As of May 2015, 96 Wagyu A5 steaks are in the Vancouver Foodbank’s network. Restaurants have donated all. The majority come from Tokyo Star in Richmond.
They have 178 more people on their waiting list.
The cows were born and raised in Japan.
Wagyu is a cow that was born and raised in Japan. Cows are raised on farms where they eat grass, hay, and grain to maintain health. This means that the meat has a higher concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids than other types of beef because it doesn’t have to be imported from abroad.
The meat is aged for 12 months.
The meat is aged for 12 months. This is done in a controlled temperature, humidity, and light environment.
The meat is shipped to Canada and then sent through the United States to its final destination.
The meat is shipped to Canada and then sent through the United States to its final destination. The beef is then placed in a refrigerated container, which may be frozen or partially frozen before being transported.
It’s sold at $110/pound or $16/lb for a “burger.”
The price is high because it’s a rare breed. It’s also good quality meat, and that’s why it costs so much.
The price is high because it’s a rare breed, so there are few of them around. If you want to buy one (or more), you can expect to pay more than $110/pound or even more than $16/lb for a burger!
Some people need to include the point. My entire point was to highlight how absurd it is that every time there is a discussion about kokujō in Japan, it starts wildly speculative by proclaiming the true meaning of kokujō and then going on to discuss whether or not the wagyu sold at Costco meets this criterion. I have done so here and here.
In short, I will repeat myself: nothing in Japanese culture has any meaning other than the one given by Japanese culture itself. Therefore, when someone tries to talk about Japanese culture in terms of factoids instead of through Japanese cultural references, they are doing so out of ignorance and with no motives other than causing frustration by demonstrating their complete lack of knowledge.
If you want to know what wagyu brisket tastes like, ask a person from Japan who grew up eating it or has had it before you got there but has since moved away and has not seen it for years. You will get an accurate answer on whether or not these beefburgers taste like the pure beef flavor or if they’re all “bullshit.”
If you want to know what genuine Japanese people think things such as kokujō mean, ask them! They’ll probably be more than happy to tell you that their understanding of kokujō is what they believe those words should mean within their context rather than some arbitrary definition across the globe.
