Apple Lies
On Tuesday I interviewed an organic farmer. We sat onstage, just chatting about the differences between organic and industrial farming. We called the presentation "Choice Foods."
People were a little surprised to discover that their red apples and red tomatoes are a misrepresentation of the truth. The truth is that they are green apples and green tomatoes that have been gassed in the greenhouse or in huge chambers, to make them blush red. They aren't really ripe. But they sure look good.
This got me thinking about my self, my choices. Do I put on a nice rosy face to the world, while indeed I'm just a green apple inside? I know that sometimes I do.
Apple photo by L.L. Barkat.
posted by L.L. Barkat at 4:57 PM
21 Comments:
And what about the gas they inject in our packages of meat to keep them red? Unfortunately a lot of what we're being sold is misrepresented in some way. Capitalism? Marketing? Whatever it is is it gives us a chance to shine our lights that much brighter when we decide to show ourselves as we really are - no fancy packaging.
AMM
Me too, me too.
oohh. right to my heart. I have some stuff going on right now that makes me want to run home and hide in my bed and cry. But here I am at work acting like everything is ok. It's hard, it weights you down...
I sometimes put on the rosy look as I figure no one wants to see a sour looking apple, and then again, it can be self fulfilling, so it's probably a good idea.
Even if you don't feel like it, if you go about your day smiling you will feel better.
It can get tiring though trying to pretend that everythings ok when it's not. Sometimes you just have to let it all out. That's why I blog.
"Do I put on a nice rosy face to the world, while indeed I'm just a green apple inside?" - The mask! Sometimes I think it is Ok to put on the nice rosy mask. At some point though you need a good friend that you can spill it to. Someone who will tell you to either "get off it" or who will cry with you, then hold you accountable to moving on and not staying in that sour apple place. I think at some piuint we all put on the rosy mask while hiding the sour apple. The point is to not stay there. Thanks for your thoughtful posts!
See, that's why I'm just mean to everyone. I'm just trying to show my true colors!
I loved Heather's comment! I think it's a tough balancing act, because there's definitely a line of thinking that says "authenticity" means we can be as rude as we want to be. I think there's something to be said for politesse--but sometimes it does feel like lying. I haven't figured out what the true, authentic, godly medium is between the mask and the medusa . . .
(Ooh--did I just make that up?!)
i hide the green apple quite a bit, but not so much at home. that can be a bad thing sometimes if they are the ones that always get the brunt of your foulness.... sometimes, maybe, i should put on the rose tint for them, too. and so gross about the gasses... yes, if people ONLY knew.....
I just love reading other peoples thoughts on their blogs. It gets me thinking about my own life, priorities, thoughts, etc.
Thanks!
Ok guys, what CAN we eat?!?!
I agree with "for now. . ." -- sometimes we need to paint ourselves red while we deal with the green inside and with the Lord. Later, we can reveal the green inside us.
There also are a lot of people don't want to see our green insides. They want us to be all perky and red because if we show them our greenness, it reminds them of their own.
We all have a bit of green apple on the inside, and sometimes on the outside too, but I try to put the red apple face to the world, and sometimes just doing that ripens a bit of the green apple as a side effect.
That's it only organic apples or tomatoes or I go without.
And I have decided the green apple is going to be what the world sees in me.
Thanks for the lovely compliment. Writing how I think is part of my new green apple philosophy. Now am working on the thinking,
best wishes, The Artist
L.L., I know what you mean there. Though at my age I don't care as much whether people see it green or not. The most important thing I want, I guess, is reality. Real red. Though acknowledging I'm not there.
Here's my problem. I prefer green apples.
A Musing... oh, I had forgotten that. Do they inject the meat, or the package? Yes, money is talking in this agricultural scene.
Andrea... nice to hear from a fellow confessor.
Stephanie... sounds very sad. I hope you will come through this stronger, and with grace.
Irish church... yes, it's good to have that place to let go. Of course, I'm always thinking, "now the whole world knows, even Australia."
For now... finding those friends is a life's work, I think.
Heather... well, I guess that's one solution!
Jenn... sounds like a great book title, or at least an article. "Between the Mask and the Medusa"
Blue... yes, it's sometimes good to put on a different face. I had originally been thinking about the red/green as just being false... saying I'm one thing when the truth is I'm another.
KM... welcome back. Always good to hear from you!
Erin... nothing. Isn't that obvious?
Charity... I think you do a good job of revealing the "green" without being threatening or sentimental or needy.
ExS... sounds like my mom's advice. She used to make me stand in front of the mirror and put on a smile. "Now don't you look and feel better?" It was true. I did.
Green... I'm glad you are honest about your green, in more ways than one.
Ted... yes, I think that was my original intention. The idea of achieving true maturity. But, it's been so interesting to read the different takes on what I wrote!
Mark... funny. But, I'll say, even green apples can be ripe or not.
The gas they use (and I forget the name!) is the natually occuring gas that ripens tomatoes and apples.
If you pick green tomatoes you can ripen them by putting them with ripe tomatoes that are giving off the gas.
So a lot of fruit bought in shops is not natually ripe which probably accounts for the lack of taste, and of course organic fruit/veg hasn't been sprayed by nasty pesticides.
I think we all have a bit red covering our green :)
Haddock... I wonder if they do apples differently than tomatoes? (Ethylene is the natural gas you're referring to).
Because the organic farmer mentioned that with the tomatoes they blow butane through the greenhouse.
LL--good suggestion. Nobody'd better plagiarise around here . . .
(Is this red-or-green-apple-me talking?)
Hmm, I'm not sure it's okay to put on red if you're green...isn't integrity being the same inside and out? I think we sometimes struggle with letting people see that we're working through something because we want everyone to think we're perfect. It seems a better choice to be real (although that does not mean without tact, grace or love). I know I feel like I relate better to people who seem real to me than those who appear perfect.
What... no William Tell jokes? C'mon people!
spaghettipie said ...isn't integrity being the same inside and out?
I like that question because of its potential. Perhaps we can see a brawl--um, I mean a discussion about that some time.
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