> wrote:
>
>I recall reading somewhere that the fruits we get in our local
> supermarket represent only a fraction of a percent of all the fruits
> available in the world. Furthermore, the fruit we do get are chosen
> not because of their taste but more so because of their low price from
> large economies of scale.

That's not true, tropical fruits are far more prolific than those crops
found in US markets.


> I'm surprised nobody has thought of opening a fruit bar that only
> sells exotic fruits. Sure the price would be high, but fish is flown
> in from all over the world and that is not terribly expensive. Plus
> fish is a lot more perishable than fruit.

Actually much tropical fruit is far more perishable than fish... fish
doesn't bruise nearly as easily, and fish doesn't need to ripen, and much
seafood is shipped live. Many tropical fruits can't be shipped once ripe,
they're too delicate, and some have a shelf life of mere hours, if picked
'green' they are inedible and will not ripen off the plant, and many are
ruined by refrigeration. Most people on the US mainland have never eaten
field ripened pineapple other than canned... fresh pineapple for export is
harvested green and once picked does not ripen. Btw, pineapple is native to
Central America. Some of the larger US cities have produce markets that do
carry a pitifully small variety of tropical fruit, not of very good quality,
and expensive. Many Hispanic markets do sell a larger variety of tropical
fruit, also frozen and as nectars/juices. Did you know that there are more
than 300 kinds of bananas, US markets typically sell only one type, maybe
two. Bananas ripened on the plant taste very different from those you buy
in the market. The tomato is a semi tropical fruit, those purchased in US
markets, even in summer, are not very tasty because they are picked green
and artificialy ripened while in transit... the only way to have good
tomatoes is to grow your own... I grow my own tomatoes but those I bring in
at the end of the season to ripen on the counter never come close in flavor
and texture to vine ripened. Even farm stands pick tomatoes early.