They'll never know the difference

[pinkytoe]

I went to a talk this morning about local food, sustainability etc. The speaker mentioned he had met with one of the corporate food people developing a new type of tomato designed to withstand long transport, etc. When he asked the corporate guy "but what about the flavor", the answer was that if you never tasted a real tomato in the first place, you would never know the difference. It kind of scares me to think that this applies to so many things now in our culture. As the old ways disappear...will younger generations even care?

[iris lily]

I went to a talk this morning about local food, sustainability etc. The speaker mentioned he had met with one of the corporate food people developing a new type of tomato designed to withstand long transport, etc. When he asked the corporate guy "but what about the flavor", the answer was that if you never tasted a real tomato in the first place, you would never know the difference. It kind of scares me to think that this applies to so many things now in our culture. As the old ways disappear...will younger generations even care?

The American public already has lost taste buds, why else would they put up with what they put up with?

I remember the peas and other vegetables and the cheese and the bread in the U.K. and in Switzerland. They still eat better tasting food. But based on how quickly I saw supermarkets pop up in both countries, I suspect that one of these day's I'll visit again and think:wait, the food--it's not as good as I remember and in reality, it will NOT be as good as it once was.

[IshbelRobertson]

It will! Just depends where you shop. Waitrose is where I do my supermarket shopping. Lots of great produce, although I don't buy meat or fish there, I go to my local butchers and fishmonger.

We do have pappy, mass produced white bread, but I've never bought it!

[JaneV2.0]

I discovered Campari tomatoes at my beloved local Grocery Outlet. Amazingly, they taste like the real thing. I'm buying them in multiples. They'll certainly do until regional ones are ripe--probably some time in September...

[creaker]

It's not just taste - I've read produce has lost nutritional value over the past decades as well, because things like transportablity, shelf life, appearance and uniformity take precedence.

[awakenedsoul]

I don't know, I believe that once you taste the difference, you'll buy the better quality. (Well, if you can afford it.) Once I got out of debt, I started buying raw milk and cheese, grass fed beef, free range chicken, and organic produce. Now I grow most of my fruits and veggies. After tasting the difference in the oranges, I would never buy old, tired oranges again.

[jp1]

Tomatoes, in my opinion, are one of the most noticeably lousy tasting products when produced for commercial convenience rather than taste and nutrition quality. Anyone who's ever had a 'real' tomato undoubtedly knows the difference.

[Rosemary]

Oh my, the foods in Germany! Everything was so delicious. Really, you only get that kind of food here if you seek out locally grown foods and grass-fed meats. And that's because that's how they get most of their foods.

Yes - it is sad that many people in the U.S. don't know what real food tastes like. But I think that might change, as the food movement has come a long way in the past 10 years.

[redfox]

The science is clear that robust natural flavor comes from the presence of more complex nutrients. Of course, because food -- the very molecules that build & sustain our bodies -- is a for-profit industry, logically this industry is focused on shareholder financial returns rather than healthy food. What a good idea.

More in this vein:
http://www.salon.com/2013/03/17/modern_chicken_has_no_flavor_lets_make_it_in_a_lab/?source=newsletter

[puglogic]

It's not just taste - I've read produce has lost nutritional value over the past decades as well, because things like transportablity, shelf life, appearance and uniformity take precedence.

And don't forget soil depletion, a huge problem:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss

[Wildflower]

And this is why we try to grow as much of our own veggies as possible...

I will NOT buy a tomato in a grocery store anymore. They look red and beautiful, but they are tasteless, in my opinion.

[peggy]

Oh tomatoes! Don't' get me started! This is one of my pet peeves. How is it you can walk into a grocery, and step into an aisle filled on both sides with tomatoes, and, not. smell. anything! Nothing! Take a deep breath, and...nada! there is nothing more aromatic, or rather should be, than a ripe tomato. You should be able to smell them the minute you step into the door.
When the peaches are ripe, you can smell them. ON the potato aisle you can smell potatoes, and even the apples a bit on that aisle. But not the tomatoes. Even if you put your nose right down on them, they have no smell. I refuse to buy these tomatoes!

[decemberlov]

Oh tomatoes! Don't' get me started! This is one of my pet peeves. How is it you can walk into a grocery, and step into an aisle filled on both sides with tomatoes, and, not. smell. anything! Nothing! Take a deep breath, and...nada! there is nothing more aromatic, or rather should be, than a ripe tomato. You should be able to smell them the minute you step into the door.
When the peaches are ripe, you can smell them. ON the potato aisle you can smell potatoes, and even the apples a bit on that aisle. But not the tomatoes. Even if you put your nose right down on them, they have no smell. I refuse to buy these tomatoes!

This! I was just talking about this a few days ago!! I refuse to buy those fake tomatoes!! No way! Anxiously awaiting the Jersey Tomatoes so we can can eat juicy, sweet, tomato sandwiches all summer long :)