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Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

newengland.com

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Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#21

Post by mark-r »

smhost wrote: post #14
axaxs wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but it also sucks because so many people say 'i dont like apples', including me until my mid 20s. Red Delicious are awful in every metric. Once a friend opened my eyes to pink ladies and honeycrisps, I was blown away and felt..cheated somehow.

It's crazy. I always subconsciously assumed that Red Delicious apples were how apples have always been (because they taste/look so much less appetizing than the other ones, therefore they must be the most "natural"), and that those other apples were genetically modified. And, being an immigrant, I thought it might even be a cultural difference, and that Americans just prefer the taste of Red Delicious. This is blowin…

Now think of all the other areas of your life where the same thing has occurred, but you're not aware of it yet.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#22

Post by petespeed »

axaxs wrote: post #11
mark-r wrote: post #5

The Red Delicious stands out to me as the textbook example of the power of naming and marketing. The origin story is unbeatable. The power of a name on our perceptions is undeniable. Realizing all of this has been one of the most empowering discoveries of my adult life.

True, but it also sucks because so many people say 'i dont like apples', including me until my mid 20s. Red Delicious are awful in every metric. Once a friend opened my eyes to pink ladies and honeycrisps, I was blown away and felt..cheated somehow.

https://images.heb.com/is/image/HEBGrocery/article/apple-gui...

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#23

Post by wyldfire »

ggm wrote: post #16

Apples, like Tomato are textbook examples of what mechanised volume production and warehousing does to "tasty". You can either have cheap food, or you can have good food, but good cheap food (where good means nutritious, delicious) is a lot harder and Cheap generally beats out good anyway, for most people. Remember in context, we probably waste over 30% of the produce along the supply chain, seeking absolutely "perfe…

> Remember in context, we probably waste over 30% of the produce along the supply chain, seeking absolutely "perfect" blemish free apples in a tray, wrapped in plastic, cheaper than before.

over the last fifty years (or more?) grocery stores have evolved to have onsite bakeries/etc that take food that looks unappealing or would otherwise spoil soon and make them into prepared foods. Ready to eat meals, prepped ingredients, etc.

Though it's probably only down to 30% after efforts like these, though.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#24

Post by koyote »

I think it's quite interesting that it's taken so long for a lackluster tasting food to decline in popularity.

When I moved to the US from Western Europe, the relative difference in food quality was quite apparent and I distinctly remember noticing this first with the apples:

At first I thought I might have chosen a bad batch, but after a couple of more buys I realised that these apples looked 'perfect' but always tasted foamy. I assumed what the article confirms: the apples were chosen for their looks and not their taste.

What I think is weird about that mentality is that surely after the initial buy "oh these look declicious!", the consumer will try them and think "oh these don't taste good. I won't buy them again". Maybe it's just habit and it's taken a while for people to change that habit, especially if you never try anything different to compare it with.

I know a lot of Americans that do not like apples because all they've ever had were the foamy ones.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#27

Post by Swizec »

axaxs wrote: post #11
mark-r wrote: post #5

The Red Delicious stands out to me as the textbook example of the power of naming and marketing. The origin story is unbeatable. The power of a name on our perceptions is undeniable. Realizing all of this has been one of the most empowering discoveries of my adult life.

True, but it also sucks because so many people say 'i dont like apples', including me until my mid 20s. Red Delicious are awful in every metric. Once a friend opened my eyes to pink ladies and honeycrisps, I was blown away and felt..cheated somehow.

Have you tried a Cosmic Crisp? A truly superior apple.

Although its ability never to oxidize and turn brown feels downright unnatural. You can leave a cut cosmic crisp on the counter for days and it just stays yellowy white. Weird.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Crisp

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#28

Post by wyldfire »

petespeed wrote: post #22
axaxs wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but it also sucks because so many people say 'i dont like apples', including me until my mid 20s. Red Delicious are awful in every metric. Once a friend opened my eyes to pink ladies and honeycrisps, I was blown away and felt..cheated somehow.

https://images.heb.com/is/image/HEBGrocery/article/apple-gui...

This flavor axis omits Red Delicious' biggest weakness: the texture.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#29

Post by dheera »

wwweston wrote: post #15
koolba wrote: post #2

> “It turns out that a lot of the genes that coded for the flavor-producing compounds were on the same chromosomes as the genes for the yellow striped skin,” Traverso explains, “so as you favored the more consistently colored apples, you were essentially disfavoring the same genes that coded for great flavor. This is also why so many cultivars of tomato and cucumber taste like moist cardboard. Once you taste what the…

What's a good cucumber alternative and how do I get a hold of it?

Ideally get "Japanese cucumbers" from a Japanese grocery store, or get the "Persian cucumbers" from any grocery store that has decent typography in its logo (yes there is a HUGE correlation between logo typography and cucumber quality in my experience).

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#30

Post by axaxs »

Swizec wrote: post #27
axaxs wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but it also sucks because so many people say 'i dont like apples', including me until my mid 20s. Red Delicious are awful in every metric. Once a friend opened my eyes to pink ladies and honeycrisps, I was blown away and felt..cheated somehow.

Have you tried a Cosmic Crisp? A truly superior apple. Although its ability never to oxidize and turn brown feels downright unnatural. You can leave a cut cosmic crisp on the counter for days and it just stays yellowy white. Weird. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Crisp

I have. I don't know why, I just don't like them as much as I thought I would.

However, I find cripp's pink to be wildly variable. Some are beautifully crisp and very tart, these are my favorite. One store by me sells them and they just taste like red delicious, despite having the color and whatnot.

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