FWIW, there’s a new melon in town:
I never saw the appeal of the expensive fruit either. I did get gifted locally-grown Muscat grapes every now and then, but got a lot more excited when my coworker would bring by BAGS of persimmons from his trees in the fall. I can eat 柿 all day long.
I was recently on a search for heirloom yellow grapefruit from florida to order. I eventually did find some and it was significantly more delicate and flavorful than the pink and red fruits that dominate the market now. This market is shrinking but one thing I found out was that the heirloom crop was being snatched up for the Japanese gift fruit market. I guess they rather than we have more of an appreciation for the fine flavor and texture of the heirlooms and more of a willingness to pay through the nose for this difficult to grow crop.
Oh yeah, I get it… up to a point. The thing is, it’s hard to tell price-wise where diminishing returns start getting out of hand on a taste vs. price axis unless one is familiar with the item in question.
I used to live 2 blocks from a big hospital (in Japan). There was a whole string of shops selling omimai ( お見舞い) — get well gifts — including the very expensive fruits. In Japan, the expense of the gift says a lot about the relationship between sender and recipient, so they tend to stick with gifts with a known value. This is a long-winded (sorry) way of saying that sometimes the value placed on something has a lot to do with perception and less with intrinsic value.
In the end, if it’s worth it to the buyer, then that’s all that matters. I’m willing to drop $$$ on foods I love to the point that other people might think is bonkers, but it makes me happy so it’s okay. I’m glad you enjoyed your grapefruit.
