Or Pork, etc. Does anyone here go so far as to buy a whole animal at a time, have it "processed", then store it in your assigned "locker" at a butcher shop? I sure don't, but I know it's a sign of affluence and a source of pride out in the rural heartland. Big cuts of meat x 3 squares--it's what's fer dinner!
I've done that before, although I'm unfamiliar with the concept of storing it at a butcher shop. I think it's less a sign of affluence and more a sign of frugality through bulk purchasing as the per pound cost is greatly diminished.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
Well, see--if it costs less per pound, they can eat a whole lot more of it! So, they really don't "save". Kind of like buying an SUV that gets 15mpg, to replace the one you traded in, that only got 12mpg. Gas goes down 10 cents a gallon, and now you can afford to drive 30,000 miles a year, instead of only 20,000. May as well get some use out out of it, before you trade it, instead of just letting in sit there, rusting away! That kind of consumption, and a big stash of Lockered Meat is a great source of Pride in the Heartland, along with those extra-cost license plates that show you root for your favorite State U Football school. Trust Me on that one.
Have you surveyed people "in the Heartland" to get to this conclusion? Are you sure it's "pride" or "prepared"? If you are going to throw out these generalizations that you do...back it up. Having grown up in the Heartland, having been in a family who raised beef cattle among other things. It was called being prepared. Farming is tough and never ending. Knowing you have hamburger, roast, and steak in the freezer means your family will be fed through the winter months when there isn't income. Granted the "heartland" has changed a lot in the last 30 years, my hometown now has 12 restaurants instead of the 2 that were there when I was little. I never refuse the 1/4 beef my parents gift to me every year....and its great knowing our roasts come from grass fed beef instead of corn fed feed-lot beef. I'm headed to the farm this weekend for a much needed get away. I may just take a photo of next year's beef and stick it on my fridge. Ok, there it is....I am proud to know what field my next steak came from. I know what it took to get it to my freezer.
People are interested in where their food comes from. If someone wants to pay a little more to know how their beef was raised and they want to pay for locker storage when they don't have room for a large freezer. So what?
Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.
I need to consult with Yossarian--hopefully he will be able to direct me to a source of charts and graphs and statistics to support my generalizations. I guess I will call anyone on their opinion here, from now on, if they don't supply the verifiable data to support their statements. Also, does anyone know where I can buy a militant agri-activist bumper sticker: "Farmers--If you don't like 'em--don't complain about 'em with your mouth full!!" ? Maybe someone has an extra one they can sell me.
Well then the answer is easy. Let's distort the market and price all beef/pork/etc., at some outrageous figure, let's say $125 per pound. Would that be enough to make everyone affluent?Originally Posted by Packy
Edited to add: A chart or graph to support any response would be very much appreciated.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
Good lord.
I’ve never heard the term ‘lockered beef’ but we raise beef cattle, have them butchered and keep the meat in the freezer so I guess that would be ‘freezer beef’. It’s not an issue of pride or affluence (far from it) but a sign that I grew up on a farm, still farm and never gave it a thought, it’s the way of life I’ve always known. The affluence comment……growing up on a farm, watching my parents make ends meet milk check to milk check, butchering a cow (my father did the butchering) meant we had something to eat besides beans, corns, potatoes, etc. from the garden. Not the dictionary definition of affluence.
The economics of cows:
Speaking of beef and lockers, I wonder what the OP would think of the affluent (or wannabe affluents) who eat very high-end beef at Morton's Steak house (a chain) and who buy Morton's wines and then rent a little wine locker there at the restaurant for "their" wine bottles so that "their" bottles are always in residence when they come in.
I was shocked to see that one can throw money at this. But then, I found Morton's to be incredibly overpriced and silly.
The cow that my father-in-law raised is just as good as Morton's steaks. We store the quarters that we get in our own freezer, we don't pay outside fees for storage. It's economical but the main advantage is that quality is much higher than when buying cuts from the average grocery store.
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