Alberta beef.
That term had been drilled into my brain, so I was excited to get a chance to truly experience Alberta AAA beef and buffalo and elk. There were more than a few problems.
Establishments in Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary, and Edmonton were adamant about enforcing the law that requires all burgers, regardless of the kind of meat, to be cooked to 71° C or 160° F. Well done. Not cooked well, as in quality, but well done.
True, I had run into an establishment or two in Eastern Canada that mentioned the law. But I couldn't imagine that they would cook buffalo and elk to 71° C. Cooking them beyond medium would make the meat tasteless.
What was even more shocking was the attitude of servers at me for daring to ask for a medium-rare burger. In the East, even when I ran into a restaurant that wouldn't deviate from the policy, I got sympathy. In Alberta, I got scorn.
Not that every place I went in Lake Louise and Banff gave me bad service, but I was blown away with how poorly I was treated on that and other issues by some of the eating establishments. I had some of the worst service I have ever had anywhere in the tourist communities.
Steaks can be cooked to any temperature. But to get a burger, an establishment had to trust the source of its meat. Too many of them apparently couldn't trust the meat they served. Really hard to pay more than twice the money for a steak when they can't trust their burgers.
For more on this saga, check out this column from our sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.
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