Job Discussion Forums

[Black_Beer_Man]

I guess apple season has started. I just saw a Japanese man on TV take a bite out of one of those big Japanese apples. The kids in the show looked funny because the apples were almost as big as their heads.

I think most foreigners (at least those from the U.S. & Canada) wonder why Japan has such big apples? Especially in a country where most things are smaller. North American apples are not nearly as big.

What do you suppose is / are the reasons?

a) GMO (genetically modified organisms). Japanese apples are on the cutting edge of Franken Food.

b) They`re big because of the love and care than farmer Tanaka gives them.

c) It`s for retail reasons. You can make a whopping profit if you sell them 130 yen a piece as opposed to 130 yen per pound weight.

d) Farm land efficiency. You grow more food per acre if you grow bigger apples.

e) Your theory.

Food for thought

[teenoso]

Here in China , people also seem to prefer large, round, (and to me) tasteless apples. I think the reason may be that many are given as gifts when visiting family and friends, so the larger the better.
'Crab-apples' are also in season now : they are small, sharp and very tasty. Never seen them sold in the UK, although people have crab-apple trees in their gardens.

[Cool Teacher]

I did some reading just now. Apparently this kind of apple is called the "Fuji apple" named after a town where it was invented, not named after Monut Funji even though it has a very large size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_(apple)

It is a hybrid apple menaing that it is a mixture of two apple types, the Red Delicious and the "Virginia Ralls Genet" (?).

Interestingly it is NOT GM or GE food because growing GMOs in Japan is BANNED!

My personal thinking is that all food is GM anyway because we grow crops that have the best size and taste for our needs and also those that grow best the same with farm animals and dogs.

[kah5217]

If I have to pay 150円 for a single apple, it better be huge.

[Cool Teacher]

[teenoso]

[Black_Beer_Man]

I was just thinking how the halloween game Bobbing for Apples would be near impossible to do with those big Japanese apples.

They`d fall out of your mouth as you raise your head.

[Black_Beer_Man]

The strawberries in this country also look GMO. They`re big, firm and tasteless. They have a pleasing red color and they are waxed.

This is one of the contradictions of Japan. Tokyo is said to have more Michelin guide restauarants than most cities in the world, yet the Japanese eat the most tasteless fruit there is.

[Cool Teacher]