Evidently a lot of you Stormhorn readers are swan meat junkies. I had no idea, but judging by the continuing traffic to an article I posted back in February, 2010, I don’t know what else to conclude.
I wrote The Smart Shopper’s Guide to Swan Meat as a tongue-in-cheek means of processing my sticker shock after discovering that 1) you can purchase swan for consumption online, and 2) it’ll cost you a heckuva lot–no, make that an unbelievable lot–of money.
I don’t know what first inspired me to investigate this question of swan meat availability and pricing. It’s not like I’ve harbored a longstanding craving for the stuff, and after doing the pricing research, my impulse to purchase swan meat has, if anything, declined to the point of being impossible to detect by the most powerful microscope.
So I’m fascinated by the fact that one-and-a-half years after I wrote it, my quirky post on swan meat continues to draw a small but steady stream of readers. The article has nothing whatever to do with either jazz saxophone or storm chasing, which are the foci of this blog. Yet it’s one of the more popular pieces of writing I’ve ever done.
Which is why I’m resubmitting it for your consumption–that is to say, your edification. How edified you’ll actually be after reading it is questionable, but you’ll at least be in a better position to determine whether that massive hankering you’ve been feeling for blackneck swan is feasible in the light of your food budget. In any event, here, in case you missed it three paragraphs back, is the link to the original article.
I should mention that the pricing I had mentioned for 1-800-STEAKS remains accurate. However, while the link to the Exotic Meat Market still works, I no longer see swan meat among their impressive list of offerings. Given their pricing compared to the competition, swan was clearly a loss leader that outlived its usefulness.
Now, if you’ve got a few extra bucks to spend and would like to treat yourself to something that’s a step up from swannish pauper’s fare, you might consider adding Kobe beef to this week’s shopping cart.
As for me, hamburger sounds fine.
I wonder if Kobe beef really is superior to other beef or if it is greatly hyped because of the very limited amount of pasture land available in Japan? Either way, I could never see 8oz of beef bringing $599. Add $100 and I can get a whole beef processed and in the freezer. That will last us a whole year.
It’s just crazy. And did you notice that your $599 (generously discounted from $699) is only getting you 4 oz of filet mignon, not 8? FOUR OUNCES. Spend so much for so little, and for me, we’ve moved beyond the question of high prices into ethics.