After the husband was approached tonight by a man selling steaks from a truck, I wondered whether meat stealing was a common phenomenon. He told me that around 1983 he bought meat several times from the trunk of a car, or the back of a truck in the same place he saw the guy today. So, some things change, and some things never change.
In Kenner, Louisiana two couples were arrested after trying to sell stolen meat, about 7 months apart from each other in 2009. The first wild eyed couple were caught in April 2009 after stealing about $300 in steaks from Winn-Dixie by stuffing them into a purse. They were caught when trying to sell them at the Whistle Stop. The Winn-Dixie sleuth knew they were from his store because he recognized numbers on the package that proved they were his. I am impressed that Winn-Dixie workers were able to track their steak by serial number, and figure out which serial numbers were on the stolen steaks. That is a very organized person who commands a thorough tracking of inventory.
The second couple were caught in September when they got stopped for not wearing seatbelts. They had $1200 of stolen steaks and an oblong shaped pill in their stolen truck. They stole the meat from their former Kansas City, Missouri employer and drove it to, where else, but the capital of meat stealing, Kenner, Louisiana. I joke, but in fact New Orleans is a ripe area to sell hocked food, since huge swaths of the city are still lacking in some basic services such as access to fresh food. The couple's names are Lewis and Martin.
In 2008, a man was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Nebraska for stealing $9,000 worth of steaks from his former employer. He was a repeat offender, who has multiple sclerosis and chronic urinary retention which hindered his ability to provide a urine sample for prison drug testing during his first stint.
In December in Oklahoma, two men were caught after stealing t-bone steaks and other frozen delicacies from Windy's Catfish ("great food and even freater people"; and biker friendly.)
(P.S. I know the photo has no relation to this story but I couldn't find anything good in the meat category.)
2 comments:
I recall sitting at the bar a few years back when a fellow with a bloody apron came strolling in. He was selling steaks. I can't remember what he started out at with the price. I think by the end, someone bought 12 steaks from him for like $30. He was a large, persistent fellow. And we quickly got the idea that he wasn't leaving until SOMEONE bought some steaks. I never did hear if they were any good.
Oh, and I dig the photo with the post.
I don't eat red meat - doesn't anybody sell chicken from the back of a truck?
Or how about salmon? I could use some cheap salmon.
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