oh, and our package of dates from France...

Aug 15, 2008 16:59

... came with the dates arranged around plastic "stems". Why on earth would anyone want prosthetic date stems?

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mrs_redboots August 15 2008, 18:14:02 UTC
How else would they sell them? That's normal here.

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ceiling_taffi August 15 2008, 20:35:52 UTC
Really? I... don't quite understand that. If you're going to take the dates off their (inedible) stems, I don't quite see the need to pretend to put them back on (equally inedible plastic) stems? I wouldn't want fake greens attached to carrots or fake stems attached to apples or blueberries? (this is not to say that there isn't ridiculous packaging in the US - there definitely is - I just haven't seen that particular one before)

In the US, I've typically seen dates sold either still on their (original) stems, or in round tubs or packages, but I haven't seen them arranged around little plastic twigs before? (last year, in the UK, I usually bought dates from the Co-op in 500g clear square bags, and didn't look for them elsewhere at all)

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mrs_redboots August 15 2008, 21:15:23 UTC
I think the "plastic twigs" are supposed to double as fork-type things to pick them up with. Some brands have rather more obvious forks than others.

When I was growing up dates always came in cardboard boxes, rectangular with rounded ends, and the plastic fork thingy in there. Plastic tubs are a new form of packaging.

Last year, however, I was able to buy fresh dates in a farmers' market, on their original twigs but with no other packaging - my goodness, they were delicious!

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ceiling_taffi August 16 2008, 08:59:10 UTC
Ah, interesting - to prevent sticky fingers, then. That makes more sense. I don't think these date stems would have been terribly useful - not very forked in a date-appropriate manner - but I could imagine them being so if made slightly differently.

Fresh only-slightly-dried dates-on-the-stem are fantastic! Plump, juicy... ah. I hope they show up again this year. :-)

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