Randomness XIII: Cognitive Dissonance While You Wait

[Cyradis]

11 minutes ago, Glitterwolf said:

 

We also have lots of fish although I hate seafood.

 

Turkey and Goose and so on are also available.

Goat is possible, but needs to be ordered.

 

We have lot of different cultures within our borders, bringing many good recipes..

 

Around here we have a bunch of different cultures' foods, but they often simplify the dishes down to have more American-accepted meats. I know there is a restaurant in Denver specializing in game meats, and I think there is one grocery somewhere in Denver for game and other oddities (like ostrich and alligator). However, the prices are nearly prohibitive. 

[Green Eyed Monster]

5 minutes ago, pcktlnt said:

@Glitterwolf Those are some amazing choices of game meat. Wish those were available this area. Is there a difference between rabbit and hare? I have had the rabbit, but not the hare.

 

In my area, you can pick up the following (that's not the big 3): turkey, goat, lamb, and quail (yay state bird).

The ones you can order: rabbit, elk, venison, boar, buffalo, ostrich, and bison (I think it was bison).

I don't know any places around here that sell reptiles.

 

If it's the North Americn variety, Bison and Buffalo are the same animal.

Whichever name it is called by it is flavorful and actually more healthful than an equal size portion of beef. It is becoming easier to procure as the more peole who try it and find it delicious the greater the demand and the more incentive for it to be raised for commercial purposes.  Some restaurants are actually featuring it on their menus on a regular basis, particularly those who specialize in steaks and ribs served in a Roadhouse atmosphere.

Currently, the majority of the meat that is coming to market is from those animals culled from herds in such places as Yellowstone or Custer State Park in Wyoming, both of which have carefully managed herds that are not allowed to grow so large as to overgraze the available range, which would lead to a degradation f the overall health of the herd.

GEM

[Glitterwolf]

1 hour ago, pcktlnt said:

@Glitterwolf Those are some amazing choices of game meat. Wish those were available this area. Is there a difference between rabbit and hare? I have had the rabbit, but not the hare.

 

In my area, you can pick up the following (that's not the big 3): turkey, goat, lamb, and quail (yay state bird).

The ones you can order: rabbit, elk, venison, boar, buffalo, ostrich, and bison (I think it was bison).

I don't know any places around here that sell reptiles.

 

 

A Rabbit is not a Hare.

 

https://www.diffen.com/difference/Hare_vs_Rabbit

 

Meatwise, in our stores Rabbit is tame...so not really game meat.

A hare is a wild animal and taste like game meat.

Edited December 25, 2017 by Glitterwolf

[Unruly]

1 hour ago, kitchen_wolf said:

Then it's back to the entirely serious great big comedy poopy-scoop.

 

Nah, there's no poop scoop needed. Hippos helicopter their tails to chop it up and fling it EVERYWHERE as it comes out. It's their way of marking territory. To spew poop onto every surface in a 20ft radius.

 

So no scoop. Just a big mop and bucket...

 

59 minutes ago, Cyradis said:

 

Around here we have a bunch of different cultures' foods, but they often simplify the dishes down to have more American-accepted meats. I know there is a restaurant in Denver specializing in game meats, and I think there is one grocery somewhere in Denver for game and other oddities (like ostrich and alligator). However, the prices are nearly prohibitive. 

 

I hate that about food in America. We have a giant mesh of cultures, but outside of select areas it becomes very hard to find the ingredients for their food or even to find it authentically prepared in restaurants. For instance, in Chinese food, kung pao chicken is supposed to be made with Sichuan peppercorns. They're a primary part of the dish because of their numbing effect. You won't find it in most American versions though. Most American versions bear only passing resemblance to the real deal, from what I've gathered.

 

A lot of it comes from lack of ingredient availability, like how I can't just buy daikon radish, lotus root, and kamoboko without driving to Pittsburgh and going to an Asian specialty store. That's the original reason for most Americanized recipes. But a lot of it also comes from people not wanting to try new things. They'll just see that a recipe calls for an ingredient they've never heard of and they'll go "Nope, not trying that."

 

56 minutes ago, Green Eyed Monster said:

If it's the North Americn variety, Bison and Buffalo are the same animal.

Whichever name it is called by it is flavorful and actually more healthful than an equal size portion of beef. It is becoming easier to procure as the more peole who try it and find it delicious the greater the demand and the more incentive for it to be raised for commercial purposes.  Some restaurants are actually featuring it on their menus on a regular basis, particularly those who specialize in steaks and ribs served in a Roadhouse atmosphere.

Currently, the majority of the meat that is coming to market is from those animals culled from herds in such places as Yellowstone or Custer State Park in Wyoming, both of which have carefully managed herds that are not allowed to grow so large as to overgraze the available range, which would lead to a degradation f the overall health of the herd.

GEM

 

While it's possible to get buffalo, you have to be on the lookout for beefalo as well. Beefalo is hybrid buffalo-cow, and was bred for marketability. It's a bit cheaper than straight buffalo is. Also, much of the buffalo meat comes from Canada, where they have sizable herds these days.

[Glitterwolf]

A few shops sell Bison Meat here during the season.

I have tasted it, it does taste good, but I wonder if it is wild or bred...

[Morihalda]

Happy Wintersday Day 5 and Merry Christmas, friends!  I hope y'all have had a good weekend.

 

I get all the Die Hard references now, whoo!

Edited December 26, 2017 by Morihalda

[knarthex]

Because....

 

Randomness....

 

[Marvin]

A proper merry Christmas to you all.

 

I've eaten more reasonably than at any Christmastime ever, and I still feel like I might die.

 

 

 

And my wife's sick and may not be able to fly tomorrow. Total hissy fit pending.

[Froggy the Great]

Family Christmas accomplished Friday.  

To the In-laws Saturday.

Sunday and Monday decent, kid on defcon 1 for neediness.

Tomorrow more relatives come.

Wednesday Actual Family Christmas.

 

I am SO VERY DONE with people asking me to do things get things help things come wrestle your son before he ramps up and destroys things...

[redambrosia]

Hubby is making whipped cream for the pie. We're behind on cooking though, because we both have colds. But it's been a pretty good Christmas.

[Marvin]

Aaaaaaaaaaand flight canceled. Worst Christmas ever.

[Green Eyed Monster]

4 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

A few shops sell Bison Meat here during the season.

I have tasted it, it does taste good, but I wonder if it is wild or bred...

In the strictest useage of the word there isn't any "wild" Bison to be had as the last of the non-managed herds was killed off in the late 1800s. 

It is only through the efforts of a few conservation minded individuls that any stock was preserved.  Even the large "wild" herds such as those in the aforementioned Yellowstone and Custer State Parks are carefully watched over, rounded up every year, examined, and the fittest animals retained.  Those that don't "make the cut" will either go through an auction process or be turned over to Native Americn Tribes.

The Bison require a large range for each animal to graze, typically anywhere from 2 to 10 acres or more, depending on the quality of the graze.  With herds now stabilized at circa 4000 animals each in Yellowstone and Custer State Park, that is a lot of open range required to maintain these herd sizes.   The people managing these herds have a big job, but thanks to their dediction and careful management there is no danger of the species aproaching extinction as it did due to the deliberate efforts in the later 1800s to exterminate them as a food source for Native American Tribes.

The ones that go to the Native American Tribes will be slaughtered and used in the culturally traditional fashion. Those going to Non-Native Americans will either be used to build up commercial herds or enter the process for meat production.

An interesting thing about Bison is that they must be killed in such a fashion as not to cause any stress upon the animal or the stress hormones will give the meat a different and lesser quality flavor.  This means that all the slaughter must be done in the most humane fashion possible, both for the concern about the animal and to maintain the quality of the meat.

I personally have eaten both Bison and Beefalo.  I much prefer the Bison over the cross breed meat, but if given the choice between equal cuts of beefalo or beef I will choose the beefalo unless it is a USDA Certified Prime Cut of the beef [only about 2% of all US Beef Production will grade as Prime]. 

GEM

[Sylverthorne]

*burp*

Roast.. bread rolls .. .dinner was a success.

 

[Dai-Mongar]

9 hours ago, Cyradis said:

 

Around here we have a bunch of different cultures' foods, but they often simplify the dishes down to have more American-accepted meats. I know there is a restaurant in Denver specializing in game meats, and I think there is one grocery somewhere in Denver for game and other oddities (like ostrich and alligator). However, the prices are nearly prohibitive. 

 

Is that restaurant the Buckhorn Exchange? I went there with my cousin and her family a couple of years ago. Bison, elk, rattlesnake and the like on the menu.

Funny thing, I seem to recall her husband telling me that their supply of elk comes from here in NZ. Go figure.

[Cyradis]

4 minutes ago, Dai-Mongar said:

 

Is that restaurant the Buckhorn Exchange? I went there with my cousin and her family a couple of years ago. Bison, elk, rattlesnake and the like on the menu.

Funny thing, I seem to recall her husband telling me that their supply of elk comes from here in NZ. Go figure.

 

That name sounds familiar. I've looked it up at some point, but not been there. On a to-go list for some sort of special occasion with Sir Cyr. Odd about the elk. We have elk up in CO that people hunt. Sir Cyr's family in Wyoming snags an elk and/or deer each year and gets it butchered, then they pop it in their enormous freezer and distribute to family. No reason to seek exotic elk here.