McDonald's is now the largest purchaser of fresh apples in the USA. The apples are washed, cored and sliced, then packaged, refrigerated and shipped to McD's all over the country as a fries-replacement option called Apple Dippers. (They come with caramel dipping sauce)
Since March 2003, McDonald's has sold 300 million Premium Salads at US$4 each. That translates to $600 million a year, about 10% of McD's domestic revenue in the States. Just about anything else on the menu can be had for around $3.
That sounds ridiculous, and it pisses me off here in NZ too - salads at Burger King are over $7 each! - but the article (from the nytimes, as usual) went on to explain some of the logistics.
Healthier fare does not come cheap, for McDonald's or its customers. Fruits and vegetables are much more expensive and complicated to ship and store than meat and potatoes. Unlike meat patties, chicken breasts, French fries and other items on the McDonald's menu, salads and fruit cannot be frozen and stored for a month in distribution centers. Shipments of Apple Dippers and salad components leave McDonald's warehouses several times a week.
So now I feel a little better about being fleeced.
I was reading about the different ways people are choosing to scatter the ashes of cremated loved ones. One that I quite liked was having the ashes put into fireworks shells like the ones used for the harbour displays. Another nice one is to have the ashes mixed with concrete and used to create an artificial offshore reef.
Of course, Americans also have to have the extreme showy ideas - packing ashes into a rocket, compressing ashes into diamonds.
And the most bizarre and yet most accessible: have your ashes interred, with a brass plate to tell the world your name, next to a putting green on your favourite golf course.
"I just thought it was a good idea," [Barry Laney] said. "I have two adult children, and they play golf, too, so I figured this would give them something to do when they visit. They could putt and talk to me. I told my friends. They're interested. I hope so. I don't want to be alone."
Reminds me, a coupla guys in the States (I think. It's usually there, so it's a good guess) have decided to produce some more eco-friendly coffins than the usual chop-down-a-tree, cover-it-with-varnish, stick-polyester-and-a-body-in-it, and shove it in the ground. Apparently they'll also come in several colours, the idea being that people need to lighten up a bit. They both had their Dads die and thought they could improve on the funeral-burial process a bit :). Also, if one wants cremation, these coffins are low emission. Nifty, yeah?
Posted by: Rachel at February 22, 2005 06:15 PM