pjbooks Chapter 67: [There are no heroes, only sinners]
Chapter 67: [There are no heroes, only sinners]
"It's written here: 'Original cut' refers to chunks of meat that are directly cut from the cow, without any trimming or trimming, and the meat is still connected to the tendons."
A man in a black vest turned to the person next to him and said, "Doesn't it look like the beef shank we buy at the morning market? That should be considered a whole-cut steak, right?"
The young man with glasses pushed up his lenses, his tone tinged with confusion: "So tell me, which one is better?"
"There's no right or wrong answer, it all depends on your taste. According to what's written here, if you want something flavorful and tender, buy the pre-cooked kind," someone casually replied from the side. "If you want to taste the original flavor of the beef, then you have to get the whole cut."
"The boss really dares to write that. Look, it even says here: 'Beware of duck meat mixed with pork scraps, flavorings, and colorings pressed into "fake steak."'"
"And this is water-injected beef that, after thawing, oozes a lot of pale red or cloudy blood into the dish."
"Yeah, you have to check for freshness when buying vegetables. If the meat is dark in color, has a rancid smell, or the packaging is leaking ice crystals, you can't bring it home no matter how cheap it is..."
The GG tag not only contains basic steak facts, but also various ways to avoid steak pitfalls.
These days, news reports today expose the use of rat and duck meat to make lamb skewers, tomorrow it says pigs are raised on clenbuterol, and there's also gutter oil, additives, milk powder...
The interplay of truth and falsehood has long since worn down the public's nerves, making them both sensitive and weary.
"Boss, you really dare to write that!" someone shouted, turning to Liu Zhuohao. "Aren't you afraid that after seeing this, we'll have second thoughts and won't dare to eat it?"
"That's not as important as food safety. I have a camera right above me filming, so I definitely have to make sure everyone can eat with peace of mind..." Liu Zhuohao didn't dare to lift his head, and unconsciously wiped the same clean area of the food cart with the rag in his hand.
These words had already slipped out of his mouth.
This thought had been running through his mind a thousand times ever since he decided to pursue a career in the food and beverage industry again.
He has to make everyone see his "cleanliness," even if it means exposing some of the industry's unsavory aspects to the light of day.
One wrong step and his reputation will collapse, and the foresight he has gained over the past decade will vanish in an instant.
Liu Zhuohao could not allow these things to happen.
The sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he could almost hear that many people had stepped out of the queue after seeing the display board.
Time was stretched and crushed amidst the clamor of discussion.
finally--
"Boss!"
A voice pierced through the surrounding noise, asking clearly:
"When will this new menu item be available? I'd love to try the original cut steak!"
"Yeah, why isn't the date written on the display board?"
"Will the video only come out after you finish filming the Australian lobster... oh no, I mean the Australian beef?"
"The Australian beef you're going to film next, is it 'original cut steak'?"
Several questions were posed in quick succession, the tone devoid of doubt, only filled with curiosity and anticipation.
hum-
Liu Zhuohao felt the tension in his mind suddenly ease.
He stopped wiping the nearly torn rag in his hand, looked up, and addressed the diner who had asked the question.
Indeed, some people have left.
But many more people chose to stay put.
The dim lights of the night market reflected a sense of relief in his eyes.
Liu Zhuohao's lips slowly curved into a smile, a smile that was more genuine and more confident than the one he had shown in the previous photo.
"right."
His voice wasn't loud.
"That's it."
"It will be available as a new menu item soon."
Neither the diners around them nor Huang Weixiong and Li Zekai, who were wiping down the tables and chairs, knew the pressure they had been under in those few short minutes.
It is the courage to expose a wound and ruthlessly cut away the rotten flesh, even knowing that it may lead to sudden death from infection.
"Boss, what's this carrageenan? It's not glue, is it?" someone else asked, crowding around.
Liu Zhuohao's smile hadn't faded as he calmly replied, "Don't worry, it's not glue. Just think of it as something like salt or MSG; it's used to lock in the moisture in the meat. By the way, they use this abroad too."
He said it so naturally.
Even though Liu Zhuohao is well aware of the actual situation abroad after returning from 25 years ago—horse meat being passed off as beef, peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella, milk powder testing positive for Bacillus cereus…
But now it's 14, and that's what the public opinion in China believes.
Especially after the milk powder scandal, many people hailed Fonterra as a righteous figure exposing a traditional workshop.
However, if someone patiently goes through the case files and online notices instead of just reading the news reports, they will see a different picture.
Like Sanlu, Fonterra was aware of the situation long ago, and Fonterra even provided Sanlu with the EU's "content reference standards".
It was never a hero; it was one criminal reporting another criminal.
Both of them should have died, but only one of them died.
Another person, thanks to media hype and reporting, was transformed into a hero.
Does anyone still talk about this now, 14 years later? Yes, there are posts about it on Tianya. After Liu Zhuohao returned, he even searched for some related content.
But it didn't generate much buzz.
Individuals cannot influence the established public opinion.
When others see the post, they might even make sarcastic remarks like, "Then drink more," or "Still trying to whitewash it."
It's hard to imagine why someone would interpret a post this way. It's clearly about two criminals versus one criminal, yet they managed to twist it into "whitewashing" to confuse the issue.
Following this incident, many people, when able to afford it, tried to buy milk powder from abroad at high prices, with New Zealand dairy companies dominating a large share of the domestic market.
Imported food is better, and this has become the prevailing opinion.
This is something that is difficult to explain in words.
A participant, a sinner, was hailed as a hero, and his products enjoyed high sales in the country.
It wasn't until 25 years later, with the combined efforts of many "individuals," that things began to turn around to some extent, and more people were willing to spend time to understand the details of the matter.
But that's in the future, now—
The phrase "It's used abroad too" is the most reassuring thing for people!
"If you really want to understand these things, don't go to those websites that make things up."
"Rely on announcements from our National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, or consult materials from food science departments of renowned universities; that's the only reliable way."
Liu Zhuohao paused, then added helplessly, "If you have a basic understanding of English, you can check the World Health Organization's website."
"That is the WHO, an international organization composed of various countries, dedicated to promoting global public health and well-being."
That's a clever statement, but those who can easily bypass the Great Firewall to access WHO reports and eat raw meat probably wouldn't be crowding around a night market stall at this hour.
This single sentence, which mixes the words "world," "various countries," and "global," made many hesitant people no longer hesitate.
"Boss, the new menu must be much more expensive, right?" Another person was more concerned about affordability.
"The cost of the original cut is high..." Liu Zhuohao nodded, but then lightly changed the subject, "But to thank everyone for their continued support, we will definitely prepare affordable set meals that will not disappoint you."
"Boss, so does that mean we can use the method you wrote here to identify those fake beef products made from chicken and duck that are actually sold in the market?" someone else asked.
"That makes sense," Liu Zhuohao laughed. "However, most locals can tell the difference without even looking at the brand. After all, Chaoshan beef doesn't taste right after half a day, so there's no need to make it that complicated."
"Of course!" an uncle chimed in, his voice brimming with the confidence of a seasoned local. "If the beef I buy in the morning is left until evening, the freshness will dissipate, and it won't impress my taste buds anymore."
As night deepened, the oil on the iron plate crackled softly.
Liu Zhuohao turned around and gripped the shovel, which was warm from the smoke, again, filling the hole he had left earlier with a shovelful of soil.