Article in Wed.'s LA Times:

<<Many growers chose firmness and color over sugar. Some induced an early
harvest of flavorless fruit to reap profits in the Japanese market. The
cherries bombed as consumers balked>>

<< When it comes to lackluster fruit, all fingers point elsewhere. The farmer
blames the grocer and the grocer blames the packer and the packer blames an
American consumer who talks flavor but chooses firmness, size and flawless
complexion every time.
    For the aesthete, it's a far bigger story than fruit alone, and everyone
shares blame in a lowbrow culture where cosmetic perfection for the masses
gets higher consideration than the palates of the gourmets....
    Like so much else modern in American agriculture, the rise of dull fruit
is a consequence of pushing nature too far through chemical and genetic
tampering....
    Long ago, the sugar content in a California apricot or nectarines began
to fall somewhere down the list of preferred attributes -- behind size and
color and the ability to withstand a long haul.
    In Bakersfield, growers trying to maximize their paydays are now using a
caustic pesticide to jolt the tree out of its January slumber. The dormancy
breaking chemical, known as Dormex, speeds up spring ripening by four of five
days...
    "If you go to Europe, flavor is everything. They don't care about size or
a little bruising...in America, we go for eye appeal. We go for size. Its a
reflection of our culture...."
    Those under 40 almost always chose firmness over sugar. Those older than
40 can recall the fruits of their youth and often pick taste..."
    Younger people's idea of good fruit is what they are accustomed to buying
in the grocery store....they don't like fruit to taste 'good'..they like
fruit to taste firm">>

Oh hum - it just gets worser and worser...

Charles
San Diego, CA