Usually the topics for my posts are chosen quite intentionally--I see something exotic on the shelves, or I look at where a products is made, or sometimes I even order it special online. But not always. Recently, I was shopping for corned beef at my local grocery, and brought back a couple of samples to see which one was better. Later I happened to glance at the labels on the can, and voila, both were from the South American country of Uruguay. Specifically I tried the corned beef from Libby's and then the Shop-Rite store brand.
Once again, I ran into some overlap with previous posts, so that will affect how I approach this one. I covered the history of the Libby's company in my post on canned sausages on March 14, 2020. (Very briefly, the company was founded in 1869, and is now owned by ConAgra.) Then, in my post on "bully beef" on February 23, 2019 I went into depth about the history of corned beef itself. Also, I've discussed the Shop-Rite supermarket many times, and I don't really have anything new to say about this business. So, I won't repeat myself here. If you're interested in the companies, or the food type itself, you know where to find this information. Otherwise, I'll just review the two cans of corned beef, and then touch upon a brief overview of famous people from, and fun facts about the nation of Uruguay.
Libby's and Shop-Rite brand corned beef: Normally I would list each of these separately. But I'm not going to do this now because they were basically identical. Both cans were 12 ounces (340 grams), and contained beef that was reddish with some whitish streaks, and had a pleasant odor. Both I tried plain, and then on crackers, with ketchup as a seasoning. Some I put refried beans on, too. Or kind of like a basic, non-fancy version of canapes, I suppose. The results were good. Corned beef by itself I find a bit overly salty, but put it on a cracker, and add ketchup (or other things), and it's quite tasty. I haven't had it this way, but I imagine it would also make a good sandwich. I probably should have tried a blind taste test to see if I could tell the difference between the Libby's and the Shop-Rite kinds, but I really doubt I would have. Furthermore, I doubt I could tell the difference between these two and the two other kinds I had before, detailed in the previous bully beef post. In short, I theorize that all canned corned beef tastes pretty much the same, and as long as you add things like seasoning or toppings, it's all more than solid. I'll try to remember to have some fresh, deli-style corned beef when I can, and compare that to these canned versions. But as of now if you like beef in general you'll probably enjoy this, too. I should also mention that in my store the Libby's is significantly more expensive, by more than $2 a can. Which is why the additional cans I've bought for the household are all the Shop-Rite brand.
Uruguay, as it turns out, is quite a secular country. Very progressive, too, when it comes to separation of church and state, reproductive rights access, and its treatment of LGBT folks. As well as being environmentally conscious, as at least 97% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, such as hydroelectric plants and wind farms. It's also not shocking that I bought a beef export from it, since per capita its citizens eat the most beef annually, at 124 pounds (or about 56.25 kilos), with Argentina a close second at 120 pounds/54.4 kilos, and Hong Kong a strong 3rd at 114 pounds/51.7 kilos a year. Its national anthem is the longest in the world, taking about 5 minutes to perform. Moving on, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina have an unusual holiday--every 29th day of each month is gnocchi day, wherein the Italian potato pasta is celebrated and consumed. Furthermore, Uruguay and Argentina are credited with the invention of the tango dance, as it was developed along their shared border in the 1880's.
Now let's move to their famous citizens, or at least people with Uruguayan heritage. First off, one of the country's biggest accomplishments is winning the World Cup in 1930 and 1950. It's pretty amazing that such a small country was able to do this twice. Along the same lines, Uruguay's only Olympic gold medals were won by their men's 1924 and 1928 soccer teams. In the sport of boxing the country's best known participant is probably heavyweight Alfredo Evangelista. In his career from 1975-88 he complied a record of 61-13-4, including losses to Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Leon Spinks, and Greg Page. Esteban Batista reached the NBA briefly, playing center with the Atlanta Hawks from 2005-07. He started 3 of 70 total games, and per game averaged 1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 0.3 steals. Tennis player Andy Ram is half Uruguayan and half Israeli, and recently retired. He was mostly a doubles player, and included among his 19 ATP wins was a doubles win at the Australian Open in 2008, with Jonathan Erlich.
In the world of film, arguably the most famous Uruguayan is Fede Alvarez, who wrote and directed the "Evil Dead" remake (2013), "Don't Breathe" (2016), and "The Girl in the Spider's Web" (2018). He also produced and wrote "Don't Breathe 2" (2021). The first, and to date only Academy Award winner of Uruguayan heritage is musician Jorge Drexler, who won for Best Original Song in 2005 for "Al Otro Lado del rio," which was in the 2004 movie "The Motorcycle Diaries." Finally, George DelHoyo is now an American, but was born in Uruguay. He's been both an actor and a voice actor for decades, appearing in such television shows as "Quincy" (1978-82), "Night Court" (1988), "Cheers" (1988), "Frasier" (1993-95), "9-1-1" (2019), and "Days of Our Lives" (1986-21). He's also a medical doctor, specializing in the ear, nose, and throat.
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