Kangaroo meat rebranding launched (tradition, grace, lukewarm, grace, amish)

[jamaesi]

A competition has been launched in Australia to find a new way of describing kangaroo meat. Organisers want to find a name less offensive to diners sensitive about eating a national symbol.

Australia has millions of kangaroos, whose lean red meat has generated a multi-million dollar export industry.

Kangaroo meat is popular in Germany, France and Belgium. Russians have a taste for sausages, but Australia's enthusiasm has always been lukewarm.

This is partly for sentimental reasons. The kangaroo appears on Australia's coat of arms and is one of the country's most recognisable symbols.

Somehow throwing a 'roo steak on the barbecue just doesn't feel right.

Attempts are now being made to combat this national squeamishness.

Australia's kangaroo industry is planning to publish new recipes and develop ready-to-eat marsupial meals and burgers.

They will be promoted as a low-fat alternative to lamb and beef.

Skippy steak?

Organisers are also looking to give kangaroo meat a palatable new name.

Hundreds of suggestions for a new name have already been put forward.

They range from the obvious - including Skippy, the name of an old television series that featured a very sensible kangaroo - to others that will probably make the judges wince, such as Yummy and Kanga.

Up to four million of these unique animals are culled every year under official quotas.

Wildlife activists have described this as a barbaric slaughter.

One campaigner said that turning these beautiful creatures into Russian sausages was a national disgrace.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4452704.stm

[Quoth The Raven]

One campaigner said that turning these beautiful creatures into Russian sausages was a national disgrace.

Yeah, far better to let their carcasses rot in the sun.
The reason a lot of Australians aren't chowing into the roo meat is that it's a meat that is traditionally veiwed as dog food here and it's being marketed at a gourmet price. It has very little to do with people being squeemish regarding roast leg of coat of arms and more to do with 'You want $24.99 a kg for unprocessed Pal? Who're you kidding?!'

There was a huge meat substitution scandal here in the '80's...kangaroo meat in pies. People weren't horrified that the national symbol was being minced and put into a tasty pastry case, they were horrified that they were buying something they expected to contain beef and getting something substandard instead.

[michel]

Originally Posted by lady_lazarus

Yeah, far better to let their carcasses rot in the sun.
The reason a lot of Australians aren't chowing into the roo meat is that it's a meat that is traditionally veiwed as dog food here and it's being marketed at a gourmet price. It has very little to do with people being squeemish regarding roast leg of coat of arms and more to do with 'You want $24.99 a kg for unprocessed Pal? Who're you kidding?!'

There was a huge meat substitution scandal here in the '80's...kangaroo meat in pies. People weren't horrified that the national symbol was being minced and put into a tasty pastry case, they were horrified that they were buying something they expected to contain beef and getting something substandard instead.

there is a lot of truth in what you say; what is worse is that the problem is most often brought about by the public themselves, who are the first to cry 'fraud' - why ? because they want Beef at a price for which the retailer can only sell them Kangaroo meat.

[Quoth The Raven]

Originally Posted by michel

there is a lot of truth in what you say; what is worse is that the problem is most often brought about by the public themselves, who are the first to cry 'fraud' - why ? because they want Beef at a price for which the retailer can only sell them Kangaroo meat.

The sad thing is, here you can buy scotch fillet for about $5.00 a kg less than kangaroo meat.Rump steak is $10.00 a kg cheaper. It's not that kangaroo meat is actually substandard to beef, it's that public perception tells them it is, and the price of the stuff is akin to venison.