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Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

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Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#171

Post by patio11 »

rinze wrote: post #127
throwaway_bob wrote: post #63

I lived on henry street for a while, and I can't say that I know anything about the back end of the distribution network, but I can say this article is missing a lot of things about the front end. The produce is cheaper than a standard western store, but the quality is much more varied. Moreover, the market (in the economic sense) seems really efficient. If you see something cheap in Manhattan chinatown in every stor…

> For example, I have seen one place where if they have baskets of strawberries, and some of the strawberries are getting moldy, they will by hand separate out the non moldy ones, toss the moldy ones, and repackage the baskets. The financial crisis, explained with strawberries.

Well, to approximate a synthetic CDO squared, you'd first put all the moldy strawberries in a new basket, label it "Strawberries", send it to the rating agency where it would be rated AAA American strawberries, and then sell firms their choice of the least, middling, or most risky slices of the basket of "AAA American strawberries."

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#172

Post by sampo »

nommm-nommm wrote: post #144
wutbrodo wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Indian (dots) stores Huh?

It's a very impolite but common way that Americans differentiate the two groups of people that are called Indians when the context isn't clear. Native Americans (feathers) and people from India (dots). Feathers refers to Native headdress and dot refers to a bindi, the decoration commonly worn by Hindu women.

Is Indian (IT) and Indian (casino) equally impolite?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#173

Post by azernik »

taneq wrote: post #163
jimmywanger wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's an ethnic thing. But I definitely think it's a cultural thing. I agree with you about how many generations-removed you are from food production. Rather, how many steps/middlemen you're used to. For example: China is still a developing country with a generally low per capita income. You're intimately familiar with the seasons, and what's available when, and what it takes to get your food. Few can af…

Was gonna say "ethnic thing means the same as cultural thing", but apparently these days people are using "ethnic" to mean "racial" rather than, well, ethnic?

Ethnic is more specific than cultural; it generally refers to a package deal that includes language, historical narratives, customs, and sometimes religion. You can speak of, for example, Cajun or Sicilian ethnicity, but you can only speak of global consumer culture.

Which is I think what the above was referring to when they said it's cultural and not ethnic; it has to do with cultural factors that cross ethnic lines.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#174

Post by laxatives »

aj7 wrote: post #103
sukilot wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trade Joe's entire reason for existence is that most of their stuff, both packages and produce. is cheaper than other area stores. There are a private label store.

This is a common myth. I've concluded Trader Joe's exists to give a veneer of guilt-free-ness to buying junk food. Avoid the cheese and meat at all costs.

Trader Joe's is great for prepared meals, but they are absolutely the worst grocer with regard to meat and produce. Often substantially worse than discount grocers like Krogers or Smart and Final.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#176

Post by home_boi »

steveax wrote: post #147
throwaway_bob wrote: post #63

I lived on henry street for a while, and I can't say that I know anything about the back end of the distribution network, but I can say this article is missing a lot of things about the front end. The produce is cheaper than a standard western store, but the quality is much more varied. Moreover, the market (in the economic sense) seems really efficient. If you see something cheap in Manhattan chinatown in every stor…

> For example, I have seen one place where if they have baskets of strawberries, and some of the strawberries are getting moldy, they will by hand separate out the non moldy ones, toss the moldy ones, and repackage the baskets. Having worked produce in both regular chain markets, and in "gourmet natural foods" markets, I can assure you that this is a common practice.

Is this common place for frozen berries or are they generally packaged before any mold can occur?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#177

Post by ethbro »

patio11 wrote: post #171
rinze wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For example, I have seen one place where if they have baskets of strawberries, and some of the strawberries are getting moldy, they will by hand separate out the non moldy ones, toss the moldy ones, and repackage the baskets. The financial crisis, explained with strawberries.

Well, to approximate a synthetic CDO squared, you'd first put all the moldy strawberries in a new basket, label it "Strawberries", send it to the rating agency where it would be rated AAA American strawberries, and then sell firms their choice of the least, middling, or most risky slices of the basket of "AAA American strawberries."

You forgot about also shorting the eventual result of those re-packaged strawberries by buying options on bismuth subsalicylate.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#178

Post by home_boi »

laxatives wrote: post #174
aj7 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a common myth. I've concluded Trader Joe's exists to give a veneer of guilt-free-ness to buying junk food. Avoid the cheese and meat at all costs.

Trader Joe's is great for prepared meals, but they are absolutely the worst grocer with regard to meat and produce. Often substantially worse than discount grocers like Krogers or Smart and Final.

in terms of quality or pricing?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#179

Post by gnu8 »

steveax wrote: post #147
throwaway_bob wrote: post #63

I lived on henry street for a while, and I can't say that I know anything about the back end of the distribution network, but I can say this article is missing a lot of things about the front end. The produce is cheaper than a standard western store, but the quality is much more varied. Moreover, the market (in the economic sense) seems really efficient. If you see something cheap in Manhattan chinatown in every stor…

> For example, I have seen one place where if they have baskets of strawberries, and some of the strawberries are getting moldy, they will by hand separate out the non moldy ones, toss the moldy ones, and repackage the baskets. Having worked produce in both regular chain markets, and in "gourmet natural foods" markets, I can assure you that this is a common practice.

They all have mold on them. It's only the ones that have mold colonies large enough to be spotted by eye that are sorted out. Does that correspond to how much mold is dangerous? Who can say?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#180

Post by e12e »

coldtea wrote: post #130
r00fus wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure it works like that - you don't clean context just by changing the spelling.

You do if people also don't jump at the chance to tie it to the old concept.

Perhaps if you live in an area where the word "gypsy" isn't well-known - but it would be in most of Europe at least. And given the history of abuse and oppression (eg: forced sterilization, even before the nazi concentration camps) it's not really a word that should be forgotten - in the sense that forgetting history is a great way to later repeat the same mistakes, and commit similar abuse.

I don't really see how "jipped" doesn't end up pronounced as "gypped" - so the connotation remains. FWIW the Moby Thesaurus lists a long litany of synonyms along the lines of "con man" and "cheat" for the term "gypper".

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