Little Bit of Boston Food Industry Trivia..kind of sad

[typhoonfish]

Today the last "swinging beef" distributor Bertolino Beef in Boston closed it's doors. From here on out all the meat in Boston sold by distributors will be boxed beef.

One of our old timers in the office was talking about the old Mass pike offramp. Whenever there was a rollover on the old mass pike off ramp it was trucks of swinging beef because the beef would swing and roll the truck over. Next thing you know the Mass DPW workers would be selling whole cows in Dorchester.

[C. Hamster]

Where in DOT?

I have a cold garage....

[Locutus]

Ok then. Who here remembers the swinging lamb at Santarpios? Right in the back room next to the ladies room. hanging right there for all to see

[hotoynoodle]

they still do their own butchering in there. i have seen some peeps freaked out at the sight, lol.

[Jenny Ondioline]

Wow, twenty minutes and nobody's yet said "Yeah, I got yer swingin' beef RIGHT HERE!" I'm shocked.

But I'm with kizzy, I had no idea that one had held out this long: boxed beef has been the standard for so long, after all. Out of curiosity, do you know where they were selling to?

I figure anyone who was still buying swinging beef may have other interesting things.

[xo_kizzy_xo]

I dimly remember swinging beef at an old FINAST when I was very little. I remember wincing upon entering the store because of the smell. There was sawdust all over the floor in the meat department. The glass wall where the butchers were was green. I remember being told the green was to "keep the flies away".

I thought all beef nowadays came boxed into the food market complex over by Albany Street...???

[OLDCHEF]

City packing in new market still running swinging rails

[xo_kizzy_xo]

Color me ignorant, but I honestly didn't think there was any swinging beef distributors left...

[StriperGuy]

That IS SAD!