Feeling like visiting the wayback machine again. Even that reference, “the Wayback Machine” harkens back to a wonderful, underappreciated show from my youth, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”.
I got into the mood as I was grilling some pork chops for dinner, and listening to 50’s and ‘60’s music on Pandora radio. We had pork chops, corn on the cob, and tomatoes for dinner- the perfect summer fare, right? Yes! Except that tomatoes aren’t tomatoes anymore. You know, “old timey” tomatoes had great texture, wonderful fresh taste, and… well, they just don’t taste that way anymore.
Yes, I can perhaps rightly be accused of being that old guy in the rocker on the porch who says that “things aren’t like they used to be! Research tells us that our farming industry has made some trade-offs. Apples, tomatoes, and other produce are now less genetically diverse, more disease resistant, and much blander in flavor. They have a longer shelf life, are more uniform in size and color, but less appealing to the taste.
So, this is not so much a rant as a recognition that there is a price to pay for success in any endeavor. We just have to decide, is it worth it? Indeed, in the attempt to feed the world in an efficient and sustainable manner we must make some hard choices. I understand.
But I miss the tomatoes.
Reflections of a Counselor 