Wow, you had to find that really deceptive and unscrupulous. To mix horsemeat with beef and pass it off as pure beef mince is extremely shady. I know the guy is a friend of yours, but doesn't that make you wary? If he did that to customers (with you being one of his customers), what else is he capable of?
Worst restaurant violations?
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Rascal
Head Chef
I dont buy from him now, just through him. He has a good eye for steak for example. Horse meat is quite a bit darker. He did supply restaurants though!!
His contacts are good.
Another reason horse isnt sold is because they cant guarantee horse wasn't put down with drugs and meat might be tainted?.
Russ
Yes I am sure it would have to be regulated and tested to be sold, but no market for it, what's the point? Lamb in NZ OTOH...well they don't have mutton racing LOL
Rascal
Head Chef
Horse meat was mainly for dog breeders in the 80s.Yes I am sure it would have to be regulated and tested to be sold, but no market for it, what's the point? Lamb in NZ OTOH...well they don't have mutton racing LOL
Russ
So, it's not that people don't want to see horses eaten, they just don't want people eating them? I really don't understand. What else are these people willing to feed their dogs that they won't eat?
I think it's probably more about meat regulation and what people are accustomed to eating.
I had neighbors (loved those people, they unfortunately moved) who ate game meat fairly regularly. The husband would hunt venison every season and they offered it to us multiple times. We didn't like the taste. The husband also hunted bear once and his wife said it was oily and not very good, so no, I wouldn't eat that, either. I have seen "exotic" meats on sale (bison, elk, ostrich, etc.) at specialty stores but it was really still too expensive.
I personally wouldn't spend a lot of money to experiment with something I am not sure I am going to like. So, horsemeat (not on the menu anywhere I know or available in local supermarkets) would not be a good choice for me. I am 61 and I like what I like...although I did discover I liked lamb about 3 years ago on accident, LOL I had tried it in restaurants and wasn't a fan. My husband loved lamb so I cooked it for one of his birthday dinners and I found a way to make it delectable. So there ya go.
I was raised in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico and prior to moving to the midwest, I ate seafood at least 4x a week and could eat that every day (provided our oceans don't get so polluted or screwed up otherwise in my lifetime) so I will spend that kind of money on it. I also love dairy (cheese and cream) but my doctor told me I should cut back on that...ugh. I am probably going to end up on statin drugs eventually because I really don't want to give up any of that, either.
I personally wouldn't spend a lot of money to experiment with something I am not sure I am going to like. So, horsemeat (not on the menu anywhere I know or available in local supermarkets) would not be a good choice for me. I am 61 and I like what I like...although I did discover I liked lamb about 3 years ago on accident, LOL I had tried it in restaurants and wasn't a fan. My husband loved lamb so I cooked it for one of his birthday dinners and I found a way to make it delectable. So there ya go.
I was raised in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico and prior to moving to the midwest, I ate seafood at least 4x a week and could eat that every day (provided our oceans don't get so polluted or screwed up otherwise in my lifetime) so I will spend that kind of money on it. I also love dairy (cheese and cream) but my doctor told me I should cut back on that...ugh. I am probably going to end up on statin drugs eventually because I really don't want to give up any of that, either.
I won't pay big bucks for game meat. I do enjoy game meat though. I lived in the woods and DH and friends hunted. I never found the venison gamey. I have seen hunters who put the carcass on the hood of their car/truck and drive home with it that way for a few hundred miles. I'm guessing that doesn't improve the flavour. Also, I have seen pictures of hunters taken with their kills, before the meat was gutted and bled. Again, that is not going to enhance the flavour of the meat. I have long believed that you could make a domestic cow taste gamey by doing those two things to it.
Bear should be cooked like fatty pork and cooked enough to make sure that any trichina has been killed. It can be really delicious. I have only had it once, but it was wonderful.
But honestly, I simply don't find enough difference in flavour between beef and moose or deer to be willing to pay much of a premium. Same goes for bear. If a friend offered me some, I would be delighted. But, otherwise, I have good sources of yummy pork. But I don't think that selling bear meat is legal here. Selling wild game is not legal (there may be an exception for indigenous people), so all the bison and deer that is for sale here is farmed.
Bear should be cooked like fatty pork and cooked enough to make sure that any trichina has been killed. It can be really delicious. I have only had it once, but it was wonderful.
But honestly, I simply don't find enough difference in flavour between beef and moose or deer to be willing to pay much of a premium. Same goes for bear. If a friend offered me some, I would be delighted. But, otherwise, I have good sources of yummy pork. But I don't think that selling bear meat is legal here. Selling wild game is not legal (there may be an exception for indigenous people), so all the bison and deer that is for sale here is farmed.
I used to work at a Mary Browns and one day I was carrying over a tray of freshly cooked chicken to the warmer. The floor was just washed but my shoes we oily and i slipped right in front of the serving window tossing 30+ pieces of chicken in the air right in front of 10 customers. My boss told me to toss them back in the fryer because we were so busy. As a 16 i didnt question my betters but looking back, not exactly the most sanitary thing I ever did.
Cooking4Fun
Senior Cook
Yeah. It feels like few restaurants act like they can afford to do the right things.
Your story about the chicken wings falling on the floor and then being thrown back in the fryer? Ugh, that's seriously gross. Who wants to eat food that's been on the ground? And that owner should definitely know better than to let that happen. Yikes! And that Taco Bell situation you mentioned? That's really alarming. It's so disappointing when businesses care more about making money than taking care of their customers. Thank goodness the assistant GM had the guts to spread the word, even if it had to be done secretly. I haven't personally worked in any restaurants in Burlington, but I've heard that the waterfront restaurants there are amazing.
If you're interested, you should check out a site called ontariobest dot ca for more info. It's always nice to support places that prioritize cleanliness and good quality.
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