Re: why does fruit/vegetables in US taste like crap!
Same here! i have tried every supermarket in the area and it all tastes like cold storage fruit/vegetables, they are fresh looking but certainly don't taste like it.
I googled some info, it is estimated that the average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate. In order to transport food long distances, much of it is picked while still unripe and then gassed to "ripen" it after transport, or it is highly processed in factories using preservatives, irradiation, and other means to keep it stable for transport and sale. Scientists are experimenting with genetic modification to produce longer-lasting, less perishable produce.
Taste has unfortunately taken a backseat, compared to elevating shelf life. when i was in illinois (in a hick town), when it was peak corn season, i tasted the BEST corn ever, because we got to buy it fresh from the farms (literally!) same for peaches, the juiciest peaches i have ever tasted, right off the farm, but then these products i noticed had a limited shelf life, would go bad very quickly. It wasn't loaded with pesticide or herbicide to keep it going longer and probably why it retained the flavour.
Looking for farmers markets on the east coast now...!