Sunday, February 03, 2008

even queen-like?


I considered not posting Deb's explanation of what a Meat Raffle is, but I will.
This sign is posted (next to the pull tab rules) at a local Northeast Minneapolis watering hole where the big winner of the meat raffle is crowned. Don't worry, there's a king, too. For those not in the know, meat raffles are popular events here where folks can spend $1 for a chance to spin and win fresh meat at the local bars. The money collected goes to charitable organizations.
It remains, though, that winning some meat does not actually make you a queen.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

what an honor. i'd like to thank all the little people, and bovine, who made this possible.

thank you, though, bethany -truly- for posting the explanation. i might have lost sleep over this one. i still might. when did meat become a hot bar game prize? is this feudal england? how much meat are we talking? are there actual meat crowns involved? does this, in fact, bring new meaining to the phrase "meat market"?

Ericka Bailie-Byrne said...

I knew this had to be from the upper Midwest. I live in Minneapolis & had never heard of a meat raffle before moving here. I'm sure they exist outside the upper Midwest, but they're fairly prevalent here.

CL said...

There are more unnecessary quotation marks in the sign next to it, under rule number five:

5. No "Freezing" of jars.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous" 3/2 asked all the important questions I think. I will be waiting impatiently for an answer.

Not quite the Bradys said...

Explanation notwithstanding, I will never get over the phrase "meat raffle". Forget about the dubious "royalty".

Anonymous said...

Depending on which bar you play at, there are generally about 10 to 15 hunks of meat from local butchers, places people get excited about. "Ooh, this bacon is from Von Hanson's, they sell great meat!" For each round there are 30 tickets sold for $1 each and when all are sold the raffle dude spins the wheel. The winning number gets their choice of whatever meat remains, which is usually displayed on a pool table or kept in a cooler. Sometimes the meat is frozen, sometimes it's fresh. There's always a reason to leave the bar right after the raffle if you win, to get your meat home to the fridge. Unless it's sub-zero temps as it so often is here in Minnesota, then you can just throw it in the car trunk. You might win filet mignon, maybe ground beef, perhaps stuffed chicken breasts. In the summer you might win walleye, which everyone wants so you're sad when someone else picks it ahead of you. Sometimes you can also have the chance to win a free drink, which is doubly thrilling. If you're me, you usually don't win, but you try to feel better knowing the local high school sports team will get some new uniforms because of you.

Why do people like to win meat? It's meat!! And it's an excuse to drink!

bethany said...

Yeah, Deb, that explanation does not make it any less weird. I don't think the meat raffle is going to sweep the nation anytime soon.

DP said...

Drag queen, perhaps?

I'd prefer meat raffles to the local gun raffles.

Melissa said...

Actually the first time I experienced the meat raffle was when I was living in New Zealand with my husband's family.

It's very common for a bar to raffle off a meat pack consisting of all sorts of lamb and beef cuts.

It has been going on forever. My husband made a comment that his grandfather was very lucky and won the meat raffle often and when he died the luck when to my father-in-law.

Anonymous said...

Just for the record, I have lived in Minnesota for 29 of my 34 years, and I had never heard of a meat raffle until a few months ago. I am just as disturbed as anyone.

Anonymous said...

I one day aspire to become a meat king. Simply for the reason that I want to one day have a meat court and meat subjects. Not to mention I could rule over all of the little meatlings within my meat castle walls and in the surrounding meat area.

Anonymous said...

I'd say that this isn't technically wrong. After all, it would seem that she's the queen of meat raffle, in that she's very lucky. Just as someone says "And onto the plate comes... John "The King" Doe!!!".