Don't buy meat from a truck

The truck has been there the last couple weekends in Pine Plaza with a sign reading “20 rib eye steaks for $40.”

It seems like a real bargain. I stopped shortly after 10 a.m. The salesman was sitting on a crate, finishing his cigarette.  If it sounds too good to be true it likely is.

He opened the truck door and showed me an expensive box of primo-looking steaks, noting he had seafood boxes too and it was buy-one get-one today and he’d even throw in the ribeye box.

This was some high level huckster stuff. I settled on the seafood box. 4 1.5 pound bags of giant red shrimp from Argentina, 1 bag of breaded butterflied shrimp and a bag of crabcakes. He came down in price to $200 and then knocked off $50 because Beth is a healthcare worker.

The shrimp look to be similar to the ones Omaha Steaks sells for $18 per pound. Hence, $108 of shrimp. The butterflied breaded shrimp might be worth $16 in Pellicano’s freezer. Likewise the crab cakes.

The steaks? 10 4 oz. portions ¼ inch thick, fit for breakfast or steak and cheese subs, with 15% sodium solution. 2.5 pounds of chemically enhanced steak means $16 per pound.

The verdict? The huckster took me for $150. We got some junk steak, breaded shrimp and crabcakes but decent shrimp.

Now that I’ve written this, it’s time to cook some shrimp. Dang, upon further research, they might be huge but shell on and not de-veined. I guess I got taken.

If it sounds too good to be true it likely is. I guess there's a reason they don't have a storefront or stay in one place for long.