Meat prices, was Re: [Sca-cooks] Marrow substitute

[Sue Clemenger]

Fish prices are expensive here because we're so far inland AND we're not 
anywhere near a major market or airport.
It's my understanding (and I could be wrong) that the beef prices are so 
high because of the restrictions against importing Canadian beef.
Maybe the hamburger is packaged in 1.25 lb boxes because of expected 
shrinkage??? Ours still comes in the 
around-a-pound-but-usually-a-little-less size, as well as chubs and 
family sizes.
Meat prices weren't something that my family thought about much, when I 
was growing up, because we had a LOT of wild game.  And once we had the 
farm, we also raised a few beef cattle, in addition to the chickens and 
such.
I've been starting to explore some meat-free or meat-reduced cuisines. 
I've only got the one, little cookbook on curries and Indian 
(sub-continent) food, and would love to get a good cookbook for it. 
Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd like to know how to make 
paneer, for instance, which my little book doesn't touch on, although it 
has interesting things like instructions for making coconut milk, and 
various fresh spice blends.  Mmmmmm.....
--maire, making herself hungry and it's not even breakfast time yet! ;o)

Laura C. Minnick wrote:

> That's pretty near to here- and there's really no excuse for the prices, 
> even of seafood. (And why is beef so high in MONTANA, or all places?) My 
> student Larry was over for a work night a few weeks back- I got the urge 
> to make soft tacos, and was horrified to find that all of the hamburger 
> (yes, except for the chub) was in neat little 1.25lb boxes- for $3.99! 
> That's ridiculous! For one thing, why 1.25lbs? It used to be in 1lb 
> packages, or in 'about' a pound packs. And $3.99 for that much? Where 
> not talking the extra low fat stuff either- I get the 15% fat, not to 10 
> or 7%. Maybe it's a good thing I'm not really eating much meat anymore- 
> when *hamburger* is that expensive... I can remember my mom yelling 
> about 79 cents a pound- there was some sort of boycott going on too. 
> '73? '74 maybe? I can remember where we were shopping then, and her 
> cornering the grocery manager. (Hmm... maybe I come by it honestly...) 
> We ate a LOT of hamburger then, so I suspect it hit her budget really hard.
> 
> I'm beginning to wonder what's left to eat!
> 
> 'Lainie