Not long ago I dipped my toe in the waters of butchering as an idea. My intent was to gain a far more intimate knowledge of cuts of meat, rather than becoming a master butcher. I still may explore the opportunity when I can find the time, which is looking less and less likely each day. The butchers at Whole Foods are die-hard super heroes of butchery, having to complete a 1,920-hour training process. That’s more hours of training than the girl scraping your teeth at the dentist’s office.
According to the Bellevue Reporter, each staff butcher at Whole Foods starts by learning how to clean, then they move to working the counter, finally they get to the cutting. But even that goes in stages with the butcher in training beginning their work on poultry, then pork, and finally on to beef. I’m not sure where lamb fits in on the schedule, but I am certain by the time a Whole Foods butcher has deboned a leg of lamb they are fairly proficient at the job. That is some major dedication I must say. I sometimes have trouble paying attention when a beautiful woman is talking to me…although that may be due to the glare from my wife. OK, so no beautiful strange women talk to me, but I imagine it’d go like that.
