Want Some Perfect Fruit...?

I don't know about you, but I like fruit. Sometimes I spend a lot of time trying to find the best looking fruit at just the right stage of ripeness.

However, it seems that some of the folks in Japan have taken this selection of fruit to a whole new level. One might say that they have even gone a bit overboard with the whole "perfect fruit" thing! From the people over at Listverse, this story shows what I'm talking about!

Perfect Fruit Can Be A Big Deal

In Japan, fruit is often given as gifts between family members, friends, colleagues, and business partners. It’s seen as a luxury, and the better the specimen of fruit that’s given, the more memorable the gift becomes. So it’s not all that surprising that there’s a store in Japan, called Senbikiya, that specializes in only the most perfect specimens of fruit. Not only are the fruits sold at the store free of blemishes and bruises, they must be perfectly formed, and most are so large and flavorful that they look fake to someone not used to seeing the height of fruit perfection.

A box of 12 strawberries runs about $83, and three melons will set you back about $419. You’re not just paying for perfection, you’re paying for the massive amounts of labor that goes into growing these fruits. Japanese-grown fruits are more highly desired than imports, and greenhouse keepers labor 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to ensure that their plants are grown from only the finest, strongest seedlings. They work tirelessly to determine that each plant has a precise amount of nutrients and the temperature in their greenhouses is maintained constantly. In some cases, all that effort goes into a single vine or plant that produces a single specimen of fruit. Some of them are even given little hats to wear to protect them from the outside sun, ensuring a perfect, evenly colored exterior.

Now, I think that giving a basket of fruit is a very good idea, but I am NOT fond enough of anyone to spend the kind of money for fruit that these folks are talking about. After all, it's fruit, right?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Sorry, no fruit to share!