Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

201–210 of 246 posts

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#201

Post by seanmcdirmid »

spraak wrote: post #106
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is almost right...but the western style supermarkets in China like bgh are still very Chinese. A lot of produce comes shrink wrapped, which is something I have never seen in the states before! And it is annoying, because they will hide wilted leaves under good ones...damn it. In general, I find shopping for veggies in China nerve wracking, and it's mostly my Chinese wife doing the picking while I'm just waiting…

In Hawai'i produce shipped from the mainland can come shrink wrapped, such as cabbage. But also there is a lot of local produce here, so it's easy to avoid that. I think mostly it's also the "Western" style to ship something all the way to Hawai'i when it is growing not too far from the store itself.. a lot of local people shop at stores like Safeway that stock shipped produce.. it's unfortunate but it seems to be ch…

Interesting. In this case, I think all the produce is grown in Beijing or hebei, not sure why they think they need to package it.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#202

Post by e12e »

gpetukhov wrote: post #188
e12e wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 "j…

Then let's also prohibit the word 'slave' which originates from 'slav', because many slavs were sold into slavery in the middle ages. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=slave Words do lose their negative connotations, especially with different spelling.

Slav and slave have different pronunciation, not just different spelling (and actually, 'slav' in the meaning of slavic people was also spelled 'slave' - not sure if that was with a silent 'e' on the end or not). It's also as I understand it a name given to the slavic people by themselves: "Slav \Slav\ (sl[aum]v or sl[a^]v), n.; pl. {Slavs}. [A word originally meaning, intelligible, and used to contrast the people so called with foreigners who spoke languages unintelligible to the Slavs; akin to OSlav. slovo a word, slava fame, Skr. [,c]ru to hear. Cf. {Loud}.] (Ethnol.) One of a race of people occupying a large part of Eastern and Northern Europe, including the Russians, Bulgarians, Roumanians, Servo-Croats, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Wends or Sorbs, Slovaks, etc. [Written also {Slave}, and {Sclav}.] [1913 Webster]"

I'm reminded of a quote about what if the German army named their machines of war after the people they tried to exterminate, like the Apache helicopter etc.

I'm not saying we should "prohibit" words, I'm just saying I don't quite see how one could make much of a case for "gypping" being a word that isn't steeped in history of abuse of and discrimination against the Roma people. As recent as the 70s and 80s (and even to this day) for most of Europe. Eg, to quote song "Magnificent Seven" by the Clash: "What Do We Have For Entertainment? / Cops Kickin' Gypsies On The Pavement". (I never interpreted the song any other way than as a critique of systematic abuse by the police, and callousness of mass media - not as a slur by the Clash against "gypsies").

Just because "nigger" is derived from "negro" and means "black" doesn't automatically mean we can choose to pretend black people hasn't been and still are victim of racism, and decide that "nigger is now ok to use".

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#203

Post by kalleboo »

DanBC wrote: post #111
mc32 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They definitely missed the point about ugly fruit and vegetables. From speaking to some of the vendors of cheaper fruits and veggies at farmer's markets, some of them (but not all) buy the second dibs (what the supermarkets and their other obligations don't buy) as well as more irregular fruit and produce. Now, of course there is a growing ugly fruit and vegetable movement[1]. It's becoming more mainstream and even W…

Here are two such schemes, and a BBC radio programme (available as MP3 download): http://www.frutafeia.pt/en http://www.uglyfruits.eu/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05mpx0k

Australia too https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/Discover/our-brands/the-o...

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#204

Post by Asooka »

e12e wrote: post #180
coldtea wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 "j…

"gypsy" is the English word, it's not used in Europe. Here we either call them https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangal_%28barbecue%29 from Turkish or https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%84%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%B3%CE%B... from Greek. And I really doubt the Roma themselves would care one bit about your political correctness debate.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#205

Post by IanCal »

praptak wrote: post #197
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.

That would be gathering the moldy ones instead of tossing them. And perhaps putting them into an opaque "high risk, great price" strawberry basket.

To torture an analogy further.

There are lots and lots of strawberries of various different ages in a big pile. Some will be fine for the week and others are hours away from exploding in furry mould.

Someone splits them into the newest and oldest strawberries, and attaches a higher price to the former.

Someone then buys the older ones, and splits them again into the freshest and oldest. And so on, and so on until each group of strawberries is a set of near identical ages.

Finally, a customer comes along looking for strawberries to supply Wimbledon. It's in two days!

They find the basket of the very cheapest strawberries, and when asked how long they'll last they're told "Well, some will go off, but it's not like they'll all go off at the same time! As long as you buy them assuming maybe 5% will have gone off you'll be fine". One day later and 70% of them go mouldy and the rich folks at Wimbledon are shocked at the sudden shortage of strawberries.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#206

Post by RP_Joe »

tn13 wrote: post #150
wutbrodo wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Indian (dots) stores Huh?

Clarification: Americans confuse Indians between those from Bharat/India and Native Americans. Dots and feathers is a common way to differentiate between both. I am from India.

Are you offended by (dots)?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#207

Post by developer2 »

ams6110 wrote: post #148
steveax wrote: post #147

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. Having worked produce in both regular chain markets, and in "gourmet natural foods" markets, I can assure you that this is a common practice.

Makes sense to me. I get moldy strawberries so often at the local supermarket that I absolutely open the container and rumage around before I buy. If they bothered to remove the moldy ones for me, I'd appreciate it. What's the alternative? Should they be throwing away the entire container?

Mould is not like dirt that can just be rubbed off the product. If a package of strawberries has some mouldy berries in it, then that mould has already spread to its neighbours without being visible. All they're doing is repackaging the berries that don't have any visible mould on them, and that mould will grow very quickly.

If you buy a supposedly "mould-free" bundle that was repackaged from a mouldy bundle, the entire batch is likely to rot within a day or two of purchase.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#208

Post by dalke »

x1798DE wrote: post #153
sitharus wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think GP means Indians from India instead of American Indians but is using a racial stereotype to describe this.

I understand that the dot/feather thing is considered crass, but I will say it's a bit overboard to be offended at it. The idea isn't that all India Indians have dots or whatever, it's just synechdoche, where one aspect of the broader culture stands in for the whole. Like if you said, "He's from America - suit not cowboy boots." (Referring to urban vs rural America) it would hardly be offensive as a stereotype.

"Yankee" or simply "Yank" is a synechdoche that the British use for people from the US.

Tell a 6th generation Georgian whose family farm was destroyed by Sherman's March to the Sea that he's a "Yankee" and see what response you'll get.

And your 'suit not cowboy boots' comparison doesn't even make sense. In the parts of the US where cowboy boots are popular in rural areas, they are also popular in urban areas. Visit Dallas and see that dress cowboy boots go just fine with a suit. Governors and legislators, President Bush and innumerable wedding party members, have all paired cowboy boots and suits.

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#209

Post by amelius »

mc32 wrote: post #101
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…

They definitely missed the point about ugly fruit and vegetables. From speaking to some of the vendors of cheaper fruits and veggies at farmer's markets, some of them (but not all) buy the second dibs (what the supermarkets and their other obligations don't buy) as well as more irregular fruit and produce. Now, of course there is a growing ugly fruit and vegetable movement[1]. It's becoming more mainstream and even W…

Can't restaurants just use the ugly food?

Re: Why Fruits and Veggies Are So Cheap in Chinatown

#210

Post by dforrestwilson »

tacostakohashi wrote: post #72

I can't help but think that this article, and other comments, gloss over some major, obvious factors: 1) More than anything else - high volumes, low margins, and intense competition. People travel to Chinatown from all over NYC to buy at those prices. When they do, they're often making a long trip (in many cases, over an hour), and so they buy in much higher quantities than they would at a local grocer or supermarket…

Yeah the tax thing is notable too. You see this quite a bit in NYC. Cash-only stores and restaurants can more easily misreport their income. Less paper trail to follow....
Post reply on HN