Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
We’ve reported more than once that when you see Wagyu or Kobe beef on a menu, it’s not real. It’s a fugazi. You’re eating nice meat, but it’s not Wagyu or Kobe but this is going to confuse things. The real meat will be imported soon, but it’s going to cost. So far, only two restaurant in San Francisco will get the meat. “The overall production is small due to the restricted number of farmers and slaughterhouses designated to handle the cows. Only around 3,000 cows are sent to market each year, which translates to about 700-800 tons.” (WSJ – Kobe beef)
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No one has cared that the Wagyu or Kobe beef they’ve been eating at Black Angus is really some bootleg beef from happy cows elsewhere, that isn’t Japan. But guess what? Japan beef imports will be lifted and now you can get more confused. Who’s to know which is the real Wagyu beef or the fake bootleg beef? Now the lines will be blurred. “I think it’s from Japan” will now be the answer to the “is it real?” questions. But really, will it be really from Japan and will anyone care? Probably not and it’ll still say Wagyu or Kobe when it’s just grocery store quality. As long as the beer is flowing, of course it’s “imported”.
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Mad Cow is back. Yeah the meat looks red and good and there are plenty of beef farms everywhere in the US. Some Koreans chains are halting the US beef. “South Korea is the world’s fourth-largest importer of U.S. beef, buying 107,000 tons of the meat worth $563 million in 2011″ The benefits, or the results of eating Mad Cow tainted beef? You get a brain disease! The article makes mention that it takes 40-50 days to ship beef overseas. That’s crazy too. (WTSP – Mad Cow Beef)
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Yes, you’ve had the fake. Admit it. Kobe Beef is only from Hyogo Prefecture where it’s trademarked and not exported (except Macau). Since the trademark isn’t applicable to the US according to the recent Forbes article, the beef you’ve been having here is not really Kobe beef. It’s as similar to the real Kobe beef as Kobe of the Lakers. (Forbes – Kobe Scam) Also see Larry Olmstead’s follow up on Wagyu Beef.
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This looks and reads amazing. Kobe Beef isn’t what you think it is since of late, there is Kobe beef on menus in the US. Is the beef imported from Hyogo Prefecture? I doubt it. Is it one of the 3000 heads of cattle that qualifies as Kobe Beef, no. Is it a burger? Yes, I’ve seen Kobe Beef burgers. No. According to Japan Today, Kobe Beef has limits. Here’s their quote: “To obtain Kobe certification, the cows must be born, raised and slaughtered in Hyogo Prefecture, and the meat is never exported. Only around 3,000 heads qualify as Kobe grade annually, with each animal yielding about 400 kilos of beef.” So what are we seeing on menus that say Kobe Beef? Although it’s not the great news source, Wikipedia does have a part of the entry labelled “Kobe Style Beef” and although that’s something we don’t see on menus as often as “Kobe Beef” now we know that “Kona Style Coffee” isn’t Kona Coffee. (Japan Today – Kobe Beef)
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