Mad
for U.S. beef, herd heads for Tokyo restaurant
TOKYO (Reuters) - Hundreds of people
lined up at a central Tokyo restaurant Monday to
savour a dish not tasted for more than two years
-- "beef bowl" made with U.S. meat.
Some Japanese had even camped out overnight outside
a popular branch of fast-food chain Yoshinoya D&C
Co. Ltd., which resumed sales of its famed specialty
following the July lifting of a government ban on
imports of U.S. beef.
The ban was imposed in December 2003 after the discovery
of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, forcing
Yoshinoya to drop its flagship dish of braised beef
and onions marinated in soy sauce and laid on top
of rice.
Hardcore fans had shunned the "beef bowl"
when it was made with Australian beef because the
meat was too lean.
"I thought a bit about the risks, but I just
could not help myself from coming here, I had to
taste it," a man in his 20s told NHK television
after having his 380 yen ($3.20) meal.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer joined
the herd tucking into the dish at branches across
the Japanese capital.
"It was well worth the wait," he said.
"It's a day of celebration, beef has returned
to Japan."
Japan was once the top importer of U.S. beef, buying
240,000 tonnes valued at $1.4 billion in 2003.
The import ban was first lifted last December, only
to be reinstated a month later when prohibited material
was found in a shipment of U.S. veal. Media polls
have shown that many Japanese consumers remain concerned
about the safety of U.S. beef.
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