FoodFacts: APPLES

RER 10.9.12

Nothing says fall quite like apples… or pumpkin spice lattes at Starbuck’s (I don’t even like Starbucks). But anyways, apples are a fall staple, and become more and more in season as fall approaches. There are, though, some apples that grow all year round, but there is something that connects these sweet and delicious treats to the fall season. Maybe it is candied apples, smothered in rich caramel and red candy, or hot apple pies laced with cinnamon and warmth, or spiced apple cider that warms cool afternoons… who knows, but a lot of apple varieties start their growth season in September.[1]

Don’t get me wrong… apples are great snacks, they are sweet and crunchy, sometimes tangy and tart, and almost always delicious (though there are those rare occasions that one stumbles on a worm, or a mushy inside, this then rules out the delicious part, unless you are into that). Apples are in fact one of the most popular fruits consumed. And according to buzzle.com eighty percent of people around the globe eat apples.[2]

Nutrition

You do know the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Though just like a nursery rhyme, this phrase is has been disputed, and the analysis of the true nutritional facts of the apple have been examined. I can hardly imagine that just one apple a day, can stave off the doctor for life, but the apple really does have nutritional and health benefits. There has been a lot of research on this matter, and studies suggest that apples can possibly reduce risks of various different cancers, and heart disease. These crunchy treats are also great aids in controlling cholesterol and weight loss.[3]

However, the nutritional facts for the different types of apples do vary. According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), one medium apple with its skin, on average weighing about 182 grams, has approximately 100 calories, zero of which are from fat. There is no saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and protein. There are about 25 grams of carbohydrates which is about 8% of the daily value, 4 grams of fiber at 18%, and about 19 grams of sugar.[4]

Apples are very fibrous fruits, and help us achieve our prescribed fiber amount for any given day. A medium apple, which is about 3 inches in diameter, has approximately four grams of fiber, while a large apple (clocking in at 3.25 inches in diameter) contains about 5 grams.[5] This fiber is what makes apples so helpful in the control of cholesterol. The fiber reduces cholesterol by helping to prevent reabsorption.[6]

Although apples, compared to their fruit and veggie friends, contain minimal levels of vitamin C, they are a great source of antioxidants.[7] Some of these antioxidants (flavonoids and polyphenolics) are epicatechin, procyanidin B2, and tartaric acid, which aid our bodies in protection from the bad effects of free radicals. Apples are also a great source of B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, thiamin and pyridoxine which help in metabolism (weight control) and various other internal bodily functions. Along with these goodies, apples also have small amounts of important minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium.[8]

Some History

Apples are another one of those foods (like many of the foods I choose for FoodFacts) that have a very long and varied history, travelling the world through trade, and grown throughout the globe because of domestication as well as innate cultivation. Members of the genus Malus domestica, apples thought to be originated in Western Asia, and have been growing there for thousands of years. The apple was also growing in Europe and was eventually brought to North America, in the typical way, trade and colonists.[9]

Apples also have a rich cultural history following far back perhaps even to their point of discovery and first cultivation. They play large roles in a lot of Ancient Greek Mythology, as well as an essential point in the Bible (you know the Garden of Eden, temptation, sin…). This fruit also makes an appearance in Norse mythology.[10] The apple has been personified and signifies different concepts and ideas in many different cultures such as beauty, fertility, health, love, luck, temptation and wisdom.[11] It is amazing that this one, small piece of nature’s bounty can represent such a wide variety of ideas. And that something concrete and edible would be the manifestation of elements that are not tangible and hardly have simple definitions.

China is still the top producer of apples![12]

Varieties

According to one source, there are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the whole world (ohemgee). The United States is home to a whopping 2,500 types, however there are only about 200 kinds of apples that are grown commercially.  Of the fifty states in the United States of America, only six states produce most of the apple types (commercially and non commercially). These top apple producers are; California, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.[13] Apple types and varieties are not always completely natural, and do in fact involve selective breeding, which then creates even more types.

The top 5 most popular varieties in the United States are the Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith apples.[14] These perhaps are the top five because their raw edibility and some of their great usage in cooking.

I have tried: Braeburn, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith (at least that I can remember!).

My all time top favorite apple, thus far, has to be the Honeycrisp. Oh why do I love the Honeycrisp so? They are delicious, first of all, but the texture is just right, and they have my ideal ratio of tang and sweet. They are crisp and juicy, but not too stiff or dry. This kind of apple holds up well to the tests of time and does not bruise like some other apples do. The coloring is also very nice; greens, reds and pinks.

Now the honeycrisp, according to orangepippin.com, is a somewhat new breed of apple. Yes, it is one of those modified and created apples, but those scientists at the University of Minnesota really knew the business. These were created for growers who were cultivating apples in colder climates, which explains why this kind of apple withstands cold much better than many others. Even though the honeycrisp, sometimes “honey crisp,” was developed back in the 1960s, it only hit the markets not too long ago in the 1990s. Essentially, this variety “represented a relatively rare combination of Golden Delicious and McIntosh styles.”[15] And looking and tasting this delicious apple, this marriage and mixture is evident, in taste, colors and trademarks.

My ultimate least favorite, most detestable apple would be the Red Delicious. I am not a huge fan of its mealy interior texture. This variant lacks the delightful crisp crunch that I always long for in an apple. They are just terribly sweet and in a way mushy. The flavor is monotone and sweet, and sometimes the skin is hard and bitter. Red Delicious apples are not very good for cooking either, according to eatingwell.com. [16]

Apples As Food

Because apples are so widespread and there are a zillion different variants, all with different tastes, textures, colors, and even scientific reactions, there are apples found in different cuisines, traditions and disciplines. Some of these different attributes make some apples better for cooking and some better for consuming raw. Apples are found in both sweet and savory dishes, ranging from pies and pastries to southern comfort dinner favorites. The best types of apples for cooking apparently are the Granny Smith and the McIntosh varieties, though there is an endless list of apples that can be used for cooking, some genetically engineered just for that.[17]

There are apple pies, apple tarts, apple turnovers, fritters, doughnuts, Apple sauce, apple juice, apple cider (hot and cold), candy apples, caramel apples, apple flavored candies, Apple jam, pork chops with sauerkraut and apples, baked chicken with apples and onions apples in coleslaw…The list of dishes and treats with apples is large and alarming, but all at the same time delicious.

As we can see apples are a diverse and greatly appreciated fruit, that come in many shapes and sizes, home grown and lab created, healthy and nutritious. Such a small fruit comes in so many different varieties, and the list is only growing. The list of dishes and treats apples are a part of is growing as well, from all American favorites to unique cuisine. And fall is here, so let the apple season begin!

Check out orangepippin.com for a hugemongous directory of apple varieties. This giant directory includes flavor and appearance note, as well as if the kind is a good apple for cooking. It is severely specific and informative! It is one of my new favorite websites, so much good information, history, science and taste knowledge!

How do you like them apples?

Check out my sources page to find out more info on these round bundles of fruity joy.

RER

10.11.12

RER 10.7.12

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[1] Personal-nutrition-guide.com “Types of Apples”

[2] buzzle.com “Different Types of Apples”

[3] Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[4] United States Department of Agriculture Household Commodity Fact Sheet “Apples, Fresh” 2009

[5] eatingwell.com “Types of Apples: The Best Apples For Baking, Cooking and Eating”

[6] Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[7] Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[8] nutrition-and-you.com, “Apple”

[9] Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[10]Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[11] buzzle.com “Different Types of Apples”

[12] Wikipedia.org “Apple”

[13] Personal-nutrition-guide.com “Types of Apples”

[14] Personal-nutrition-guide.com “Types of Apples”

[15] http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/honey-crisp

[16] eatingwell.com “Types of Apples: The Best Apples For Baking, Cooking and Eating”

[17] eatingwell.com “Types of Apples: The Best Apples For Baking, Cooking and Eating”

FoodView: Give me the DEETS...

Apparently, this is not anything new, but upscale restaurants are keeping tabs on their patrons. At one time waiters and maitre-d’s took notes directly onto the reservation books or kept information on file in their memory, but now there is technology specifically designed and to aid this recording and tracking of customers. As usual, technology is making things bigger and better, but also maybe more complicated and intrusive.

Susanne Craig explores the methods of intelligence collecting, as well as its importance in her article in the Dining section of the New York Times early September. The article “What Restaurants Know (About You),” looks at how restaurants keep files on their customers. This creates “highly personalized hospitality.”[1] Restaurants are making it their business to get to know its clients, some times in the most intimate ways, in an effort to make the dining experience extra personalized and smooth. This includes individual tastes and preferences, spending habits, even tracking profession.

According to Ann Shepherd (vice president for marketing at OpenTable), as Craig points out, this is called the “Cheers’ effect.” You know, where everyone knows your name. Knowing these details about patrons and potential customers, creates an atmosphere of familiarity, even if it is the first time visiting. It produces a place where everyone is friendly and knows you, a place where you can be comfortable, and enjoy things how you like it, like your local corner spot.[2]

In the ever-growing industry, with restaurants appearing all over the place at a high rate, this kind of personalization of service and the dining experience, gives restaurateurs a competitive edge. According to Craig, restaurant managers and owners believe that this kind of gathering details and information about customers can make or break their business. This is even highlighted through a quote of Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant; “’The ability to know and read your customer is critical for staying on top, particularly in power restaurants.’”[3]

This also appears in most every area that relies on customer service. As in retail, from low to high end, building relationships, through trust and individualization, is key to maintaining business. It is these relationships, forged through honesty and getting to know the customer as a person, which make that customer return and continue to patronize the business.  Also, there are systems, whether it is the point of sale system or other methods that track purchases as well as personal information. In retail settings this can help with determining where to potentially open another store or even what products are the most popular. This links to keeping notes on customers in restaurants, as it is all to build stronger and reliable relationships. It appears to be a good business practice to uphold quality and standards, as well as creating an environment that invites people to return.

Technology is making it easier (or more difficult depending on who you ask) to note and maintain the details—from major, like names and allergies, to the minor like ice preferences. As well as things like anniversaries, birthdays, spouses. Websites that we use all the time to make reservations such as OpenTable, give restaurants insight into who will be dining with them. In order to use those sites, you must create a profile and that profile is automatically shared with the restaurants. Although this profile created with signing up with the site is the bare minimum—email address, and area—the user can also list likes, as well as make notes of favorite restaurants.

 A New York Post article, “Is Your Restaurant Spying on You?” from December of 2010, brings up how OpenTable allows restaurants to find out more information about their customers, even if they do not make reservations with the website. It becomes a searching tool, where managers can type in a name and search the client. Carla Spatos and Brian Niemietz reveal in their article, that managers and owners of restaurants are likely to Google patrons, to find out even more about them. They call this “online sleuthing.”[4] Owners go as far as following twitter accounts, searching through blogs and other profiles, all the get the inside scoop to better serve.

Some headwaiters and restaurant owners believe that there could be excessive notes, and that that can overwhelm and prove not to be useful at all. This has become especially true when there is so much access to identity now through the internet. When the copious notes become too copious, and too much information proves dangerous; “That woman is not his wife…” or “Didn’t the market do poorly today, why is she here…?” The talent not only becomes how to employ information, but also tip toe around it as well.

Customers get profiled. Restaurants are identifying and then recording your kind of status: newcomer, regular, if you are a friend of the owner, or even a person who lives in the area. Not only that, but some clients are given code names or just acronyms for the headwaiter or the wait staff to discern certain patrons. For example some of these acronyms are LOL (little old lady), HWC (handle with care), FOM (friend of manager), PX (person extraordinaire) and NR (never refuse), to name a few. [5] There are names for people who are poor tippers or people who are extremely needy and difficult. These little gems are the labels that are most times unknowingly attached to a customer, and must remain secret in effort to deter lawsuits.

Larger groups of restaurants or networks sometimes share the intelligence gathered, letting even more people into the tics and tocks of customers, which could create infamy or honor. Your reputation can precede you.

The question becomes is this beneficial for the diners? This could be both yes and no.

Yes, it may create a certain atmosphere, where you are comfortable and the servers and staff and owner are not really strangers, they are your friends who know what color napkin you prefer. And yes, it may be nice to walk into a place and not have to repeat over and over that you like crushed rather than cubed ice. And yes, this upscale restaurant can feel like home to you, intimate and loyal. The diner gets the customized service of the staff and the restaurant, elevating the dining experience from just food to a unique experience catered to the specific individual. Dining and eating in restaurants is not only about the food, it is the experience and service that tends to stick to the ribs. It is also this experience that brings them back.

 But on the other hand the investigations and note keeping can be too much. Is it too much an invasion into privacy and identity?  With just a name these days, histories and profiles can be searched and found, noted and kept. This is not just a risk that diners encounter, but it is a risk of this highly open and accessible world though the internet. But certain facts about the patron are known to restaurants through the various booking websites, even if she is a first time visitor. The restaurant has the heads up and advantage, even though these online booking sites often contain scarce information. Is there something so wrong as walking in a restaurant as an anonymous, a blank canvas that the staff could get to know? What if someone wants to remain anonymous, and maintain her own mystery and privacy, as well as some remnant of unpredictability? This is a notion that seems to be fading in the minds of the owners of these power restaurants, but protecting identity and spontaneity is present in diners.

The manipulation of getting to know the customer, as a current, past or potential, is all in the restaurateur’s effort to maintain a competitive edge and business in a cutthroat world. This kind of exploitation of the patron goes both ways, a potential benefit to both the owner and customer—to get the business ahead as well as to create an environment for the patron. Knowing the client, her needs, whims and tendencies, are all keys to a great service, but also stumbles on the line of intrusive.  A custom tailored dinner or dining experience can ruin surprise and take the adventure out of eating, which against the hopes of the restaurant owner, could result in no result, no return. Technology has only granted further access into personality and recording, which was once an art and mildly less invasive. This, though, is a trend that will not vanish, as it has already been going on in the restaurant business, and the times are allowing it to grow.

Check out my sources page for full links to the articles in the New York Times and New York Post.

 RER

9.17.12

RER 8.19.12

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[1] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[2] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[3] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times

[4] Carla Spartos and Brian Niemietz , “Is Your Restaurant Spying on You”, New York Post

[5] Susanne Craig, “What Restaurants Know (About You)”, New York Times