Wagyu: 'the Hummer of Beef'

The story of rare earth minerals has many lessons, writes Paul Krugman

(NEWSER) - When Japan detained a Chinese fishing boat captain whose vessel had collided with two of its Coast Guard ships, China cut off its access to rare earths, the essential minerals on which China has a near-monopoly. For Paul Krugman, this highlights two concerns: First, that the US let “unreliable” China get “a stranglehold on key materials”; second, that new economic superpower China isn’t ready for the role, he writes in the New York Times . More»

NYT investigation shows industry practices that leave lots to be desired

(NEWSER) - A nausea-inducing feature in the New York Times tells you more than you wanted to know about what's actually in commercially produced hamburger, and why it's especially vulnerable, despite FDA regulation and several fatal outbreaks in recent years, to E. coli contamination. The Times follows the case of a 22-year-old dance instructor paralyzed after an infection, finding that a single hamburger could contain beef products from several slaughterhouses on several continents. More»

Chef served dangerous dish without license, cops say

(AP) - World travelers, take note. Blowfish testicles prepared by an unauthorized chef have sickened seven diners in northern Japan, three of whom remain hospitalized. The owner of the Tsuruoka restaurant had no license to serve blowfish and was being questioned on suspicion of professional negligence. Blowfish poison, called tetrodotoxin, is nearly 100 times more poisonous than potassium cyanide. It can kill in 90 minutes. More»

Scribe's first steak in 22 years 'absolutely delicious'—until brain, stomach revolt

(NEWSER) - The embarrassment for a cow in being a meal for a human one-fifth its size is among the reasons AJ Jacobs doesn’t eat meat. “If my body ended up as brunch for some badger or dachshund, I know I'd be pissed,” he writes in Esquire. But that wasn’t enough for carnivorous colleagues, who took him to Brooklyn’s premier steakhouse in a conversion effort. More»

Esquire provides the basics, from grades to cooking times

(NEWSER) - There's more to a mouthwatering steak than meets the eye. So Esquire offers some tips and terms every steak lover should know before a Labor Day meat-fest:

• Types of beef: Grass-fed: "Healthier but ... less flavorful than corn-fed." Heritage: "Rare heirloom breeds ... without the hormones or pesticides." Aberdeen-Angus: "Pure breed found in the US, England, Scotland, and Ireland."