When I was growing up we had some form of chicken as the main course every Sunday evening. Fried, baked, roasted; you name it, we had it. I got really really tired of chicken, although it may have been as much because of the uniformity of the Sunday menu as because of the entr?e itself. So when I became the principal cook seven or eight years ago chicken fell off the menu.
Well, Mom loves chicken, so I recently started cooking it again. As I recall, one of the reasons Dad gave for eating so much chicken, beyond the fact that both he and Mom loved it, was that it was the least expensive meat in the grocery. Not any more. I just paid $4.69/pound for a package of six boneless skinless thigh fillets, but even the bone-in thighs are about $3.99/pound.
When did chicken start getting expensive?
There are still bargains – but not so often
Where does the chicken in Hawaiian grocery stores come from? Locally?
I would be willing to bet a large fraction of that cost is shipment from the mainland. Or if not, the feed is shipped from the mainland. That price tells me there’s a big fuel component cost in there somewhere.
Try pricing some of the other meats before you complain.
Oh, these prices may not be “new,” but they’re new to me since I’m not in the habit of buying chicken. I’m just remembering the reason Dad used to give for eating chicken every week when I’d grumble about it.
Ground beef (83% lean) runs about $2.99 – $3.49/pound.
London Broil is $5.99+, lamb is $9.99.
Rob, I’m sure there’s a fuel cost in there; there is for everything out here.