Moo-ving back into China

US steak is back on Chinese dining tables after a 14-year absence from the Chinese market. [Photo provided to China Daily]

US beef might be back in the mainland where appetite for the meat has been growing rapidly, but its high price might hamper efforts to gain market share in a country where many people don't know the difference between a rib-eye and a sirloin. Xu Junqian reports from Shanghai.

Liang Jiahao first encountered beef in 2002, in a local chain restaurant called Haoxianglai, which literally means "really wish to come" in Chinese.

The meal was considered a luxury. Liang, who was then a fifth-grader, spent 10 times his weekly allowance on a steak that cost 200 yuan ($30). But it was money well-spent.

"It was the first time I was asked how I wanted my steak done. That completely blew my mind. I never knew there was a scale for the doneness of meat. The only question my mum or grandma would ask me regarding meat is whether I wanted my pork fried or braised," quips the 26-year-old Shanghai native.

Today, as the founder and owner of My Butchery, a trendy butcher and deli in Shanghai, Liang is the one offering choices. Ground beef or steak? Rib-eyes or sirloin? Australian or Brazilian cuts?

The shop, which was opened to fill the gap between overpriced offerings from import supermarkets and the greasy counters at local markets, will soon expand its offerings by including a new product: eagerly awaited US beef.