Today, I am going to rant about the most mundane thing in the world. If you don't want to read a rant about the most mundane thing in the world, then you can stop right here and do something else, because I don't want to be bitched at for ranting about the most mundane thing in the world.
Living in California for over 15 years made me appreciate good produce. It seemed as if everything was lush at the grocery store, and even better at the farmers' markets. Everything tasted fan-fucking-tastic, as well as being easy to clean, peel, dice, whatever. The produce was PerfectProduce, known to leap buildings in single bounds; you know, just for fun.
Living in Idaho for 9 years has made me appreciate California's produce even more. The veggies here suck, kids. We don't even get halfway decent potatoes. The carrots are dry and flavorless, the broccoli gritty and tough, the courgettes small and acidic. Things aren't much better at the local Co-Op, where veggies cost 4 times more than the ones at Winco, and really don't taste much better. The farmers' markets are great here, but to tell you the truth, I'm just too lazy to go that far out of my way for a worthwhile pepper.
I am obviously a child of the 21st century, so I get rather peeved if things aren't the way I think they should be. Then again, I think I blame too many things I find annoying on the way people in general think these days. The want for instant gratification comes to mind, and having to wait more than, say, a week for something is not my idea of a good time. I want my oranges to be as large as the grapefruits here. I want the skins easily peelable, the fruit tender and juicy, and I don?t want it to taste like crap. Really, is this too much to ask?
Obviously so. Considering Idaho receives more than its fair share of produce from California, one would think that the options in general would be more gratifying. See, California, I believe, does a switcheroo. They take all of the really good stuff and sell it to their own people. Once that's done, anything that belongs in the litterbin gets shipped out to the other 49 states and many other countries.
(Learn A Thing Or Two About Potatoes!)
Idaho, on the other hand, does the opposite. The people making the money off of the potatoes (and whatever else they grow here) pick the best, shiniest, fluffiest, loveliest potatoes from the bunch, ship them off to the other 49 (and possibly other countries?). After that, they pick out the next-best potatoes and make them into French fries for McBarfald?' and other McRestaurants, instant spuds for the lazy, etc. After that, they just wrap up everything else and sell it to the home-growns, whom, I've found, can eat them raw. Seriously. Gross.
So I'm pissed about the produce. And if I get one more bag of salad that's already halfway rotted, I'm going to pop.
Hear hear. Not much better in KS either. That's why I'm so pathologically excited about my garden.
If I could send you tomatoes, I would.
Posted by: Auntie Sarah at May 26, 2004 5:11 PM