"It Looks Like Yokan" vs. "It Tastes Different When Grilled"...Lively Debate Over Holiday LA Galbi Gifts

More Than 1,800 Comments in a Day
"It Will Melt When Grilled": Seller’s Explanation Sparks Debate
"There Is Always a Reason Meat Is Cheap": Even a Butcher Weighs In

As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, an online controversy is spreading over an LA galbi gift set. After photos were released showing ribs with almost no visible marbling (intramuscular fat), heated debate has continued over the quality of the meat.

On the 10th, several online communities and social media platforms saw posts of photos of LA galbi sets that users said they had received as Seollal gifts from business partners.

A photo uploaded by the poster claiming they received LA galbi with almost no marbling as a Seollal gift. Social media screenshot.

In the photo shared by the poster, identified as Mr. A, the ribs appear a dark reddish-brown color, and the white fat streaks that are typically expected are almost invisible. Mr. A wrote, "This is the first time I've seen meat with literally no marbling at all," adding, "When I asked the seller, they said the fat just isn't visible because it's frozen, and that it will melt as it cooks and bring out the flavor. Is that really true?" He then asked other users for their opinions.

The post drew attention, receiving more than 1,800 comments in just one day after being made public. Marbling refers to the fat distributed between the muscle fibers of beef. It is so named because the fat spreads in a pattern resembling marble, and in general, the more marbling there is, the more the meat is considered to have excellent juiciness and flavor and a tender texture. There is also a Beef Marbling Score (BMS) that serves as a standard for assessing beef quality.

Users who saw the photo responded with comments such as "It looks like yokan" and "The color is similar to venison," while others continued the debate over the quality of the meat with remarks like "Australian beef usually has less marbling" and "Marbling isn't everything."

Among them, one user, who said they work at a slaughterhouse in a role related to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system for livestock products, claimed, "Judging from the photo, it looks like U.S. Select grade, around BMS 0 to 1." However, Mr. A explained that the product was Australian beef.

Another user, who said they had worked in the meat industry in Australia for more than 10 years, commented, "Grass-fed beef can have less marbling," but added, "If it were veal, the color should be lighter."

One user, who said they run a butcher shop, advised, "There is no such thing as cheap and good meat in this world," and said, "If it's for a gift, you must check the country of origin and the grade." They then added, "In the case of U.S. beef, it should be at least Prime or Choice to be a safe bet." Later, in a follow-up post, Mr. A shared a review to the effect that "the texture was tough."

According to HomeShoppingMoa on the 10th, from the 1st to the 9th, the number of purchases of processed livestock products by HomeShoppingMoa users increased by 184% compared with the same period last month. HomeShoppingMoa

Meanwhile, Buzzni, which operates the mobile home shopping platform HomeShoppingMoa, announced on the 10th that purchases of processed livestock products such as LA galbi have recently surged ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

According to Buzzni, from the 1st to the 9th, the number of purchases of processed livestock products by HomeShoppingMoa users increased by 184% compared with the same period in the previous month. During the same period, purchases of fruit such as apples increased by 34%. Purchases of health juices and seafood rose by 44% and 160%, respectively.

Search volume related to Lunar New Year gifts also increased. During the same period, the most searched keyword in the food category on HomeShoppingMoa for holiday gifts was "LA galbi." This was followed by apples, shrimp, nuts, and yellow corvina in order of search volume.