Chinese restaurant closed for serving I-75 roadkill

[Lyon Wonder]

A chinese restaurant in Williamsburg, KY was caught with deer roadkill they found along I-75.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57523505-504083/chinese-restaurant-caught-with-roadkill-in-kitchen-ky-report-says/

(CBS) WILLIAMSBURG, Ky.- The Red Flower Chinese Restaurant was forced to shut down on Thursday after employees were seen dragging roadkill into the kitchen, reports CBS affiliate WYMT.

Make that one from Lane A and one from Lane B.

"We were actually joking about the, you know, the whole Chinese restaurant. You know some rumors that you hear," says Katie Hopkins, a customer of the Red Flower restaurant.

What Hopkins and her friends witnessed next apparently confirmed some of the rumors they had been discussing.

"Two of the workers came in wheeling a garbage can and they had a box sitting on top of it. And hanging out of the garbage can, they were trying to be real quick with it. So that nobody could see it. But there was like a tail, and a foot and leg. Sticking out of the garbage can and they wheeled it straight back into the kitchen," adds Hopkins.

Hopkins, who described the scene that left a trail of blood across the floor as 'very disturbing,' called the health department immediately.

An environmental health inspector, Paul Lawson, reportedly arrived at the Chinese restaurant after the complaint to find a dead deer in the restaurant's kitchen. Lawson, who told WYMT that it was the craziest thing he had ever seen, also said that the owner's son admitted to picking up the deer off the side of I-75 north.

"They said they didn't know that they weren't allowed to. So that makes me concerned. But maybe they could have before. They didn't admit to doing it before," says Lawson.

The Red Flower Chinese Restaurant will not face any fines and will be able to reopen if they pass a secondary health inspection. The restaurant owner alleges that he was going to serve the deer to his family and not to customers.

[hbelkins]

Thankfully these were not native Kentuckians.

My wife and I have laughed ourselves silly at this story.

[3467]

Also known as burgoo.....Meridosia illinois has an annula burgoo festival ...deer is served.
I bet we see more of this when meat prices surge late next year...or maybe just more breading in most cases

[Beltway]

ROADKILL CAFE MENU
You Kill It, _____________ We Grill It'

[algorerhythms]

One time I when was visiting my half-brother in southern Kentucky, we were sitting outside his house and heard in the distance a car's tires screeching. He jumped up, yelled "DINNER," and ran down the road toward where the sound came from. Sure enough, the following evening we had deer for dinner. It was tasty.

[kphoger]

When you get right down to it, what's the difference between shooting a deer with a gun, dragging it through the woods, loading it into your truck, butchering it, and eating it–and hitting a deer with a car, dragging it across the pavement, loading it into your truck, butchering it, and eating it?  I understand that restaurants are a different deal, but for your own family dinner table, what's the big deal?

Why go hunting when you can just have the sherriff's department call you with roadkill reports?

[1995hoo]

When you get right down to it, what's the difference between shooting a deer with a gun, dragging it through the woods, loading it into your truck, butchering it, and eating it–and hitting a deer with a car, dragging it across the pavement, loading it into your truck, butchering it, and eating it?  I understand that restaurants are a different deal, but for your own family dinner table, what's the big deal?

Why go hunting when you can just have the sherriff's department call you with roadkill reports?

Agreed when it comes to cooking and eating it yourself. Some time ago West Virginia apparently passed a law recognizing the motorist's right to keep roadkill. I never understood why a law would be needed for that in the first place.

[algorerhythms]

ROADKILL CAFE MENU
You Kill It, _____________ We Grill It'

There's a Roadkill Cafe in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. They don't serve actual roadkill, though. Oddly, Google Maps cites the website you linked to as their website, but the website you linked to claims not to be associated with an actual cafe.

[NYYPhil777]

ROADKILL CAFE MENU
You Kill It, _____________ We Grill It'

"From Your Grill To Ours"

[Alps]

The issue here is bringing the deer to the restaurant. Yes, it seems convenient, but any food entering a place of business should be certified to be safe. You can't possibly have quality control on roadkill. I would never eat there because now I know that they do not worry about safety precautions at their restaurant.

[3467]

Illinois allows you to keep it but you need to reports it because of course deliberate killing is illegal

[kphoger]

The issue here is bringing the deer to the restaurant. Yes, it seems convenient, but any food entering a place of business should be certified to be safe. You can't possibly have quality control on roadkill. I would never eat there because now I know that they do not worry about safety precautions at their restaurant.

Obviously it's different for restaurants.  Chinese restaurants seem to be notorious for this kind of thing, like taking the meat out of the dumpster next door and bringing it inside.

Illinois allows you to keep it but you need to reports it because of course deliberate killing is illegal

So no house cat on the grill tonight?

[Duke87]

One time I when was visiting my half-brother in southern Kentucky, we were sitting outside his house and heard in the distance a car's tires screeching. He jumped up, yelled "DINNER," and ran down the road toward where the sound came from. Sure enough, the following evening we had deer for dinner. It was tasty.

O_o

I thought that stereotype was just a bad joke!

[realjd]

IIRC, when I lived in Indiana the rule was that whoever hit the deer got dibs on it, then the responding deputy got second chance if the driver didn't want it.

[ctsignguy]

I recall years ago a local Chinese eatery was closed down because food inspectors found some .....errmm, interesting meat in the freezer....

and no, cow do not go 'meow'.....or 'bow-wow'!

[NYYPhil777]

 While I was reading MAD magazine one time, I saw a spoof chart- the cat population goes down as the # of Chinese restaurants goes up. 

[hbelkins]

If you hit the deer, you know how long it's been out in the weather. You do have to get a special roadkill tag from the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The deer I hit and killed back in July would have been some good eatin' if you like venison.

One of the big problems here is the people who picked the deer up had no idea how long it had been on the highway.

[Alps]

If you hit the deer, you know how long it's been out in the weather. You do have to get a special roadkill tag from the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The deer I hit and killed back in July would have been some good eatin' if you like venison.

One of the big problems here is the people who picked the deer up had no idea how long it had been on the highway.

Well, you also would have to check the meat for diseases. Or, at least, you should if you're eating it yourself, and you have to if you're feeding others. ("Have to" may not be a legal requirement, IANAL, etc.)

[hbelkins]

If you hit the deer, you know how long it's been out in the weather. You do have to get a special roadkill tag from the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The deer I hit and killed back in July would have been some good eatin' if you like venison.

One of the big problems here is the people who picked the deer up had no idea how long it had been on the highway.

Well, you also would have to check the meat for diseases. Or, at least, you should if you're eating it yourself, and you have to if you're feeding others. ("Have to" may not be a legal requirement, IANAL, etc.)

My brother's a deer hunter and is a "conni-sewer" of venison. (I personally don't care for it). He eats it in nearly every way imaginable -- steaks, roasts, burger, jerky, chili, etc. -- and he knows how to properly field dress a deer. He's never had an issue with diseases, but then again he gets the meat refrigerated ASAP. No telling how quickly the meat would spoil if the carcass baked in the sun for a few hours.

[kphoger]

Well, you also would have to check the meat for diseases.

One would follow the same protocol as if he had shot the animal with a bow, right?  It's not like deer on the highway are more likely to carry diseases than deer in the meadow.

One of the big problems here is the people who picked the deer up had no idea how long it had been on the highway.

That's why it's good to have a connection at the sheriff's department who can call you as soon as the animal is reported–saving them a trip out there, and saving you the trouble of hunting the darned thing down.

[triplemultiplex]

Hell, just last weekend I saw a guy salvaging a road kill deer on US 51 between Merrill and Tomahawk.  A county mounty was still on scene from the earlier collision.

Venison is damn good and while I don't hunt 'em myself, I'm more than happy to dig in.  I even assisted my brother with quartering a carcass a couple seasons ago.  The meat is much leaner than beef and in areas with a lot of farms, venison just tastes better.

[agentsteel53]

I've eaten roadkill deer before.  it was perfectly fine.  the meat isn't all that much to my liking (too gamey) but that would be the case with any deer, even those taken with the time-honored Winchester Technique.

there is a funny story, which will not be elaborated, about how my friend, working in his front yard, saw someone else plow the deer and takeoff - and promptly went and grabbed it before the highway patrol came along!  deer? what deer?

[Henry]

That's disgusting! 

[kphoger]

That's disgusting! 

Or good eats...

[Duke87]

I suppose, with proper timing, there is no real difference between roadkilled deer and buckshotted deer.

My issue then is that I'm grossed out by the idea of eating a wild animal regardless of how it got killed. I have this crazy thing where I feel like food needs to be industrially raised and processed in order to be fit for human consumption.