Equality for produce
Appearance matters. My mother has been telling me that for years. Business experts say you should dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. And it’s certainly fair to say that there are very few obese CEO’s out there. But where else does appearance matter?
Apparently, it matters in our produce, or to be more specific, European produce. I never really wondered why when I went to the pumpkin farm I would see all sorts of weird shaped pumpkins (which, of course, I would pass right by) but when I go to the supermarket I only see perfectly shaped carrots. As it turns out, there are laws about such things… well at least in Europe. But the European Union is breaking down those barriers and creating equality for 26 lucky fruits and vegetables; where shape and size will no longer matter. Well, that is, if the consumer can get past the stigma placed on buying deformed produce. Apples, strawberries, peaches, pears, tomatoes, and others were not so lucky.
I would buy a deformed banana. Would you?
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Totally. I would buy any deformed fruit/vegetable, because it would inspire me to believe — possibly delusionally — that it hasn’t been homogenized to death and may still have some flavor left. When we go apple-picking, I pick a lot of misshapen apples as long as I like the color and the texture. They have more personality.
Laws about such things, huh… Figures.
Growing up in a european country that had nothing to do with any of these regulations ( Romania 1980), I had a lot of fun looking in my parents’ garden for the unusual shapes of fruits and vegetables. I would play with them and eat them after.
not I! Perhaps it is the perfectionist in me but I can spend hours in the grocery department sorting through fruits & veggies & try to pick the ones that look the best. “Don’t judge a book by its cover”- Well I guess the same should be said of a fruit but the truth is we do!!! Perhaps my quest for the perfect fruit & veggie is a fault of mine cuz at the end of the day regardless of shape or size- the taste will be the same.
I do buy them and eat them. I run an organic produce coop pod in my town. We often get fantastic deals on odd-shaped goods from the finest organic farms in the area. They can’t sell them at the American grocery stores, so our group snaps them up. Imperfect produce tastes perfect, especially when it’s from the highest quality growers who use healthy, ethical and sustainable farming methods.
Kristen, where are you located? I want some funny-shaped produce.
I’m in Montclair, NJ, and I’m affiliated with Purple Dragon, which is awesome. I also found some great food coops when I lived in NYC and in Upstate, NY. The food coops really do let you get the highest quality fruits and veggies for the lowest prices possible. Plus, I try a lot of things I wouldn’t normally buy. Kohlrabi, for instance? It was totally weird looking–like a little robot. But delicious!