aster wrote:Yeah, question of taste I guess, but I'm all for the cherry red, lean beef with not a hint of white stuff on it.

Same with sushi and the real fatty salmon - I just prefer the lean stuff (which already has enough white lines as it is).
Seems like Japan would be the perfect place for me, with what I like most being priced oppositely to what I like least.

'Hmm, it depends' - as they are fond of saying in Japan, in a non-committal way, so as not to risk offending anyone.
When something like a Wagyu steak is served up you don't see the marbling, all you notice is the juiciness. If a steak (raw) comes with a fat rind, it should be cooked with that on.
Fillet of beef carries less fat, and has no rind, but it has less flavour than other cuts like sirloin (or rib-eye or rump) as a direct result: Same reason with fillet of pork, which is
even lower fat (oh yes!), more dry, and less flavourful than other cuts.
Fillet of beef is more tender than sirloin, as the fillet muscles do little hard work, ladies-of-leisure vs the Chuck Norris other cuts. The more work the muscle does, the tougher it is.
Cherry red beef = fresh. We could discuss the virtues of that, and hanging/ageing. Suffice it to say well aged beef turns almost chestnut brown.
For salmon. A general rule of thumb I follow, is choose pieces with the 'white lines' that are faintest and closest together, they will be the most tender.