Phred > wrote:

> Hmm... If you really "get what you pay for" then this part of the
> world clearly sees some cuts of beef (especially beef) as better
> quality than others.

The price is usually determined by supply and demand, not necessarily by
taste. As to supply, there is much less meat suitable for steaks on the
cow than for other cooking methods. As to demand, obviously, good
steaks are popular because of their taste, but also because they are
much easier to cook than most other cuts of meat, requiring only a few
minutes of cooking and no prep work. Demand may be determined by
convenience as much as by taste considerations, often even more so.

Now consider, for example, a good stewed or good barbecued (in the
southern-US sense of the word) meat. These methods of preparation
require tough cuts of meat totally unsuitable for a steak and usually
costing rather less than most steak cuts. Are these dishes inferior to
a good steak? I would say they are not. Some prefer the one, some the
other, some like both equally well and it may just depend on the mood of
the moment. There is nothing inherently bad in a tough cuts of meat, on
the contrary, such cuts are often enough more flavourful.

> Actually, one of my favourite breakfasts is liver and bacon -- but I'm
> buggered if I can make it properly. :-( [In truth, I don't think
> *anyone* can make it properly since the days of steam on Queensland
> Rail. Don't know how they did it, but the delight (the *only*
> delight of travelling by rail for two days down the coast of
> Queensland covered in soot, was the dinning car breaky of liver and
> bacon served at one point of the trip. I'm drooling with the memory!

Sounds good. Was the liver just pan-fried? Myself, I like Jewish-style
chopped liver (which is best made with meat grinder/mincer). I also
like the Spanish preparation of chicken liver fried with onions, garlic
and white wine. Also chicken liver crostini.

> As an early teenager who spent most of every school holidays in the
> local creeks and streams spearfishing (now banned of course) I once
> speared a "giant" eel -- weighed in at about 10 lbs and was probably
> about 30" long. I could only see the head initially, and thought it
> was a fish of some sort, so I got a hell of a fright when the bloody
> thing fairly "exploded" out of the snag! Mate and I cycled around
> town for an hour or more trying to offload the damn thing. We
> eventually succeeded when we called on one of the "ethnics" from
> southern Italy.

Your loss! :-) Should've just grilled or pan-fried like the Italians
do. Such a big eel must be skinned, as the skin is much too tough to be
edible. Cut in pieces and fry in oil, or dip the pieces in beaten eggs
and roll in breadcrumbs (which are often enough mixed with grated
cheese, as this is one of those traditional Italian preparation that
disproves the old rule of no cheese with fish). Or you can thread the
eel pieces on skewers and grill them.

> Had a look around our local supermarkets this morning to see if your
> "Matjes" had made it this far from home.

If it is available, it likely to be at a specialised fish monger's and
then maybe only in such big cities as Sydney or Melbourne. However,
here is a menu of a restaurant somewhere in Western Australia. They
offer matjes, so it must be available somewhere.
<http://members.ozemail.com.au/~thelily/Restaurant/Menu.htm>

> But all I could find were
> bottles of "marinated herring"; and something called "Rollmops" which,
> I'm led to believe by a mate with most catholic tastes, are inedible!

Personally, I heartily agree with your mate, as I can't stand fish
marinated in vinegar, but a lot of people like it. Anyway, rollmops is
a very different thing. The bulk of good matjes is sold just like fresh
fish either whole, right out of the barrel, or filleted, not prepackaged
usually. It has to be refrigerated. Matjes can also be sold frozen.
Matjes packed in oil or brine is available, it is said, but it doesn't
seem to be at all popular either in Holland or in Germany.

Victor