Why is fruit so bland and yet so expensive in China?

[imron]

7 hours ago, 889 said:

Consumers in different markets have different expectations about yolk colour,

Sure, and my expectation is that people don't do things to mess with my food.  I know things like this happen (I linked to the same site you did) and it might even be completely harmless and innocuous, I just don't like it. 

 

At that time I had also been in China for a long time and was a little bit weary of all the food scandals that had been happening, and just wanted to be able to eat things without having to worry about what it was I was eating.

 

 

[abcdefg]

 

10 hours ago, 889 said:

Consumers in different markets have different expectations about yolk colour, and egg farms use special feed and additives to meet those expectations. A "yolk fan" is useful to get the desired shade of yellow.

 

An egg can be wholly and properly certified "organic" if organic additives are used, and marigold flower petals are a common organic additive to yellow yolks.

 

Interesting. I had no idea the tampering was so sophisticated and carefully calibrated. 

 

The free range chicken eggs I buy do have a deep yellow yolk, probably number 5 or 6 on the "color fan." They cost 1 Yuan each. The same seller has others which are larger and cheaper, but these that I always buy seem to have the best flavor. 

 

He also has other eggs, two or three kinds of duck eggs, goose eggs, quail eggs, pheasant eggs. 

 

 

[imron]

1 hour ago, abcdefg said:

probably number 5 or 6 on the "color fan."

The "green" ones I bought probably would have been an 18 on the colour fan (yes I know the fan only goes up to 16).

[DavyJonesLocker]

I generally buy eggs with deep yolk color as I thought they taste the nicest , maybe I buying the wrong ones! ?

Problem living China is that if you pay to much attention too all the health aspects regarding which brand to buy, it would consume your entire day and at the end of they day is educated guesswork as to whats good and bad. Would every really know?

 

I, like many new comers was concerned about the food, polution etc here initially , but over the years just accepted the situation for better or worse. I eat just about anything.

However my health is the best it's been in many years better than when I was living in the uk. Had a full health check recently, cholesterol , heart, all good. I run 10k in 48 mins at 46years old and drink almost everyday . Not sure what's going on there!

 

[imron]

29 minutes ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

Would every really know?

No.  And it's the not knowing that eats away at you.

 

29 minutes ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

I, like many new comers was concerned about the food, polution etc here initially , but over the years just accepted the situation for better or worse.

The next stage of the cycle is where I was, where you go back to being concerned about the food, pollution etc after many years of just accepting the situation for better or worse

[dtcamero]

On 6/4/2019 at 4:37 PM, ZhangKaiRong said:

 

Sooner or later, the case will be similar to nowadays Japan, where fruit is a luxury as per the ridiculously high prices.

 

 

japanese fruit is much higher quality however, not to mention safe from pesticides etc. 

the idea of selling food that is unsafe to eat without thorough washing is still kind of baffling to me.

 

the reason japanese fruit is so expensive is really a matter of aesthetics. they only want to eat the perfect apples and gorgeous grapes etc., ugly produce has no market there so you’re only able to sell half the harvest.

add to that protectionist trade policies that for ex. make imported taiwanese mangoes 80rmb/斤, and produce becomes a luxury good consumed on special occasions, rather than a dietary staple.

[DavyJonesLocker]

42 minutes ago, imron said:

The next stage of the cycle is where I was, where you go back to being concerned about the food, pollution etc after many years of just accepting the situation for better or worse

 

 

I'm happy living in denial haha I struggle to see how I could retire here but many do. 

Mind you I can see why when foreigners start having kids it suddenly becomes a major concern.  

[abcdefg]

1 hour ago, dtcamero said:

the reason Japanese fruit is so expensive is really a matter of aesthetics. they only want to eat the perfect apples and gorgeous grapes etc., ugly produce has no market there so you’re only able to sell half the harvest.

 

China has some of those "luxury, large and perfect" fruits too, but they cost a whole lot. I usually buy the smaller, ugly ones. 

 

Yesterday I bought delicious locally-grown peaches for 5 Yuan per kilogram. Delicious locally-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes for 4 Yuan per kilogram. But both were the smaller and imperfect ones; not the photogenic "trophy quality" versions. 

[dtcamero]

1 minute ago, abcdefg said:

I usually buy the smaller, ugly ones

 

as my dad used to say, “it’s all the same in your stomach.” 

[ChTTay]

The most expensive (and usually tasty) eggs now I’m back in the U.K. usually have a very deep orange colour yolk. They’re the organic, free range blah blah blah ones. The cheaper ones are all a watery, pale yellow. 

 

We bought some plants from a roadside (permanent plot, not a rickshaw type thing) seller in Beijing recently and noticed  they had chickens roaming around as well. I spotted eggs for sale too and got a dozen to try. They were spot on. Good flavour and colour. As mentioned above, they were all quite small. 

 

I’m fairly sure I read somewhere those massive eggs hurt the chickens. Not sure if I want to know how you make a chicken lay a giant egg either ... 

[Manuel]

On 7/16/2019 at 1:18 PM, abcdefg said:

China has some of those "luxury, large and perfect" fruits too, but they cost a whole lot. I usually buy the smaller, ugly ones. 

 

... which often come from the same place as the lesser ones and some times even taste better if they happen to be riper.

 

On 7/16/2019 at 1:20 PM, dtcamero said:

as my dad used to say, “it’s all the same in your stomach.” 

 

Sounds like one for the book of "famous last words"!

 

On 7/22/2019 at 8:20 PM, ChTTay said:

I’m fairly sure I read somewhere those massive eggs hurt the chickens. Not sure if I want to know how you make a chicken lay a giant egg either ... 

 

I remember reading somewhere it's done through selective breeding of hens that naturally are equipped with the anatomy to lay larger eggs, though apparently laying large eggs is painful.

[abcdefg]

This morning I bought 8 large figs 无花果 for 6 Yuan (a little less than 1 US Dollar) at my local farmer's market. Bought 4 that had been allowed to fully ripen on the tree and 4 that were very close to being ripe but not quite there.

 

Figs just hit the market ten days or two weeks ago. Summer fruit. Short season. Locally grown. They are bruise easily and don't transport well. Cannot truck them to Beijing or Shanghai without incurring significant spoilage.  

 

Have already eaten three of them today and am saving the others until tomorrow. Won't put them in the fridge. Will just leave them out on the kitchen table in a woven bamboo basket. Delicious fruit. Sweet and tender. 

 

     

 

 

Also bought 8 large local plums 梅子。Paid 6 Yuan for them as well. Have eaten 2 so far. They are sweet, juicy, soft, with a slightly tart finish. Am hoping they will last until day after tomorrow. It is getting near the end of their short harvest season. This weekend I'll go back and hopefully buy some more. 

 

The honey peaches 蜜桃 are almost gone now. Still taste good, but have more blemishes. They are currently selling for 4 or 5 Yuan per kilogram. I have poached a large jar of them and put it in the fridge, where it should last a week or so. 

 

   

 

 

This two dollar (12 Yuan) expenditure for fresh fruit is less than a cup of Starbuck's coffee. Kunming is a good place for fresh fruit and vegetables. Even though prices have risen over 5 years ago, excellent quality is still readily available without breaking the bank. 

 

These tomatoes are also from this morning's market trip. Ten minute bicycle ride from home. They are "seconds." One has a skin blemish and one has been pecked by a bird. The others are close to being too ripe. They were priced for quick sale; cost 4 Yuan. About a kilogram. The same vendor had top grade ones for sale at 6.5 Yuan per kilo. He lets them go for 6 if you buy a lot. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll make something good with these beauties tomorrow, perhaps a nice Yunnan gazpacho. They are at peak flavor. 

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(Moderator: I'm going to cross-post this in the Food and Drink forum, in the article about "What fruits are in season now." Would like to leave the original here, because it belongs in both discussions. Hope that is OK.)  

 

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/58524-what-fruits-are-in-season-now/