4 ms·

This article is bizarre. It starts off with a story that fails to justify why avocado toast is relevant, meanders through personal antecdotes, then drones on ab

This article is bizarre. It starts off with a story that fails to justify why avocado toast is relevant, meanders through personal antecdotes, then drones on about the history of advocados in the US. Pass.

hwillis 9y ago
> Today, nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico. >A politics of avocadoism is intrinsic to this history. If you worry about the eclipse of American agriculture—or the market effects of cheap, distance-shipped produce—you’d be right to regard this international trade with disgust. >If, on the other hand, you celebrate competitive international trade and cosmopolitan access, the avocado is a fruit of heroism. The point that the author is making is that the "anti-avacado" sentiment is a result of anti-urban and anti-globalization/anti-globalist sentiment. It's something that cities have more access to, is relatively new, and is imported from mexico. Its a partisan division.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- colanderman 9y ago
  > nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico. Why is the author surprised that 90% of IMPORTED avocados come from the only avocado-producing nation with which we share a land border? Why even state that figure? I'm surprised it's not higher; there must be mighty tasty avocados down in Central America. In fact, only 70% of all avocados eaten in the US are imports. [1] So, only 63% come from Mexico. [1] http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf
- trumpownsyou 9y ago
  and if you believe there's a connection there, you might be brain damaged.
- mc32 9y ago
  But on the other hand, lots of urbanites extol the virtues of growing local, buying local and not adding to needless transportation (fossil fuels) of food (meanwhile, they drink lots of bottled water, but never mind).
madeofpalk 9y ago
The article is bizarre because the whole 'avocado toast' thing is, IMHO, entirely Australian and I'm not all that sure it makes sense when the meme is taken internationally. Edit: to clarify, yes, it's spread to the US, it's had its rounds in the US media people know about it (this article is proof). But so many parts of the 'avocado toast vs home ownership' are unique to Australia.
- mikewhy 9y ago
  I've definitely heared of it a lot lately, Google Trends seems to show a spike not too long ago[0]. [0]: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=Avocado%20toast https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=Avocado%20toast
- colanderman 9y ago
  It definitely exists in the States; it's even reached the east coast.
- wutbrodo 9y ago
  Australian? Wasn't the original stupid media cycle about California (San Francisco IIRC)? At the very least,the fact that I've only heard about it in the context of SF means that it's clearly more widespread than Australia.
  - flashman 9y ago
    Stage 1 (October 2016): Australian Demographer Bernard Salt lamented young people spending $22 on 'smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread'[1]. Australians have a conniption fit. Stage 2 (May 2017): With the avocado/housing nexus now established as a local meme, general waste of space Tim Gurner uses it to attack people who think he own so many houses [2]. Americans sit up and take notice. Stage 3 (July 2017): Long-form articles commissioned during Stage 2 begin to arrive, having made their circuitous way through the publishing industry too slow to have any relevance whatsoever. [1] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/moralisers-we-need-you/news-story/6bdb24f77572be68330bd306c14ee8a3 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-maga... [2] http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/15/08/39/melbourne-property-tycoon-hammers-millennials-over-spending-habits http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/15/08/39/melbourne-...
paulcole 9y ago
Are you new to The New Yorker? What you described is their bread and butter formula.
pzone 9y ago
It's light, fun entertaining reading. I enjoyed listening to the author's voice, cracked up at a few jokes, learned a few facts as I went.

hwillis 9y ago

> Today, nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico. >A politics of avocadoism is intrinsic to this history. If you worry about the eclipse of American agriculture—or the market effects of cheap, distance-shipped produce—you’d be right to regard this international trade with disgust. >If, on the other hand, you celebrate competitive international trade and cosmopolitan access, the avocado is a fruit of heroism. The point that the author is making is that the "anti-avacado" sentiment is a result of anti-urban and anti-globalization/anti-globalist sentiment. It's something that cities have more access to, is relatively new, and is imported from mexico. Its a partisan division.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
colanderman 9y ago
> nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico. Why is the author surprised that 90% of IMPORTED avocados come from the only avocado-producing nation with which we share a land border? Why even state that figure? I'm surprised it's not higher; there must be mighty tasty avocados down in Central America. In fact, only 70% of all avocados eaten in the US are imports. [1] So, only 63% come from Mexico. [1] http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf
trumpownsyou 9y ago
and if you believe there's a connection there, you might be brain damaged.
mc32 9y ago
But on the other hand, lots of urbanites extol the virtues of growing local, buying local and not adding to needless transportation (fossil fuels) of food (meanwhile, they drink lots of bottled water, but never mind).

madeofpalk 9y ago

The article is bizarre because the whole 'avocado toast' thing is, IMHO, entirely Australian and I'm not all that sure it makes sense when the meme is taken internationally. Edit: to clarify, yes, it's spread to the US, it's had its rounds in the US media people know about it (this article is proof). But so many parts of the 'avocado toast vs home ownership' are unique to Australia.

mikewhy 9y ago
I've definitely heared of it a lot lately, Google Trends seems to show a spike not too long ago[0]. [0]: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=Avocado%20toast https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=Avocado%20toast
colanderman 9y ago
It definitely exists in the States; it's even reached the east coast.
wutbrodo 9y ago
Australian? Wasn't the original stupid media cycle about California (San Francisco IIRC)? At the very least,the fact that I've only heard about it in the context of SF means that it's clearly more widespread than Australia.
- flashman 9y ago
  Stage 1 (October 2016): Australian Demographer Bernard Salt lamented young people spending $22 on 'smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread'[1]. Australians have a conniption fit. Stage 2 (May 2017): With the avocado/housing nexus now established as a local meme, general waste of space Tim Gurner uses it to attack people who think he own so many houses [2]. Americans sit up and take notice. Stage 3 (July 2017): Long-form articles commissioned during Stage 2 begin to arrive, having made their circuitous way through the publishing industry too slow to have any relevance whatsoever. [1] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/moralisers-we-need-you/news-story/6bdb24f77572be68330bd306c14ee8a3 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-maga... [2] http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/15/08/39/melbourne-property-tycoon-hammers-millennials-over-spending-habits http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/05/15/08/39/melbourne-...

paulcole 9y ago

Are you new to The New Yorker? What you described is their bread and butter formula.

pzone 9y ago

It's light, fun entertaining reading. I enjoyed listening to the author's voice, cracked up at a few jokes, learned a few facts as I went.