Is beef really what's for dinner?
With the current mad cow disease scare, some students andemployees are worried that the issue may affect food at TheUniversity of Memphis. However, local restaurants that sell beefproducts have not seen any effect, owners say.
Lacey Landry, a student and employee at the Tiger Den, noticed awoman Jan. 7, talking about not eating the beef Philly cheese steakbecause of the scare.
"She wanted to know if the chicken Philly cheese steak was justas good as the beef cheese steak because she will not eat beef,"Landry said.
Fredrick Couch, an employee of the U of M and owner of On TimeCatering, has decided not to eat beef.
"I think the mad cow disease is already here in Memphis. Theydidn't find the disease until after they slaughtered the cow. Othercows from the same herd may have already been eaten."
Couch has also removed all beef products from his catering menu.He said he will change the menu back once the matter isresolved.
Others, like Brenda Lewis, a supervisor at the Tiger Den, saidthey will continue to eat beef.
"I probably won't win the lottery, and I have the same chancesI'll get the disease," Lewis said.
Suzanne Busby and owns a local catering company that suppliesmany of the NBA teams with their catering.
"We haven't noticed a change in orders since the news of the madcow disease," Busby said.
Because many of the NBA players Busby caters for don't eat porkfor various reasons, beef and chicken are the only available meatchoices, she said.
Most restaurants that offer beef products have not been affectedby the mad cow scare.
Mark Handler, a manager of Houston's Restaurant on PoplarAvenue, said some people do inquire about the origin of therestaurant's steaks.
"They have no reason to worry. Our beef doesn't come from theNorthwest. Also, the type of cow that was affected with the diseasewas a dairy cow," said Handler.
Jason Foard, banquet chef at the downtown Prime Minister'sSteakhouse, also has not seen a change in steak sales.
"There was a party here last night and all 16 guests orderedsteaks. There has been a slight decrease in sales, but thebeginning of the year is usually slow anyway," said Foard.
Gregory Williams, a manager at Chick-fil-A, has placed a largerorder than usual on the chicken because of the scare.
"I pray that there is not a disease that is nationwide," hesaid. "However, we are taking the necessary precautions for thosewho are worried."
Williams has also changed his own eating habits.
"When I do order a hamburger or steak, I make sure it iswell-done. Cooking the meat at 165 degrees will kill any bacteria,and that's what I request."
