Adventures at the Butcher

I tried two chicken vendors last week.  Seems poultry butchers have separate shops than other-meat butchers.  My mission was boneless chicken breasts.  Before I went, I wrote this down in French so I could simply show it to the butcher.  Both butchers had them.  The first simply cut up the whole chicken I picked out, the second butcher had a pile of boneless breasts on the counter.  Both butchers were friendly and anxious to help me. 

But I have to say the lack of sanitation is unnerving.  Here’s how it goes.  I indicate what I want.  The butcher picks up a chicken and takes it to the big butcher block where the other butchers are working and tossing chicken and turkey parts about.  He grabs a knife from the rack, cuts up and debones the chicken, puts the knife back in the rack.  Then he slaps the chicken parts on the scale just vacated by the meat purchased by the customer next to me.  Then he wraps up the chicken in paper, stuffs it in a plastic bag, and hands it to me.   I give him some money, he takes it to the cash register and fumbles about getting change and hands me my change.

Did I once mention plastic paper or gloves, wiping anything off, even paper towels?  No.  I was so unnerved that I rinsed my money in bleach when I got home.  I also gave all the chicken parts a quick rinse in water with a tad of bleach.  I hope I didn’t ruin the chicken, but I just had to do it.  I was too freaked out by the slapping around of chicken parts with not the slightest hint of a wipe down of any equipment, hands, or even money.

I have since cooked some of this chicken and we are still alive.  I guess the solution is to cook it thoroughly. 

Over the weekend we found a real mall (more on that another day) with a real supermarket called UNO.  Though nothing like a Safeway, the butcher at this store did have cleaner equipment.  Here we bought more chicken and some beef.  We'll report on how the beef is later.