NO, i meant KOBE. I am willing to bet that NO one could taste the difference side by side. I AM NOT obsessed with kobe, in fact, i think i've had it twice in my life. Its just the caviar of beef, I didn't write the TV program, but the producer thought 3 out of 5 dishes should include kobe, maybe its a trend ;P As for ruining it, i agree, it stands good on its own, but for it to be minced into a hot dog makes no sense as part of it is the texture, however, thinly sliced is how you are going to eat it anyway, right? You have to admit thats a bit more "pure" and uncompromised than ground/grinding it up and putting it in a burger, but not everything you have to have in its most pure form everytime. Ever have a grilled gruyere cheese and caviar sandwich? When i saw it in a magazine I thought it was blasphemy, however, that didnt stop me from trying it, and it the most deliscious thing in the world - not sure I would do it with beluga, but with sevruga, why not??