Bonjour Gerard (OK, that's my other half coming out ;-))

>I'm  sorry that I incorrectly spelt your name in my last posting. This was
>a typical graphical error! But sure what's a little vowel between Pealio
>friends?

Ah, but can you *pronounce* it correctly. That's wear most popple come
unstuk <g>

>  Looking forward to what folk will say about the yellow fat on the beef.

I'm an impatient sort of a woman so I went hunting on the Net for the
answers. I found the following:

1) Yellow fat is mostly  the result of cattle being fed on green grass
(even the type of grass has an effect). Certain breeds like Jerseys are
more prone to developing yellow fat. It also occurs more in older animals.

2) Consumers prefer creamy white fat. Farmers feed grain to their grass
fed animals in the last six weeks before slaughter to remove all traces of
the yellow fat. Carcasses with yellow fat are downgraded.

In the conventional beef industry meat with slightly yellow fat is
considered inferior, while meat with pure white fat from grain or potato
feeding is considered premium quality.

3) Yellow fat contains more beta-carotene, which has got to be a plus
nutritionally over white fat.

Cattle have from 70 to 90 percent of their total vitamin A stores in the
liver. The remainder is deposited in fat and other organs. Carotene that
escapes conversion to vitamin A is stored mostly in the liver. It is,
however, distributed more evenly in the body than vitamin A, since it is
more prevalent in fat. Yellow fat and yellow milk are due to the inability
to convert all the carotene in the diet to vitamin A.

From 'Alternative Beef Marketing', I found the following:

One "problem" associated with PFB that may be solved by slaughtering
before 18 months is yellow fat. This is a problem due to public perception
that beef fat should be white; it is not a true quality issue. The yellow
color simply indicates a higher level of beta-carotene (precursor to
vitamin A) in the fat of animals finished on forage. "Yellow fat on
poultry and beef, extremely orange egg yolks and naturally yellow butter
reflect high levels of chlorophyll in the diet and low levels of saturated
fat" A direct marketer who educates customers about yellow fat might turn
it into an asset indicating a natural, nutritious food. In any case, the
consensus among producers seems to be that if animals are slaughtered
within the 18-month age range, fat will not appear yellow.

>Please don't tell me that you still eat tripe. I gave up eating it
>yearsago and just >resorted to writing it instead. They used put it in
>vats of bleach to whiten it >because being the stomach of the sheep, it
>was dark green from the grass the >sheep grazed on and not that beautiful
>white, pure colour we'd see in the shop.

We have the most gorgeous deep yellow butter, light peach coloured cream
and milk too, but sadly I can rarely enjoy such delights as I'm intolerant
to dairy. That's why I no longer enjoy tripe. My mum used to cook it
slowly in milk with onions and seasonings. It was delicious, and I used to
love the soft chewy texture.

Au revoir,

Persephone

P.S. What's with all the age quotes? you mustn't go tempting me now, as
I'm an enthusiastic gerontophile <g>

Try this test:

The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to
throw a snowball.  ~Doug Larson