Friday, December 27, 2013

What the Food?!? - Grāpple Apples

The other day, Russell brought home something that has inspired me to start a new blog topic to celebrate all food & food-like products that should not exist; at least not in my own opinion (or diet). I have decided to title this topic "What the Food?!?"...or WTF?!?

To start off this new category, let me introduce you to the Grāpple. Pronounced "grape-l," not "gr-apple."

As the name suggests, this fruit is a combination of an apple & grapes. It is not a genetically engineered/modified hybrid fruit. According to the manufacturer, a Grāpple is a Fuji or Gala apple that has been given the flavor of concord grapes via a "bath" of artificial flavoring agents & water. And since the actual composition of the apple is not changed, the nutritional value of a Grāpple is the same as the unaltered apple it is made from.

A package of 4 Grāpples sells for $3.99 @ my local produce market. The price is not exactly expensive as the same amount (in weight) of Fuji apple is $3.61 and the same amount (in weight) of Gala apple is $2.70.

When Russell brought the package home, my first impression was being taken aback by a overwhelming, artificial fragrance. It reminded me of cheap grape-flavored candy...even worse than grape-flavored cough syrup!! On appearance, all 4 apples had some sort of defect such as bruising or rotten spots. When I took my first bite, the flavor of the fruit was not grape'y as promised on the package. The texture of the apple was OK but it wasn't any different from a normal Gala apple. It took a lot of effort to ignore the grape'y smell but once I was able to do it, I realized the apple itself wasn't even sweet to begin with.

I don't understand why a Grāpple exists!!  Apples & grapes are tasty, nutritious snacks by themselves & they really don't need to be messed with!!  For me, I will continue to eat my apples & grapes separately. The food industry is constantly coming up with novel products to attract the attention of today's consumers; but the Grāpple?? No.