Saturday, August 4, 2007

The Forbidden Apple?

So this is my first blog on an observation, that I think would benefit you too, and indeed this is the event that actually motivated the timing of my blog debut.

I recently bought three 'Red Delicious apples'-----(and that is their category name), at The Food Emporium, a chain of upscale grocery stores located largely in Manhattan and Westchester on the East Coast. I picked the apples at their prime Upper East side location----and paid $4.39 for 3 such apples. At home, I unintentionally left one apple soaked in a bowl of tap water, for an hour (I had started to wash the apple thoroughly as I am wont to, and then got distracted by a phone call, and did not visit the apple till an hour later). And what do I see? The 7/8 part of the apple that was submerged in water, was covered with very queer streaks of white paint like substance. The 1/8 portion of the apple never underwater was still shining spotless red---just as I had picked it from the store. I tried to wash off the white substance----but it did not go away, even on scratching it. The apple was surely not tempting anymore!

I took it to the store manager shortly, and handed the apple to him, to 'investigate' on it, suggesting to him to get the apples tested by some 'Food Inspectors'. He promised to get back to me in 3 days time. In the meanwhile, I performed similar 'water' experiments on the remaining two apples--and all gave similar 'white' results. I then picked 3 more apples----two similar 'Red declicious apples' and one 'Gala' apple (this does not look as shiny and is certainly not a bright red) from 2 different vendors in the city. Gave the same 'water' treatment to these apples---and they came out fresh and smiling in their original coats after an hour each.

Three days passed. I narrated the whole episode to the Manager, and he came back with a paltry---"this is just food wax.....please feel free to take exchange apples for your experimental apples...I can't do anything else......this is edible wax.......and frankly I eat a lot of fruits, but I don't eat apples!!!!!!!!"(not exact quotes---but I exactly recall the content of each of his sentences).

You decide---what to do!

I have of course boycotted Food Emporium forever. Clearly, in a bid to polish up its produce, for its high-end clients, Food Emporium is either on its own, or through its supplier, selling 'edible wax' instead of harmless, nutritious fruits. I can definitely do with some little wax on my apples.

Having read up further then about apples, I am told that if you are a person who cares to buy anything organic, then apples are the first set of fruits you should buy O----since apples in general have the greatest tendency to pick up pesticide/fertilizer residuals inside their skins.

1 comment:

Pam said...

You made me do it - just went and stuck one of my "red delicious" apples in water... you do know they are native to my state!!! will tell you how it turns out after a hour...

Keep up the blogging... first the calcium reminder - now the apple warning - you're going to make us healthy... teeheehee...

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