OT; Arfa's Burger Joint...

[Owain]

And Americans are squeamish about haggis and black pudding ...

Owain

[Owain]

Butchers' blocks are only used for raw meat. Any surface bacteriological contamination should be dealt with when the meat is subsequently cooked.

Owain

[David Paste]

You're quite right, and I shall accept my punishment gracefully!

[The Medway Handyman]

If God didn't want us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat?

[Tim Streater]

Well there is that. But I'll have more sympathy for vegetarians ("fusspots" in my book), the day that the following is possible: If such come to eat here, I'm supposed to provide non-meat fare. Well, how about I go to their house - can I expect to be provided with a nice lamb steak? After all, it's a requirement of my diet.

[Frank Erskine]

Non sequitur.

Is it really a _requirement_ of your diet that you eat lamb? That's exactly what you're saying...

[Tim Streater]

Oh come come come. You can do better than that. Answer the *substance* of my point.

[Frank Erskine]

I just did. _Think_ about it.

[Derek G.]

IIAC the Americans have something called Pennsylvania Scrabble. Which AIUI is made of minced guts a bit like haggis without the skin.

In fact I find ordinary chain hotel breakfasts quite gruesome including as they do such delights as "Shit on Shingle" and "Sausage gravy" which is the grease rendered out of a days sausages, thickened with cornflour to make a heavy greyish "white" sauce. You use it to soften your "biscuits".

Michel Roux eat your heart out.

Derek G

[Arfa Daily]

Yes, I completely understand that. I was just commenting back on your comments ... If you see what I mean ... ! :-)

Arfa

[Arfa Daily]

Yes, it all gets a bit complicated. Wife went to see a butcher who is a potential supplier for us, just today. His burgers are made from "100% Aberdeen Angus Beef", he says, so that may be what we finish up with. We've taken some samples from him to try.

Arfa

[The Natural Philosopher]

If he is not Aberdeen Angus bulls-hitting you, they are very fine burgers.

Serve on superior quality crusty rolls...none of yer sickly soft baps.

[S Viemeister]

Scrapple.

[Huge]

Or more relevantly, why did He provide us with canine teeth?

[Huge]

Scrapple.

And scrapple is rather nice. Much like Glasgow Slice.

"Sausage gravy" is one of the vilest things I've ever had the misfortune to put in my mouth.

[Arfa Daily]

He took her out the back to see them being made. They can do any size we want, so that's good, and she said that the place was very clean and 'professional'. It's only a small outfit in a large village / small town, so that's the sort of thing we are looking for - small enough to care and provide a traceable product of the quality and composition that we need, but big enough to be able to cope with demand, and not be out of the window on price. The actual boss wasn't there when they called in on spec yesterday, so unable to negotiate on price, but if the retail prices for the samples that they took are anything to go by, it looks promising for a wholesale price.

We haven't sourced the bun yet. I'm with you on a nice crusty one, but that is unfortunately not what the great unwashed have come to expect being wrapped around their burgers ... There are also issues with crusty ones staying fresh - even over a few hours of service - so I suspect that we will have to go down the seeded bap route. However, you are right that it matters. We think just as much as getting the actual burger right, so it is something that will be under investigation and trial over the next couple of weeks. We have plenty of local bakers, so again, if we can find one like the butcher, that may be the way to go.

Arfa

[Dave Liquorice]

"supposed to" you don't *have* to or is meat the *only* fare that you serve? No roasties, peas, carrots or any other non-meat food? I find that very hard to believe but that is what you are saying.

Strikes me like the lack of imagination regarding food that many "meat and two veg" eaters have.

A *requirement*? So you eat *only* lamb steak? *Nothing* else, that can't be healthy.

[Dave Liquorice]

mashed

Sourced with the same care and consideration as the meat versions? Remember that a vegetarian can eat all of your fare apart from the meat patties...

[John Williamson]

Not if they fry their chips the proper way, in dripping.

[chris French]

Being natural to do something doesn't mean it's unnatural not to.