Kobe Beef Persuasive Essay
Prof. Ryn Longmaid
College Writing
October 29, 2014
KOBE OR NOT KOBE
Red Angus. Hereford. Charolais. Longhorn. Black Angus. Wagyu. And the godfather of them all; Kobe beef. In haute cuisine these words immediately inspire a sense of awe, prestige, and luxury. Ironically enough, prior to 1868, Buddhism prohibited the Japanese people from eating any four-legged animals. At the beginning of 1868, the Japanese began a movement to become more “modern.” In their attempt to do this, the people of Japan began to mimic Western culture by changing their fashion and even their diets. Even so, beef was not very popular nor was it easily accessible until 1955. To see how this breed of cattle became one of the most prized and sought after culinary …show more content…
The cattle must be farm raised, and processed in the slaughterhouses in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan (Kortemon). The cattle must also be a steer or a virgin cow in order to purify the beef. The gross weight of beef from one animal cannot exceed 470 kg, or just over 1,036 lbs, and the meat has to earn a quality score of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Because these guidelines are incredibly stringent, there are only about 3,000 of these cattle every year. It is because of these guidelines that Kobe beef has maintained its reputation over the …show more content…
Kobe beef farmers hand feed their cattle high-energy rations and don't allow them regular exercise in order to produce high quality, extremely marbled meat. The cattle are also fed beer to stimulate their appetite because of the high-energy diet. The farmer also massages the cattle to evenly distribute the fat. Because of this, the meat has an immensely buttery texture that is completely different from American beef. Cuts of Kobe beef can cost $150 and up per pound, a true testament to the prestige of the Kobe breeds. So why is Kobe beef the standard in today’s cattle culture? It’s not because the beef are fed beer and massaged by their owners, it’s because real Kobe beef is produced under arguably the strictest legal food standards. Not only in Japan, but in the world. These guidelines, that are so closely followed and admired, are seen in the ten digit identification code stamped on each piece of meat. This stamp allows the restaurant owner or chef to trace the meat back to which particular cow it came from. Not a difficult task considering there are only 3000 certified head of Kobe beef cattle in the
College Writing
October 29, 2014
KOBE OR NOT KOBE
Red Angus. Hereford. Charolais. Longhorn. Black Angus. Wagyu. And the godfather of them all; Kobe beef. In haute cuisine these words immediately inspire a sense of awe, prestige, and luxury. Ironically enough, prior to 1868, Buddhism prohibited the Japanese people from eating any four-legged animals. At the beginning of 1868, the Japanese began a movement to become more “modern.” In their attempt to do this, the people of Japan began to mimic Western culture by changing their fashion and even their diets. Even so, beef was not very popular nor was it easily accessible until 1955. To see how this breed of cattle became one of the most prized and sought after culinary …show more content…
The cattle must be farm raised, and processed in the slaughterhouses in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan (Kortemon). The cattle must also be a steer or a virgin cow in order to purify the beef. The gross weight of beef from one animal cannot exceed 470 kg, or just over 1,036 lbs, and the meat has to earn a quality score of 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Because these guidelines are incredibly stringent, there are only about 3,000 of these cattle every year. It is because of these guidelines that Kobe beef has maintained its reputation over the …show more content…
Kobe beef farmers hand feed their cattle high-energy rations and don't allow them regular exercise in order to produce high quality, extremely marbled meat. The cattle are also fed beer to stimulate their appetite because of the high-energy diet. The farmer also massages the cattle to evenly distribute the fat. Because of this, the meat has an immensely buttery texture that is completely different from American beef. Cuts of Kobe beef can cost $150 and up per pound, a true testament to the prestige of the Kobe breeds. So why is Kobe beef the standard in today’s cattle culture? It’s not because the beef are fed beer and massaged by their owners, it’s because real Kobe beef is produced under arguably the strictest legal food standards. Not only in Japan, but in the world. These guidelines, that are so closely followed and admired, are seen in the ten digit identification code stamped on each piece of meat. This stamp allows the restaurant owner or chef to trace the meat back to which particular cow it came from. Not a difficult task considering there are only 3000 certified head of Kobe beef cattle in the