Apple review: Modi
Apr. 18th, 2019 04:45 pmI've been slacking on apple reviews. Partly it's because I'm not seeing many new apples -- I really thought fall would bring more to the supermarkets than it did. But mostly it's because I've been stressed and depressed and eating like shit. I buy an apple, I eye it unhappily for a long time, I throw it out when it gets mushy. I optimistically buy more apples -- can't eat 'em if I don't have 'em -- only to not eat them again.
But I have encountered a few new-to-me varieties lately. On the way to the desert a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at a grocery store that had bins labeled "Rome" and "Jonathan." Jackpot!
Not so fast -- the "Jonathans" were actually Jonagold, and I later found that Rome is a cooking apple that's bland and mealy when eaten straight. So I... let it sit around until it got mushy. Sorry, Rome, but I doubt you were worth trying.
However, I did find a variety called "Modi" at Vons. It's a Liberty/Gala cross, named after artist Amedeo Modigliani, who painted nudes and liked bright red colors. Its web site is... fun?
Also, the apple has exraordinary organoleptic qualities.
Yes, I had to look up "organoleptic." It means "the aspects of food, water or other substances that an individual experiences via the senses—including taste, sight, smell, and touch."
(You know, the five senses: taste, color, shape, flesh, and storage.)
Okay, I'll stop screwing around and eat the apple.
Verdict: I have to admit, this apple has been bouncing around in my bag for weeks. Literally. Weeks. It was very battered, but surprisingly unbruised. I thought I'd probably take a token bite and toss the rest, but it was actually... pretty good? It struck me as a little boring and sweet at first, but it was impressively crunchy and juicy, so I ate a little more. It had a good apple flavor, rather than the blandness that underlies most sweet apples, and there was even a little balancing tartness after a while. I... I liked it.
Buy again? I would -- particularly to try a fresh one! -- but I think they're gone from Vons now. Sorry, Modi, but I'll gladly give you another chance.
But I have encountered a few new-to-me varieties lately. On the way to the desert a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at a grocery store that had bins labeled "Rome" and "Jonathan." Jackpot!
Not so fast -- the "Jonathans" were actually Jonagold, and I later found that Rome is a cooking apple that's bland and mealy when eaten straight. So I... let it sit around until it got mushy. Sorry, Rome, but I doubt you were worth trying.
However, I did find a variety called "Modi" at Vons. It's a Liberty/Gala cross, named after artist Amedeo Modigliani, who painted nudes and liked bright red colors. Its web site is... fun?
Also, the apple has exraordinary organoleptic qualities.
Yes, I had to look up "organoleptic." It means "the aspects of food, water or other substances that an individual experiences via the senses—including taste, sight, smell, and touch."
(You know, the five senses: taste, color, shape, flesh, and storage.)
Okay, I'll stop screwing around and eat the apple.
Verdict: I have to admit, this apple has been bouncing around in my bag for weeks. Literally. Weeks. It was very battered, but surprisingly unbruised. I thought I'd probably take a token bite and toss the rest, but it was actually... pretty good? It struck me as a little boring and sweet at first, but it was impressively crunchy and juicy, so I ate a little more. It had a good apple flavor, rather than the blandness that underlies most sweet apples, and there was even a little balancing tartness after a while. I... I liked it.
Buy again? I would -- particularly to try a fresh one! -- but I think they're gone from Vons now. Sorry, Modi, but I'll gladly give you another chance.
