Birds in cages ding points on meat market inspection

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Bird is the word, and it is absurd. The Food Patrol busted a meat market owner.

The meat market owner's explanation of why the birds chirp in the same room as the sirloin steak and a seafood spot is earning a top performer sticker for doing all the right things.

Here’s what’s que rico and what’s que asco in this week’s Food 4 Thought!

The Food Patrol surprised the team of Masicos Tulum, located at 102 North 77 Sunshine Strip in Harlingen.

They received a perfect 100 score on their May 29 Harlingen Health Department inspection report, making them this week’s top performer.

“Wow, that’s great!” Daisy Sanchez, an employee of Mariscos Tulum, said.

Sanchez is all smiles, and so are the customers, when plates come from the clean kitchen.

(Courtesy of Jose Cabello)

If having a hard time deciding what to order, Vivi Delgado, manager of Mariscos Tulum, suggested the alfredo pasta.

“I love pasta or ceviche,” Vivi Delgado, manager of Mariscos Tulum, said.

No matter what you order, Delgado and Sanchez recommend an agua fresca.

Whatever dish calls to you, it is coming from a top performer.

That’s que rico!

But it’s que asco time!

The Food Patrol is heading to La Colmena Meat Market, located at 10900 Monte Cristo Rd in Edinburg.

(ValleyCentral, Food 4 Thought)

The meat market had a total of 20 violations on its May 28 Hidalgo County health inspection report.

The report notes how there is a bird cage in the same room where customers buy their beef.

The health department ordered them to get the birds out previously, and gave them one business day to do it, according to the inspection report.

The Food Patrol is flying in to see if the birds are still flapping, and sure enough, they are chirping and singing sweet songs.

The owner said the birds are back because they are closing anyway, and the kitchen is already closed.

However, it is still a violation since they are slicing and selling meat.

He told the Food Patrol that he will tell one of his employees to get them out tomorrow.

And that’s Food 4 Thought!

Que rico!

Que asco!

Congratulations to Mariscos Tulum. If you stop by, take a picture with the sticker!

Remember that you are a part of the food patrol.

If you see something que asco or gross, take a video, a picture, and send it to your local health department.

Send it over to the Food Patrol at News@KVEO.COM.

A message to all the restaurants is that the food patrol is always watching.