I’ ve never been able to understand the American passion for eating steak, big, thick slices of beef cut across the muscle grain and broiled or fried. Of all the Western civilized nations, Americans alone seem to revere meat for meat’s sake–often consumed half raw without the leavening qualities of herbs or spices (except salt and pepper) or a sauce.
My father was a prime example of this type of meat eater. Oddly so, because he was not American-born, but Italian. In Italy meat is not plentiful as here, because it is a narrow country without land for animals to graze on. He acquired the passion after emigrating. Not able to afford tender cuts, he happily consumed the tougher ones, like top round that has flavor but is tough beyond belief. He devoured it barely chewed. Such meat can be a killer.
And a killer it was. We could not keep him away from the stuff. One evening, after consuming a big slab of top round, he got a heart attack–he had heart problems–and was dead by morning.
I’m sorry to hear about you dad. Did the doctor say it was the steak that killed him, or was his diet the cause of his demise?
Thanks for your response. Of course, no doctor would ever say it was the steak that killed my father. It was the family that diagnosed his death that way and even today no amount of scientific reasoning would convine me otherwise. If I’ve over-simplified the situation, forgive me.