You mean like some kids think carrots grow on trees?! Absolutely. Truth be told, it wasn’t until later in life, when I developed an interest in vegetable gardening, that I learned how a lot of different veggies looked while they were growing, and what was required to grow them.
For decades, chain grocery store veggies have been bred for appearance, long term shelf life, and resistance to damage while being transported. Flavor and nutritional value have become non-priorities in favor of maximum profit. It concerns me how many folks think tomatoes are supposed to be perfectly round and uniformly red, when in fact, tomatoes come in all shapes and sizes and colors and flavor. In the last 20+ years, if someone has eaten only grocery store tomatoes, they haven’t a clue what a real tomato tastes like.
I understand that gardening isn’t for everyone, for a variety of reasons. But, for those folks who are interested in the quality of their produce, there are farmers’ markets, organic stores, and CSAs. The main reason the cost of organic and local grown produce appears to be expensive compared to grocery store produce that is procured from mega-farms, is that the big guys get federal subsidies from the federal government. But that’s a topic for another thread.
Running short of time, so I’ll save my thoughts on meat production for later.