7 ms·

There was a post of the front-page of reddit a few days ago saying that most Americans are lied to about the fish they are buying in restaurants and supermarket

There was a post of the front-page of reddit a few days ago saying that most Americans are lied to about the fish they are buying in restaurants and supermarkets. I think it hilarious when people like me, urban dwellers, tell me to my face they only buy meat from some small butcher because they only trust him, or some variation of that story. Truth is, we have no idea where our food comes from, labels lie, and sellers have all the incentive to manipulate the truth.

hiddevb 5y ago
There is a simple solution to this: buy it local. It might solve all issues with the meat (how do they feed these animals, etc.) but you at least know where it comes from. I know it's not possible for everyone, but there is currently a big surge in local farm shops. I'm lucky enough to have a farming cooperative in my town where i can order weekly food from local farms and shops. I eat mostly vegetarian, but it's nice to have an option for some decent meat once in a while.
- cies 5y ago
  Local does prevent harm to animals. Local also does not change the metrics on how resource-intensive the product is (lentils are so much more env friendly than meat it's not the same league). > decent meat In my world that does not exist. "Decent" is just the level of harm/destruction that you're willing to accept.
roel_v 5y ago
"I think it hilarious when people like me, urban dwellers, tell me to my face they only buy meat from some small butcher because they only trust him, or some variation of that story." I bought half a pig some time ago; I have a copy of his (probably 'her'?) earmark here next to me on my desk. I get an invitation each year to go watch it when it goes out to pasture for the first time that year. I can choose to have the half delivered to me as a carcass, for me to do my own butchering, or I can choose to have it processed (and I can choose to give away the parts I'm not going to eat, like the blood sausage and the processed head, tails and ears (for which I don't know the English word - it's a grayish slab, often eaten on rye bread here in North-Western Europe; that is, when it's eaten at all, I don't know anyone under the age of 50 who eats it). Anyway, my point is - it's very much possible to know exactly where meat comes from with small farmers/butchers, even for urban dwellers, to the point that I looked the animal that I ate a part of last night in its eyes several times.
- Nursie 5y ago
  > for which I don't know the English word - it's a grayish slab, often eaten on rye bread here in North-Western Europe In British English, that would be "Head Cheese" or "Brawn", or at least head cheese is likely to be a similar product, made from the animal's head, that's the only thing I can think of. I've never eaten it and it's regarded as kinda gross. Now blood sausage, that can be tasty :)
  - nicolas_t 5y ago
    Fromage de tête in French, if you can get over the idea of it, it's well worth trying it. When it's well made with good quality ethically sourced meat (we used to do the same and buy a pig with neighbours and then process it), it's super tasty.
    - ASalazarMX 5y ago
      Oh, TIL! In Latin America we call that "queso de puerco" (literally "pork cheese"). Americans call it "head cheese". I've always avoided it because it didn't look like cheese, but like fatty ham.
  - roel_v 5y ago
    Yes that's it, after some Googling it turns out that the word I had in mind is a regional word and the 'official' word is the literal translation into Dutch of 'head cheese'.
- redis_mlc 5y ago
  There's a lot of virtue signalling on HN, but this takes the cake. Are we all supposed to walk around town with a pig carcass over our shoulder to be as woke as you?
k__ 5y ago
I don't know about the whole world. But in the small town I grew up, the butcher would buy live animals and kill them in the backyard. You could even come and watch and he would tell you where he bought it then go to the farmer and look at the animals.
- shlant 5y ago
  I think that's why the commenter qualified with "urban dwellers". Modern urban life abstracts away a lot of the realities of our industries.
inter_netuser 5y ago
Some butchers definitely have better meat, you can taste the difference, and the colour/texture of the flesh is notably different. Some are Mennonites and often you can even pick up the meat at their farm, if you are willing to make the drive. It was the same meat.

hiddevb 5y ago

There is a simple solution to this: buy it local. It might solve all issues with the meat (how do they feed these animals, etc.) but you at least know where it comes from. I know it's not possible for everyone, but there is currently a big surge in local farm shops. I'm lucky enough to have a farming cooperative in my town where i can order weekly food from local farms and shops. I eat mostly vegetarian, but it's nice to have an option for some decent meat once in a while.

cies 5y ago
Local does prevent harm to animals. Local also does not change the metrics on how resource-intensive the product is (lentils are so much more env friendly than meat it's not the same league). > decent meat In my world that does not exist. "Decent" is just the level of harm/destruction that you're willing to accept.

roel_v 5y ago

"I think it hilarious when people like me, urban dwellers, tell me to my face they only buy meat from some small butcher because they only trust him, or some variation of that story." I bought half a pig some time ago; I have a copy of his (probably 'her'?) earmark here next to me on my desk. I get an invitation each year to go watch it when it goes out to pasture for the first time that year. I can choose to have the half delivered to me as a carcass, for me to do my own butchering, or I can choose to have it processed (and I can choose to give away the parts I'm not going to eat, like the blood sausage and the processed head, tails and ears (for which I don't know the English word - it's a grayish slab, often eaten on rye bread here in North-Western Europe; that is, when it's eaten at all, I don't know anyone under the age of 50 who eats it). Anyway, my point is - it's very much possible to know exactly where meat comes from with small farmers/butchers, even for urban dwellers, to the point that I looked the animal that I ate a part of last night in its eyes several times.

Nursie 5y ago
> for which I don't know the English word - it's a grayish slab, often eaten on rye bread here in North-Western Europe In British English, that would be "Head Cheese" or "Brawn", or at least head cheese is likely to be a similar product, made from the animal's head, that's the only thing I can think of. I've never eaten it and it's regarded as kinda gross. Now blood sausage, that can be tasty :)
- nicolas_t 5y ago
  Fromage de tête in French, if you can get over the idea of it, it's well worth trying it. When it's well made with good quality ethically sourced meat (we used to do the same and buy a pig with neighbours and then process it), it's super tasty.
  - ASalazarMX 5y ago
    Oh, TIL! In Latin America we call that "queso de puerco" (literally "pork cheese"). Americans call it "head cheese". I've always avoided it because it didn't look like cheese, but like fatty ham.
- roel_v 5y ago
  Yes that's it, after some Googling it turns out that the word I had in mind is a regional word and the 'official' word is the literal translation into Dutch of 'head cheese'.
redis_mlc 5y ago
There's a lot of virtue signalling on HN, but this takes the cake. Are we all supposed to walk around town with a pig carcass over our shoulder to be as woke as you?

k__ 5y ago

I don't know about the whole world. But in the small town I grew up, the butcher would buy live animals and kill them in the backyard. You could even come and watch and he would tell you where he bought it then go to the farmer and look at the animals.

shlant 5y ago
I think that's why the commenter qualified with "urban dwellers". Modern urban life abstracts away a lot of the realities of our industries.

inter_netuser 5y ago

Some butchers definitely have better meat, you can taste the difference, and the colour/texture of the flesh is notably different. Some are Mennonites and often you can even pick up the meat at their farm, if you are willing to make the drive. It was the same meat.