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by jfengel 1458 days ago
Is that $2,000 price a real thing, or just a publicity stunt?

They cite that as happening at a wholesale auction. The photograph depicts mango for 9800 yen, about $100. Still absurd, but more than an order of magnitude less.

It puts me in mind of the guy who breaks records every year by buying a tuna for millions of dollars:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/01/07/168813383/th...
4 comments
kevin_thibedeau 1458 days ago
Expensive food items are part of the Japanese gift giving culture. These aren't meant for everyday consumption. Rather, this is a way to give a gift that won't take up space in the home. Gifts of durable goods would accumulate into a massive inconvenience. This price structure also enables inefficient labor practices that do genuinely improve the quality of the produce.
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jfengel 1458 days ago
I'm certainly all for edible gifts. I don't need any more clutter.

I'd just as soon not get one that I'd feel weird about eating for being supremely expensive... but I can say that I'm happy to have "slow food" that somebody put time and effort into.

I'm not sure where I'd draw the line between the two. Perhaps a factor of 2. Maybe even 10. But please don't give me a $100 mango.

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bdowling 1458 days ago
$2000 is a publicity stunt. Basically, the grower auctions the first fruit of the season and the winner is interviewed on TV and gets to promote his business. It's exactly like the ludicrous tuna auction but on a local level.

The $100 fruit is a premium item that comes in a nice box appropriate to send as a gift. Note: This isn't that different from the premium gift boxes sold in the U.S. (e.g., Harry and David box of six pears and some nuts for $100).

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wodenokoto 1458 days ago
My guess is as good as any, but the first fruit of the season can sometimes go for quite high prices.
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omoikane 1458 days ago
There is probably a race to get the first fruits of the season, plus auctions to drive up the prices of those first picks.
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idleproc 1458 days ago
The sushi guy and his tuna is totally a publicity stunt.

In this case, I think it helps to consider the mango as art rather than food.

It's a similar thing with Koi Carp.

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