Subject: Melons
Thought this might interest some Ties-Talkers...
The Magical Melon Returns
http://latimes.com/features/food/la-000069843aug29.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfood
- A man recalls an episode from his childhood in Japan,
when he forgot a precious $100 melon on a train
Subject: Re: Melons
> The Magical Melon Returns
>
http://latimes.com/features/food/la-000069843aug29.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfood
> - A man recalls an episode from his childhood in Japan,
> when he forgot a precious $100 melon on a train
What a terrific bit of writing! Thanks for sending the link.
I used to love melons -- both cantaloupes and honeydews, but alas,
as I have gotten older, I have become allergic to them. In recent years, I became allergic
to watermelons too, but I had some last month at a party and didn't get sick,
so maybe I should try a melon again.....
Subject: Re: Melons
> I used to love melons -- both cantaloupes and honeydews,
> but alas, as I have gotten older, I have become allergic to
> them. In recent years, I became allergic to watermelons
> too, but I had some last month at a party and didn't get
> sick, so maybe I should try a melon again.....
What are your symptoms? I have heard of cases of "allergy"
that turned out to be food poisoning from eating at a buffet
where the fruit had been cut with a contaminated knife.
The pattern of sensitivities you describe indicates a real
allergy, though. In addition to cantaloupes, honeydew melons,
and watermelons, one of the links below suggests that you
also should avoid related things like casaba melon, cucumber,
Persian melon, pumpkin, and squash.
IntelliHealth: Food Families: Avoiding Related Foods
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/7945/8216/20813.html?d=dmtContent
Oral Allergy Syndrome: Food Sensitivities and Symptoms
http://www.allerg.qc.ca/orallas.html
Subject: Re: Melons
> The Magical Melon Returns
>
http://latimes.com/features/food/la-000069843aug29.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfood
> - A man recalls an episode from his childhood in Japan,
> when he forgot a precious $100 melon on a train
This piece reminded me of a news story I saw
on Japanese TV a few years ago. The segment
warned people who were planning to visit
New York City about con men who had come up
with a novel and culturally specific way to
bilk Japanese tourists out of their money.
They would buy a $2 cantaloupe or honeydew
at the local grocery store, then hang out
at popular tourist spots. When they spotted
a suitably distracted "mark" (taking photos,
perhaps?) they would bump into them and let
the melon fall to the pavement. Over the
smashed remains, they would insist that it
was the Japanese tourist's fault and demand
compensation. The tourist, not knowing that
fruit is much cheaper here than in Japan,
would fork over what they thought the melon
was worth, netting the con artist a healthy profit.
These days, an Asian tourist with a camera
is just as (or more) likely to be Korean or
Chinese. I don't know if the scam would work
on them. How are melons viewed in those cultures?
Fruit is cheaper in North America than Japan,
but to some extent you get what you pay for.
It may be different in producer states like
California, Florida and Hawai'i, but I find
that too often North American fruit is
flavourless, having been picked well before
it is ripe so that it won't spoil during
transport to wherever. Last week I had a
honeydew that was more like an uri.
Subject: Re: Melons
> Fruit is cheaper in North America than Japan,
> but to some extent you get what you pay for.
> It may be different in producer states like
> California, Florida and Hawai'i, but I find
> that too often North American fruit is flavourless,
> having been picked well before it is ripe so that
> it won't spoil during transport to wherever.
The expensive fruit is sweeter here in Japan than in America.
The sweet corn is better too. My wife teaches English and often
gets good fruit as omiyage (gifts).
I (a non-Nikkei) live in the middle of rice paddies and farmer's fields and
orchards, so the prices aren't as high as in Tokyo or the other cities.
I have "volunteer" melons growing out of my compost heap.
The cheese is really bad, mostly bland processed stuff, except there is
a good foreign foods store in the nearest big city (40 minute drive)
that carries sharp cheddar cheese from my home state of Minnesota.
If you go here, you can see a photo of my Akita dog in the wheat
field behind our house. It was taken this spring:
http://attach1.egroups.com/group/Akita-G/attach/181125/3389/gs-18=11=181125/10-1-4-100/image=jpeg/Aut_0012.jpg
If this link above is cut in your email reader, go here and then click on the file:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Akita-G/message/3389
Subject: Re: Melons
> > Fruit is cheaper in North America than Japan,
> > but to some extent you get what you pay for.
>
> The expensive fruit is sweeter here in Japan
> than in America.
But for $100! I (a sansei) actually didn't notice much difference between fruit in
Japan compared to California (except price and packaging), but I wasn't
paying that much attention.
> It may be different in producer states like
> California, Florida and Hawai'i, but I find
> that too often North American fruit is flavourless,
> having been picked well before it is ripe so that
> it won't spoil during transport to wherever.
I think it does matter whether one is getting produce closer to where
it is grown versus whether it is shipped in from afar. Often, the stuff
in most grocery stores near me is pretty lame and overpriced.
I've found that the quality and price varies, but usually one can get
wonderful produce at low prices when it is in season, and when
purchased from the roadside or farmer's markets. One of the local
farmer's markets here seems to sell stuff grown in Nikkei-owned farms, by the way.
Isn't Chino farms the Nikkei run company made famous by Chez Panisse
chef Alice Waters?
Subject: Re: Melons
> But for $100!
You won't find prices like that where I live in rural Japan, only in the
big cities where the people don't know farmers and/or don't know better.
:^)
But you should see the labor intensive care given to the fruit here.
Many are grown in net enclosures and when the fruit reaches a certain size,
bags are tied around them while they are still on the tree. Students of my
wife, a couple sisters, belong to a farm family that grows grapes.
One of the jobs is to go out and shape each grape as it is growing.
This type of attention takes time, labor and, therefore, money.
> Often, the stuff in most grocery stores near me
> is pretty lame and overpriced. I've found that
> the quality and price varies, but usually one can
> get wonderful produce at low prices when it is
> in season, and when purchased from the roadside
> or farmer's markets.
I agree. The best way to get around the common American
practice of picking fruit and vegetables before they are ripe is to go to the
Farmer's Market. When we lived in St. Paul (in a old railroad warehouse
converted into an artists cooperative) the farmer's market was right accross the street.
It is also an ecological sound practice to buy locally.
Here is a photo of a couple of grandmothers working out in the
field in front of our house. Many of the farmers are old & the young aren't
interested in following in their footsteps. I think part of the reason why the
food is better here is because the family farm is still alive. But without the
next generation taking up the tradition, they'll probably have to turn to "Agribusiness":
http://attach3.egroups.com/group/Akita-G/attach/181125/3406/gs-18=11=181125/10-1-4-100/image=jpeg/obaachans.jpg
or here if the link is broken above:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Akita-G/message/3406
