The Flourista: Grocery shopping and pizza Misfortunata

Today was another lucky day of sweet discounts... 1 kr ($ 0.18) for an apple/orange. So, I rushed to the store as soon as it was open... you know, it's not just our household that checks the newspaper. :) As I was picking up apples (they all look disturbingly perfect - glazed and same-sized) a young shop assistant came over and started rearranging the boxes. Nothing out of the ordinary and worth noticing, right? Well, I wish so. But when she picked up a half-full box and poured the remaining apples in another half-full box, my heart ached. It's not potatoes. It's apples! If one mishandles them, they go bad faster. This is some serious offense against them. I still remember picking up apples with my dad from our garden. He'd make sure each apple is picked with its stem (longer shelf-life) after which we'd wrap them in paper and arrange them in boxes with as little space between them as possible (less movement and damage when being transported). We'd check each apple for worm traces or other imperfections that cause quick rotting, so we could leave them aside for immediate use. Then every once in a while, my dad would check the boxes in case there are apples that have started going bad. The paper prevents the spread of rotting, but he still thought he should be diligent about it. And we always have apples until spring. Maybe not as perfect as the ones in stores (because they're not as juicy as when they're picked up), but all natural. So, you see... when I notice anyone being careless about apples, I get a bit on edge. Nothing personal. ;)