Last night I was listening to NPR on the way home, and they were doing a piece on how we’re currently paralyzed by choice.  Essentially, we have so many options that  we can’t effectively make decisions.

To illustrate the point, they went to the Berkeley Bowl, which is basically an incredible farmer’s market, artisan bakery, natural foods store, and organic deli, all in one.  I loooove that place!  Anyways, they each picked out an apple– one guy chose quickly, a domestic apple, while the host deliberated for a long time and finally chose a Korean pear-apple for its size and uniqueness.  During taste-testing, they both seemed really surprised that the pear-apple didn’t taste like an apple!  Rather, it tastes more like a very crisp pear.

I grew up eating these (aka papples), Fuji apples, satsumas, and all sorts of “exotic” fruits that are actually sold all over Chinatown (Oakland and SF) as well as in local farmer’s markets.  I guess I was surprised that 1) the host thought the papple was actually going to taste like an apple and 2) in a culturally diverse place like the Bay Area, they hadn’t had this fruit before.  It’s funny how something as simple as a papple can expose my assumptions about other people’s cultural experiences, or lack thereof.  Growing up in a mixed household, I quickly realized that I was exposed to a lot of different things that kids my age weren’t necessarily familiar with.  Maybe things haven’t changed that much!

In related news, this is the most enormous papple that I have ever seen, and is now sitting on my desk at work.  My mom gave me 4 of them.  Honestly, just eating this is a little too boring, given its size.  It’d kick a grapefruit’s ass any day.  What should I do, go bowling with it?  Suggestions welcome.