3 ms·

This is why I was so impressed with the roadside sellers of live chickens I saw in Pune. In a place where the climate is unfavorable to the freshness of meat,

by biztos 9y ago

This is why I was so impressed with the roadside sellers of live chickens I saw in Pune. In a place where the climate is unfavorable to the freshness of meat, and (just like in the USA) the big producers have strong incentives to sell you crap, how do you know the animal you're going to eat is healthy? Observe it alive! Probably not a foolproof method, but better than you're getting at Whole Foods.

thevardanian 9y ago
Is it really better than WholeFoods though?
- biztos 9y ago
  I'm not sure but my intuition says yes: ideally it should work like a farmer's market, where the individual seller is strongly invested in not cheating you. So you have that, plus whatever level of knowledge you have about chickens (probably pretty extensive if you buy them live all the time). And the freshness, specifically, is guaranteed. With Whole Foods you have whatever trust you want to put in Amazon not over-squeezing the margins on the chicken-supply chain, plus the warm fuzzy "I can afford Whole Foods" feeling. In aggregate I think food regulations work pretty well in the US but I think the people I saw buying those chickens were making more informed choices than I would even at a Whole Foods or equivalent "Big Organic" outfit.
  - Libturd 9y ago
    amazon? WF has been selling bell and evan's air chilled chicken for many, many years. you have literally no idea what you're talking about, kiddo.
reaperducer 9y ago
Alive != healthy, sanitary, or suitable for consumption.
- vickychijwani 9y ago
  Yes, but GP never claimed they're equal - instead the claim is that seeing the animal alive and talking to its seller to get more info is a better proxy to judge those things you listed (healthy, sanitary) than Whole Foods' endorsement is, the reliability of which over time depends strongly on their financial status, management ethics and a number of other variables outside your control. The Whole Foods approach is definitely more convenient for the buyer, at the cost of assurance. Also, it's going to be a lot more difficult for a street-side vendor to cheat you compared to a behemoth like Whole Foods with deep pockets, the latest and greatest preservatives etc at its disposal to make meat look healthy, and a large, existing customer base that implicitly trusts its products.
razakel 9y ago
>This is why I was so impressed with the roadside sellers of live chickens I saw in Pune. IIRC the general advice when buying meat in less-developed countries, especially if you look touristy, is to make sure you see it killed in front of you.

by biztos 9y ago

thevardanian 9y ago

Is it really better than WholeFoods though?

biztos 9y ago
I'm not sure but my intuition says yes: ideally it should work like a farmer's market, where the individual seller is strongly invested in not cheating you. So you have that, plus whatever level of knowledge you have about chickens (probably pretty extensive if you buy them live all the time). And the freshness, specifically, is guaranteed. With Whole Foods you have whatever trust you want to put in Amazon not over-squeezing the margins on the chicken-supply chain, plus the warm fuzzy "I can afford Whole Foods" feeling. In aggregate I think food regulations work pretty well in the US but I think the people I saw buying those chickens were making more informed choices than I would even at a Whole Foods or equivalent "Big Organic" outfit.
- Libturd 9y ago
  amazon? WF has been selling bell and evan's air chilled chicken for many, many years. you have literally no idea what you're talking about, kiddo.

reaperducer 9y ago

Alive != healthy, sanitary, or suitable for consumption.

vickychijwani 9y ago
Yes, but GP never claimed they're equal - instead the claim is that seeing the animal alive and talking to its seller to get more info is a better proxy to judge those things you listed (healthy, sanitary) than Whole Foods' endorsement is, the reliability of which over time depends strongly on their financial status, management ethics and a number of other variables outside your control. The Whole Foods approach is definitely more convenient for the buyer, at the cost of assurance. Also, it's going to be a lot more difficult for a street-side vendor to cheat you compared to a behemoth like Whole Foods with deep pockets, the latest and greatest preservatives etc at its disposal to make meat look healthy, and a large, existing customer base that implicitly trusts its products.

razakel 9y ago

>This is why I was so impressed with the roadside sellers of live chickens I saw in Pune. IIRC the general advice when buying meat in less-developed countries, especially if you look touristy, is to make sure you see it killed in front of you.