Yes, you are right Geoff, GOOD OLD USDA PRIME beef... who knows MORE about beef than the USA? A large part of our economy and culture was built on cattle. Interestingly enough, I came across this article tonite:

"Land and grain are expensive in Japan. So what is happening is that the beef production houses in Kobe have been contracting out to other producers to custom raise their cattle for them. Most specifically, Harris Ranch in California, among other producers in America and Australia—land and grain is cheap over there, and it's worth the shipping costs to have the cattle raised overseas. So they have the cattle raised to their exactingly specified Kobe standards, and they actually fabricate the carcasses in Kobe, making them legally "Kobe Beef" even though the cattle were actually born, bred and fed somewhere else."

Wow, CALIFORNIA... so, I am guessing if you pay $50/lb from the US or $100/lb from Japan, you are getting basically the very same product, except of course, the US product is far more fresher (obviously) and processed less (obviously) and cheaper (obviously), and thus being a far superior product at half the cost...

I rest my case and I hope we don't have to hear this silly argument EVER again... no matter how many times you bring it up in the future ;-)