Making the Cut: A Matter of Interpretation

“During Semana Santa, the Holy Week before Easter, it is customary among Latin American Catholics to refrain from eating red meat in favor of fish. Even so, the carnicerís, or butcher shops, of Jackson Heights, Queens, were bustling last week with Hispanic customers tempted by glossy lobes of liver and super-thin slices of top round steak.

The carnicerís, where meat is carved and sold just as it is in the old country, are a sign of a year-round culinary tradition, as are the empanadas and roast chicken brought by the Colombians, Argentines and other Latin American immigrants in the area. But they are a tradition becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Butchers who are skilled in satisfying the preferences of their pan-Latin clientele are hard to find because of competition for their small numbers.”

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