Frazz by Jef Mallett for September 13, 2015
September 12, 2015
September 14, 2015
Transcript:
Caulfield: In Johnny Appleseed's day, apples were all but inedible. But they were easy to grow and easy to make into hard cider, which was safer to drink than water. Which worked fine until prohibition, which almost killed the american apple industry. And then saved it, as farmers had to develop an apple that tasted good. "Good" being a relative term. Because what they came up with was the dreaded, mealy red delicious. In 1960-1960!-the honeycrisp was developed. Then it took years to work its way onto risk-averse, change-fearing grocers' shelves. Now that it's finally easy to get good ones, nobody's sucking up to their teachers with apples. Mrs. Olsen: Who are you, and what did you do with the Caulfield who bristles at doing a half-page book report? Caulfield: So I brought you a lottery ticket instead. Can I have my June grade and go home?
I read about this recently, as a matter of fact. The original red delicious were apparently, actually delicious. But as they became ubiquitous, they were bred for appearance and longevity and the flavour and texture was sacrificed. Quite interesting, actually.