Why Can't We Get Good Apples????

Last week I journeyed up to Montreal to visit my cousin for a long weekend.   It was wonderful spending some girl time with my "little" cousin (who is now 34) and touring the city from an "insiders" perspective.  

Although we share the same continent, I always find that travelling to Quebec is like travelling to to Europe.   I may have never stepped on a plane, but it feels like I did.   Everything is so European from the language (French) to the restaurants, food stores, and bakeries.

One thing that really struck me, as it did when I travelled in Ireland last year, is how good the fruit is.  Why is it in America that when you buy an apple, nine times out of ten it's inedible?   Yet, in Montreal no matter where I bought apples they were delicious.  

I really would like that mystery fully explained to me.   I buy and eat plenty of apples in the Fall when they're local and fresh picked, but once January hits you pretty much can't find a decent apple.

Yet, last April in Ireland and last week in Montreal, every apple I ate was fabulous.

The other thing that struck me in Montreal, as it did in Ireland, was portion sizes.   Restaurant portions were way smaller then they are here, and even pastries and bread products, such as croissants, muffins and bagels, were smaller.  You didn't see the humongous portions and pastries on steroids you see here.

You can see the influence of fresh tasting fruit and smaller portions on the street.  I didn't see one obese person the whole time I was there.   I saw plenty of heavy people, but overall, they were much thinner.