This fruit frenzy isn’t new. In ancient China, emperors received Han Dynasty oranges as tribute. In France, King Louis XIV demanded pineapples grown in heated greenhouses.
Today, these fruits are a status symbol for the uber-rich. They are the diamonds of the dirt, rare and completely unnecessary. But that’s exactly the point.
In Japan, the aesthetic matters as much as the flavor. A perfect melon must have symmetrical netting, a uniform shape, and no blemishes. Anything less gets downgraded to “grocery” tier.
There’s a famous story of a Tokyo businessman who bought a $10,000 melon for his boss. He later confessed he had “no idea if it tasted better than a normal one.” He bought the story, not the fruit.
