I'm very well aware of this. Your guys had decent depth, but also had a pretty damn good system in place (finally) that gave your CBs leverage (multiple fast pass rushers).

Originally Posted by: Formo 

A couple points:
1. Expensive liquor. I can't speak for $400 bottles and what they might offer. I can say that there can be a major difference between:
a. Gin that goes over $50/bottle (e.g. Old Raj 55%) and that which goes under.
b. Cognac/Armagnac that goes over $75/bottle (e.g., Martell Cordon Bleu) and that which goes under.
c. Whisky (the single-malt Scots kind, no "e") that goes over $100 instead of under it.
d. Port (okay, technically not liquor) that goes over $150 (e.g.,Grahams 40 year tawny) and that which doesn't.

2. Food.
a. I think people are operating under the belief that "buying protein online" gets you nothing more than "Omaha steak" quality. That simply isn't the case. If you know where to look (and are willing to make some expensive mistakes along the way), the high-end options are in fact more than a "step above". Fresh OR frozen sometimes.
b. I've never had a Wagyu steak. (And I expect I'll never have true Japanese Kobe.) I'm guessing, however, that not just the $120/lb Wagyu ribeye that Lobel's sells, but the $40/lb dry-aged one (both of which are going to be delivered fresh, never frozen, by the way) are going to be a far different taste than any steak most of us have access to in our grocery stores and butcher shops.
c. I've paid bucks for Secreto Iberico de Bellotta (a fancy Portuguese name for a special cut of pork skirt steak of all things). Ad claim is that they are uniquely acorn-fed. I don't know if that's it or what. I do know that, even in Iowa, it's going to take me substantial work to find that cut. I also found the taste of that pork something that I've never had in Iowa, and it isn't all my marinade. (Slayer -- Secreto is the "teriyaki" flavored one from Rourke's brunch).
d. I've bought tuna that was in the ocean on thursday and in my tummy on friday. The only better tuna I've had was at a sushi bar in Chicago.

Whether this makes me more cultured or not, I won't say. Whether this makes me an effete whatchamacallit or some other lack of essential sanity, I won't say either.

But for me, its an occasionally indulged (maybe 2-3 times a year) hobby that I enjoy.

And, while there is no doubt that such food is extravagant and over-the-top, I'm betting that as hobbies go, it's one that probably is cheaper than a lot of more "manly" hobbies involving big toys and/or trips to expensive sports fora.

Wade wrote:

A couple points:
1. Expensive liquor. I can't speak for $400 bottles and what they might offer. I can say that there can be a major difference between:
a. Gin that goes over $50/bottle (e.g. Old Raj 55%) and that which goes under.
b. Cognac/Armagnac that goes over $75/bottle (e.g., Martell Cordon Bleu) and that which goes under.
c. Whisky (the single-malt Scots kind, no "e") that goes over $100 instead of under it.
d. Port (okay, technically not liquor) that goes over $150 (e.g.,Grahams 40 year tawny) and that which doesn't.

Originally Posted by: Wade 

2. Food.
a. I think people are operating under the belief that "buying protein online" gets you nothing more than "Omaha steak" quality. That simply isn't the case. If you know where to look (and are willing to make some expensive mistakes along the way), the high-end options are in fact more than a "step above". Fresh OR frozen sometimes.
b. I've never had a Wagyu steak. (And I expect I'll never have true Japanese Kobe.) I'm guessing, however, that not just the $120/lb Wagyu ribeye that Lobel's sells, but the $40/lb dry-aged one (both of which are going to be delivered fresh, never frozen, by the way) are going to be a far different taste than any steak most of us have access to in our grocery stores and butcher shops.
c. I've paid bucks for Secreto Iberico de Bellotta (a fancy Portuguese name for a special cut of pork skirt steak of all things). Ad claim is that they are uniquely acorn-fed. I don't know if that's it or what. I do know that, even in Iowa, it's going to take me substantial work to find that cut. I also found the taste of that pork something that I've never had in Iowa, and it isn't all my marinade. (Slayer -- Secreto is the "teriyaki" flavored one from Rourke's brunch).
d. I've bought tuna that was in the ocean on thursday and in my tummy on friday. The only better tuna I've had was at a sushi bar in Chicago.

Whether this makes me more cultured or not, I won't say. Whether this makes me an effete whatchamacallit or some other lack of essential sanity, I won't say either.

But for me, its an occasionally indulged (maybe 2-3 times a year) hobby that I enjoy.

And, while there is no doubt that such food is extravagant and over-the-top, I'm betting that as hobbies go, it's one that probably is cheaper than a lot of more "manly" hobbies involving big toys and/or trips to expensive sports fora.

Originally Posted by: Wade 

Breaking this into two segments.. because honestly they are two completely different topics and worlds in my mind.

I don't consider 50 - 100 dollars a bottle to be out of the question or even norm for a good bottle of spirits in today's market. I guess I should have expanded my definition of "top shelf" and the fairer priced variety. Not the knock off walmart type selection.

Example.. a close friend only drinks Dewar's.. and I have no clue what is goes for today but I know it was considerably more than the Johnny Walker black label I would stock for myself. My choice of Absolut was all the more that I needed than some bottle of Kauffman.

My point.. side by side.. one didn't need to spend top dollar to enjoy a fine spirit. IMO, and I have tried both on many occasion, there just isn't much difference in overall taste and enjoyment. Well I enjoyed drinking out of his expensive bottle just to scrooge off him. :)





Beef, Vension, and to a degree pork taste has a ton to do with their environment and diet. One can raise a pastured beef a heck of a lot cheaper than corn and soybean feed, but there is a noticeable difference in meat quality and taste. Their lies another reason to raise and process your own.. you make some of those choices and help determine the quality. Choice of breed of steer plays another part.

I cannot speak to the taste of some of the brands in which you speak, unless Ruth Chris, Bern's (Tampa), Gibson's (Chicago), Mo's (Milwaukee) or Kurt's (Delafield) served it on the menu and I failed to notice. But eating a prepared steak again is another topic over grilling it your own. Maybe someday I will splurge just to compare.

Now.. once you have it raised, choice of either butcher shops or how you cut the beef play another large part. But that is widely known and documented.. if you are paying premium dollar the cuts better be correct.

Now comes in the part that I enjoy and honestly plays a large part into preparing a steak. Seasoning and marinating the steak properly. Most do this in the thawing process or post thaw.. some of my best work has been when I have rubbed and soaked the steak prior to freezing,shortening the shelf life but it enhances the taste.

Of course the grilling of the steak is the final and equally important step into completely a delicious and fulling meal of steak. Charcoal or fire pit (type of wood, apple wood for example adds a dimension) over gas, but one can prepare a fine meal on a gas as well.. just something about the flavor of those more natural choices adds to the experience.

In conclusion.. neither lack a sense of culture, just the origins and overall costs vary.

Nothing flames me more than pointing to my geographical location or method of procurement as a basis to cite a lack of culture, hence to the response to Zombie in the first place on this tangent.. lol. In many senses my method has added to the cultural experience.. just most either would not enjoy or cannot enjoy due to their location upon this earth.

We might lack the number of choices of entertainment or dining, but that truly doesn't mean we lack culture. I might not fit into a black tie world, but just they same they wouldn't fit into a blue jean and a deck chair life.

Selecting a hunting spot as well, will help determine the taste of the game depending on their environmental environment and diet. If you are looking for a trophy or looking to fill the freezer will as well. I will take a 2 year field feed deer over a sever year old swamp or hardwoods buck in terms of taste.

Pigs.. well it really comes down to diet more than anything in my experience growing up and raising the beasts in terms of lean or fatty.. don't really know that I have any experience over a pen feed or lot fed hog. All I know is if the bastards get out.. I would rather shot them where they stand than chase them back into the lot. Stubborn and sometimes mean SOB's.. but yet another topic all by itself.

Originally Posted by: Pack93z 

The location -> lack of culture was not meant to be taken seriously. I was countering an ass comment with an ass comment. It was a joke.

Originally Posted by: zombieslayer 

As for your beef, damn. I want to hang out with you. You really know your stuff.

Originally Posted by: zombieslayer