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DitmasPork said:
You in Brisbane? I was there in 2019 for a visit. Had some good food—although don’t understand why fish markets and seafood restaurants have their oysters pre-shucked? Instead of shucking to order. Love Australia.
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Yes, Brisbane. I think the oyster shucking thing is for convenience, both for the customer and the merchant. The customer doesn't have to wait as long, and the merchant can shuck the oysters during idle periods, instead of having to do it on the spot.

Having said that, there are lots of seafood places that will sell oysters whole, so at least you get the option of shucking them yourself.
 
yesterdays quick dinner, a burger (pre)made with dry aged beef, quick pickled cucumber, some caramelized red onion, a dash or orange pepper cut in brunoise for color (so to disguise the lack of veg), dollop of organic ketchup (ultra low sugar and no artificial sweetener)
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boomchakabowwow said:
I feel the same way. I cant figure out how a local garlic bulb is more expensive than that tube of 5 garlic-bulbs that comes from overseas.

I think eating local will be see a resurgence one day. hopefully not out of necessity.

I learned that pea shoots are fantastic stirred fried into scrambled eggs and shrimp. at first I was , what do I do with pea shoots???!!! I had to google it.
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It will be cheaper when people aren't trying to price gouge because it's "organic" or locally produced. It's supposed to be cheaper but it's mysteriously more expensive. It's due to current trends and the quality of produce in supermarkets, which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good.
 
Think there is another major difference, we are used to paying supermarket/retail prices. Just compare what the grower earns by selling their product to a wholeseller or supermarket chain (usually cutthroat rates).
When I buy white asparagus in a supermarket they usually are a day or three/four old, meaning inedible to me and quality is a mystery (other than their size and color).

At season start the white gold goes at anything between 10-20 euro per Kilo in a supermarket IF they have them. The current grower I frequent sells organically grown asparagus at around 15 euro/kg, they are harvested and peeled (if you want) that same day, nothing beats freshly cut asparagus.
(BTW, over here 'organic' can only be used when a certification is in place, which is costly)

I'm perfectly OK paying a price that is around or even slightly above the 'usual' level knowing that the middle men percentages now all go to the grower who probably sells less volume than when selling his stuff in bulk yet at a (far) better quality for me.
 
there is another major difference, we are used to paying supermarket/retail prices. Just compare what the grower earns by selling their product to a wholeseller or supermarket chain
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No doubt, I wasn't trying to cover the entire gambit in regards to why prices may be higher. I'm about to buy a few nice tomato plants and some herb plants (need some basilico badly!) from a local grower, and I'm paying less then I would pay at Walmart or any of the local nurseries. There are a lot of variables to consider, and if you think paying more is worth it to support a local farmer, I think that's a good way to go, as long as the prices aren't crazy or unreasonable.

Sometimes the price is directly related to the skill of the grower. If the farmer knows what he or she is doing, and gets a good yield every season, then prices may wind up being cheaper. If they experience a bumper crop, prices may be cheaper. The opposite can cause prices to rise as well. I think the main factor that determines what we buy should be flavor. I'm willing to pay a little more for good produce, but I'm going to pay more if it doesn't taste good or if the price is ridiculous, and there's no reason to justify the higher price.
 
Michi said:
Yes, Brisbane. I think the oyster shucking thing is for convenience, both for the customer and the merchant. The customer doesn't have to wait as long, and the merchant can shuck the oysters during idle periods, instead of having to do it on the spot.

Having said that, there are lots of seafood places that will sell oysters whole, so at least you get the option of shucking them yourself.
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It’s merely a difference of food sensibilities and personal preferences/biases. I’ve been taught that oysters eaten raw should be shucked at the last, keeping them alive until consumed—whether it affects flavor is arguable—oyster bars in the States shuck to order. I can imagine that it’s not easy for restaurants finding good shuckers. Yeah, the convenience part of pre-shucked oysters is valid, although whole oysters are easier to travel with from market to home. I shuck, typically preferring to make life harder for me in the kitchen—I.e. I’ll usually spend time with the arduous task of picking tails from bean sprouts or peeling skins off of canned chickpeas if used in salads, because it has been drilled into me that that’s how it should be done.

This said, the fish market near the docks in Brisbane—where I took this photo—was an awesome place! I took my knife roll to Oz, had the pleasure of cooking a bunch of meals there—loved the ingredients and produce in Australia.

Planning on another trip to Australia, maybe next year, South Australia with a stopover in Singapore.

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Michi said:
I occasionally take part in a scheme very much like this in Brisbane. The produce is mostly sourced from farmers in the Brisbane region, organic and all those good things, and generally of high quality. Not competitive with supermarket prices though.

The "locally produced" model, in terms of environmental footprint, may actually be worse than the supermarket model. There are advantages of scale associated with centralised distribution that a local distribution model can't match.

I am no expert in this field, but it disheartens me that the "evil cabal of supermarket monopolies" may actually be greener than me driving to the weekend market to buy local organic produce.

This is just one opinion, and I don't claim that this perspective is the definitive truth. But it did give me pause for thought:

https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4162
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uuhhhh... Some really valid points are listed in this article and i have to admit that i haven't thought about some of them.
On the other hand i have to say that efficiency and sustainability are two different things. On the efficiency side Brian D showed some good arguments. On the sustainability side there is more than just the maths. As a person who frequently buys on farmers markets it is important to me to contribute somehow to animal welfare. Apart from reducing meat consumption i don't want to abstain from meat. But i am aware that me as consumer have a voice and should raise it to act against cruelty. At the moment where i decide to buy form a farmer where i know that his animals have space and are being grass fed, i probably have a less perfect carbon footprint, but am buying meat of an animal that has been respected and well treated during his lifetime.
In the end if you try to make something better on one side, you most likely worsen it on the other side. There will always be reasons why the way you try to act mindful and respectful is not the best way. You have to decide where your priority is and try to follow this way. As long as you think about how to act responsible it is much better than millions that still don't have realized where we're going...
 
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DitmasPork said:
It’s merely a difference of food sensibilities and personal preferences/biases. I’ve been taught that oysters eaten raw should be shucked at the last, keeping them alive until consumed—whether it affects flavor is arguable—oyster bars in the States shuck to order. I can imagine that it’s not easy for restaurants finding good shuckers. Yeah, the convenience part of pre-shucked oysters is valid, although whole oysters are easier to travel with from market to home. I shuck, typically preferring to make life harder for me in the kitchen—I.e. I’ll usually spend time with the arduous task of picking tails from bean sprouts or peeling skins off of canned chickpeas if used in salads, because it has been drilled into me that that’s how it should be done.

This said, the fish market near the docks in Brisbane—where I took this photo—was an awesome place! I took my knife roll to Oz, had the pleasure of cooking a bunch of meals there—loved the ingredients and produce in Australia.

Planning on another trip to Australia, maybe next year, South Australia with a stopover in Singapore.

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Honestly shucking just isn't that hard. Simply need to train someone a bit. Granted, that's hard when you hire someone and expect them to be capable NOW. Oysters are also expensive enough that you can't afford training sessions. Hmmmmmm it's a poser, definitely.
 
Grayswandir said:
It will be cheaper when people aren't trying to price gouge because it's "organic" or locally produced. It's supposed to be cheaper but it's mysteriously more expensive. It's due to current trends and the quality of produce in supermarkets, which is sometimes good and sometimes not so good.
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i'm thinking more globally. the garlic example. they grow them elsewhere, where a few hours away in the town of Gilroy, CA, they grow them relatively locally. the Gilroy products are more expensive. there isn't price gouging. they simply cannot compete dollar for dollar with the foreign work force.

I buy the Gilroy garlic from my supermarket. it taste better by a mile.

I think this applies to a small family farm where they don't have automated and gigantic process going. grassroots farming has to be more expensive than a modern process.
 
big_adventure said:
Honestly shucking just isn't that hard. Simply need to train someone a bit. Granted, that's hard when you hire someone and expect them to be capable NOW. Oysters are also expensive enough that you can't afford training sessions. Hmmmmmm it's a poser, definitely.
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I've only been to Australia once, and don't know what the business models are of restaurants serving raw oysters. For example, many of the oyster bars in the states have dedicated shuckers that have worked there for years. Pre-shucked oysters I've seen in Australia surely a reflection of customer preferences more than anything, fish markets are there to make money.

I have four oyster knives and clam knife, enjoy shucking. However, my parents, brother, friends, LOOOOVE raw oysters, have and never will buy an oyster knife, have no interest in learning how to shuck. They'd eat more raw oysters for sure if they were sold pre-shucked—not right or wrong, just personal choice.

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DitmasPork said:
I've only been to Australia once, and don't know what the business models are of restaurants serving raw oysters. For example, many of the oyster bars in the states have dedicated shuckers that have worked there for years. Pre-shucked oysters I've seen in Australia surely a reflection of customer preferences more than anything, fish markets are there to make money.

I have four oyster knives and clam knife, enjoy shucking. However, my parents, brother, friends, LOOOOVE raw oysters, have and never will buy an oyster knife, have no interest in learning how to shuck. They'd eat more raw oysters for sure if they were sold pre-shucked—not right or wrong, just personal choice.

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I in no way disagree with that. A large percentage of french people love oysters, and most are deplorable at shucking them.
 
Lars said:
It's been cloudy and raining here today, so no going outside without a raincoat. Great weather for risotto though..!
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Those are some nice looking mushrooms Lars. Very fresh. I hurt my back recently so I missed the Morel mushroom season this year. I love using morels in my chicken Marsala.
 
It was cold for me a couple of nights back and I made this steak. I did not want to heat the grill up with it being cold for 1 steak as my wife is on a diet and was going to eat a roasted chicken piece in the oven. She also roasted potatoes and broccoli with a little lemon pepper at the same time. I decided to fry my steak in house so I seasoned with some Montreal Steak seasoning. I made a mushroom red wine sauce. I cooked some mushrooms with butter and garlic. I then added some Napa cab wine and reduced it down to a sauce. I think the red wine sauce goes great with Montreal Steak seasoning. It is a good combo in my book. And of course, we drank the rest of the wine.

I don't salt the mushrooms as there is plenty of salt in the Montreal Steak seasoning. It takes 5 or 6 tablespoons of butter to make the sauce. I tried less but the sauce was too runny.

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big_adventure said:
I in no way disagree with that. A large percentage of french people love oysters, and most are deplorable at shucking them.
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Hahahahah. Some people just don't like handling food in the kitchen. My brother and his wife bought an InstantPot during an Amazon Prime sale a few years ago, it's still BNIB. They mostly eat takeout.
 
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