Carnivore Emptor

More lying to customers. From the LA Times:

“Kobe beef, it seems, is everywhere these days…What gives? How did Kobe beef become so ubiquitous? Well, the short answer is: because it’s not really Kobe beef. In the old days, back before 2002, when you saw it on the menu, there was a good chance it was actually Kobe — the real deal, imported from Japan.

Today, what is commonly called Kobe beef is really all-American — it comes from American-grown cattle that are crosses of traditional U.S. breeds such as Black Angus and bulls brought from Japan before 2002, when the Department of Agriculture outlawed the importation of Japanese beef, after several incidents of mad cow disease there.

At best, calling this beef Kobe is a term of commercial convenience…At worst, it borders on an outright lie. Both a waitress at Sterling Steak House and Sterling’s chef Andrew Pastore claimed their porterhouse was the real thing, imported straight from Japan. When told that if this was true, it was completely illegal. Pastore adopted a Brooklyn wise-guy stance: “I let my suppliers worry about that.”

The next day his publicist clarified that what Pastore really meant was that the meat came from Japanese cows that had been brought to the U.S. to be slaughtered — which would also be illegal.”

Why does this happen? And why is it so rampant? Hugh Macleod calls this “the ignorance premium.” Hugh:

“With the Ignorance Premium, you’re paying extra for not knowing. Instead of micro knowledge, you’re basing your choice on the cooler, hipper macro Brand Metaphor. Branding is all about about being cool and hip, because branding is all about propping up the Ignorance Premium.”

Still want to pay $175.95 a pound for “Kobe” filet?

(hat tip: Dan Gillmor)