, etc. Not one beef product was offered. No cheeseburgers, no roast beef, NOTHING. I ended up with roasted chicken, yams, greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread, salad, frozen yogurt, and a diet cherry coke for $7.31.

If the USDA is not serving beef in their own cafeteria, that really says something. My family hasn't eaten beef or pork in years, and are mostly vegetarians so I didn't have a beef issue until I got back here to Cow College. I live within a few hours of where the cow came from, and after my trip to the USDA cafeteria, I am avoiding beef for awhile (unless one of my Ag friends from a farm or ranch provides it).

We ordered steaks from Omaha Steaks and spoke to the salesperson yesterday. He said that sales aren't down which surprised me. He also said that they use muscle meat, not the brain or central nervous system. Apparently, mad cow disease is transmitted through the brain and central nervous system. It was mildly reassuring. I still haven't eaten red meat since the scare, but I sure will when those Omaha steaks arrive. YUMMY!

Most steaks and roasts (especially cuts like filet mignon and rump roasts) are okay because they are cut from interior muscle tissue. What most people are worried about is ground beef because, even though the brain and spinal cord are stripped from the animal before grinding, there's the potential that some cells and membrane may have been left attached. Omaha steaks are yummy, enjoy them! :)

Sure he'd say that. Isn't it illegal to use brain/spinal cord tissue in meat products?

Finding mad cow disease in that one cow hasn't kept me from eating meat. I really think this was a solitary, random case. As long as you are not eating the brains (which is a delicacy) or the spinal cord (ox tail soup), technically, you should be fine. This scare won't keep me from eating a juicy hamburger or steak. mmmmmm.

I'm sure that they were trained in what to say. I don't think that it is illegal to use the brain and spinal cord. I know that people eat the brain. It is a delicacy in France and French restaurants called sweet breads.

It was also a stunt on Fear Factor..

As for BSE: I was an optimist for a long time. I kept saying the Canadian case was just an abnormality etc etc...

But I heard on the radio, it's come out that quiet a few feed providers have been caught with cattle-byproducts into their feed - even though this practice has been banned since 1997. That's just outrages me!

How is the Canadian Cattle industry ever going to regain the trust of the world with such practices going on??

Okay I've got one.... with all of the Mad Cow awareness you would think that people would be a little more aware of what they are eating... but today on the CBC they did a story on a resurant/dinner in Illinois that has decided not to stop serving it's deep fried cow's brain (sorry only caught the end of the piece and missed the name or town).

Okay now I have two problems with this....
1) The brain and nevrous system of the cow is the primary transmitter of BSE (and no cooking dosen't help), so why would this "establishment" risk the legal and ethical problems by continuing to serve this "dish"

2) WHO THE HELL EATS DEEP FRIED COW'S BRAINS ANYWAY!!!!!

The Omaha Steaks arrived. I had meatballs and a hamburger so far. They were good. I am saving the steaks for sometime in the future.

Do you think Rocky Mountain Oysters are safe?:D

I LOVE sweetbreads-haven't had them in ages too hard to cook.

I AM a little squeemish about beef-DAMN IT! Being in La. they are saying we're OK...