As the price of beef creeps up, it is seen less as an everyday food and more as a luxury or specialty food. I saw another sign of this in a restaurant buffet today. Compared to two years ago, the restaurant has reduced its use of beef by half. It is in fewer recipes and is sliced thinner when it is used. At this restaurant, the same thing is happening, though to a lesser extent, with fish.
The transition is easiest to see by comparing these food ingredients to shrimp. The role of shrimp in the buffet has not changed, but now, beef is used at least as sparingly as shrimp. Fish, which used to be as common as shrimp, is now only a single item on the buffet.
