A talk with my kid's teacher about beef prices made me see my job differently

I was at parent-teacher night last week, and my son's teacher, Mr. Ellis, asked what I did for work. When I said I was a butcher, he got real quiet for a second. Then he said, 'You know, I used to think your job was just about cutting meat. But with the way beef prices have jumped, I see it's about making every single cut count for a family's budget.' That hit me hard. In my shop, I'm so focused on the knife work and the orders that I sometimes forget the end result. A family might be spending $50 on a roast for a special Sunday dinner, and how I trim it or suggest a cheaper cut really matters. It's not just meat, it's their meal plan. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you remembered the bigger picture of what we're really providing?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeths515d ago

That part about it being "their meal plan" really got me. I read an article once that said a good butcher is like a food advisor for the neighborhood. Makes you think, right?

anthony1295d ago

Honestly that sounds like a lot of pressure to put on a butcher. It's a grocery store job, not social work. People just want their meat cut right and priced fair, not a whole life lesson with their pork chops.

dianahayes5d ago

Exactly, my butcher's great but I just want my chicken, not a chat about its life story.