Well I'm glad I was right.
We don't wash meat in ammonia over here. It's not allowed thank god.
As I mentioned, whether or not the meat is still good has a lot to do with the temp it's been kept in, but to add to that, how much time it's actually been exposed to air for, and that's the problem with some meat. If it's come straight off the hook, been ground then packaged, chances of contamination are low. If it were ground then put on a tray in the window of the shop, chances of contamination are high.
There are so many variables, but it comes down mostly to texture, smell, appearance and finally taste.
BTW, I assume you're all aware that the reason asian countries (and others) use so many spices is because of the lack of refridgeration which causes the meat to go rancid, so rather than waste it, it gets cooked for hours in a pot with lots of flavours so you can't taste the meat anymore.
eta: and obviously it's not killing them off too quickly. Last time I blinked there were still more asian people around than you can poke a stick at.