No backbone Japan?

Get this the Japanese don't eat cow spine. Ridiculous I know. They don't even want our delicious beef anymore!

Don't they look at the Americans with envy? At our double quarter pounders with cheese? Our enormous waistlines? Well the story gets worse for beef eaters. The tissue Japan found was spinal column (backbone) tissue from veal. This tissue is allowed in the American food supply because it comes from animals younger than 30 months of age but not Japan's.

Ok, first there are some issues at play here. If you eat veal you're either a heartless bastard or a complete fool with no comprehension of the suffering an animal goes through to be veal. The shipment was from veal calves younger than 6 months of age. The second issue is that don't you think its a problem that Japan is turning away something for health reasons that the US thinks is ok for Americans to eat?

This issue all boils down to profits and capital. Exports of American beef were worth $3.9 billion in 2003; Japan alone was worth $1.4 billion. America has turned its farming culture into a massive corporation that turns out food products with no regard for ethics and morals. Its profit before care, profit before health, profit before the environment. Its disgusting and wrong and I am glad Japan is calling us out on it.

Guess they don't dig on cow spine. Hopefully we see a trend in this country that begins to say no to the massive exploitation of animals. Eat some tofu suckers. I promise you are no less of a man if you do.

Links:
Renewed Japan Beef Ban Prompts U.S. Probe
by Libby Quaid (Washington Post)
Japan Again Bars U.S. Beef After Finding Banned Cattle Part
by Vikas Bajaj (NY Times)