Dear Aks: I can't tell you how touched and appreciative I am by your kind offer of some of your prize beef.1 I have made an inspection of the deep freeze and find that we can keep quite a bunch of beef at a temperature around zero. I believe the best thing to do would be to butcher and hang the beef until cured; then cut it up in order to express it in compact form. (Incidentally, and before I forget it, just ship it express, insured and collect.) I assume that the curing process is four to five weeks at this time of year.
For us in our present state I think that the most convenient form for a roast, for example, is about a four-rib roast. Steaks we usually cut about an inch or an inch and a quarter thick, and normally wrap two of them together. The shanks, or what I frequently refer to as the soup bones, we cut up in lengths of about six inches.
We have people in the kitchen who can cut the steer themselves (we have a power saw), but I am not sure that you could ship it by express unless it were cut up. If you prefer to send it as one piece, why not just send a quarter--it would make a handier package and I wouldn't feel quite so overpowered by the munificence and extraordinary generosity of your gift.2
We have been very busy today and it is entirely possible that this letter does not make much sense. If so, send me a short wire and I will call you on the phone. In any event, my gratitude for your thoughtfulness is very sincere. As ever
