I've had mixed experiences with fruit in general since coming to America. I've found that the prices, in general, are similar to those in America, but you get a lot more for your money here. If you have a family or are a big fruit eater, this is a good thing. If you're the only person who eats a particular fruit, such as, watermelon in my case, then paying $5 for a big one means that you're either throwing away some of it or force-feeding it to yourself for an extremely long time.
The truth is that the sizes of food in Japan tended to suit me better. I guess that, if I didn't mind wasting food or cramming enormous melons into my refrigerator, I'd be happier with the size of fruit in the U.S. As it is, managing the (usually) mammoth melons is annoying enough that I rarely buy them at all. I miss those compact little melons.
Posts
I LOVE little watermelons, my husband can't stand watermelon. So its a solo venture for me anytime I want any. Not sure if you have run across this, but I have more so the older I have gotten... the fruit really has been tasting more and more watery instead of fruity the longer out of season it is available. I won't complain about having strawberries available year round but they just don't taste as great ALL year round. Speaking of, it's almost that time of year here where I live: Strawberry Festival *drool*.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely have had the same experience as you with the watermelon - both here and in Japan. They taste much more watery and less sweet as the years go by. I have had to salt them nearly every time to taste anything at all and I never had to do that 20 years ago.
DeleteI also find the same issues as you with the strawberries - good sometimes, not so good others, but the bar for strawberries is much lower. ;-)
I think Susie and you are describing what has happened since globalization has come to the world of produce.
DeleteOne can get many fruits and veggies that have been grown all around the world when they are not 'in season' locally. The downside is that often in shipping it so far away it has to get picked before it is ripe. So, it lacks the same flavor, sweetness, etc that locally grown produce has.
Another downside is that this kind of produce contributes to global warming because it is shipped such long distances. The CO2 released to accomplish this is not generally known/talked about but it is significant.
Both of these are good reasons to primarily buy locally grown produce...at least for some people anyway.