Scared by Sainsbury's

[venta]

Well. Today, instead of bringing something in from home for lunch, I thought I'd treat myself. I have (or had) Sainsbury's salmon sushi, and fresh fruit salad.

The sushi was really nice, actually, although their amazing expanding chopsticks puzzled me momentarily. And I'm not convinced that they're a good use of such solid plastics, since they're disposable - the plain wooden kind seem like a better bet.

But the fruit salad... I scooped it into its box at the salad bar this morning without thinking. 5 hours later (and who knows how many after it was prepared), the apple slices are still sparkly pale green. Not a hint of brownness anywhere. And they don't taste like they've been tossed in lemon juice. What on earth do they do to them...?

Scared now.

Comments

[thegreenman.livejournal.com]

Probably they added a buffer (citrate based at a guess) to change the pH to a range that the enzymes that cause the browning don't like.

Or an anti-oxident like vitamin C (aka Ascorbic acid) which also doesn't taste of anything.

My guess is Ascorbic acid

You'll live.

TheGreenLady and I have an ongoing problem with the lack of M&S recyling, they use a lot of plastic and never seem to label it.

[venta.livejournal.com]

You'll live

Phew.

After my encounter with a maggot in my nectarine yesterday, I was beginning to think it wasn't my week with fruit.

It wasn't the maggot I minded so much, it was the grieving expression on his face as if I'd just eaten all his friends...

Look on the bright side

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Maybe it'll stop you falling over with brownness^* when you spend too long in the sun.

^*: or pinky/redness.

Traditional response

[wimble.livejournal.com]

Better than half a maggot.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

Could it be some preservative like Sulphur dioxide*? (Or something similar). If you're a sickly asthmatic, it's one of about a zillion things that they warn you about.

*which they used to use in salad bars. Dunno if they still do.

[thegreenman.livejournal.com]

Yep, another possibility, although less popular than it used to be, because it gives a sulphurous smell to the product if overdone.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I reckon vitamin C too. You would definitely have smelled it if there'd been sulphur dioxide.

Sushi good

[kneeshooter]

Japanese food is the chink in my armour of rigtheous vegetarianism. Does Oxford have any Japanese restaurants?

Re: Sushi good

[venta.livejournal.com]

It does.

It has:

Edamame, on Holywell Street. Very good, but with the most unpredictable and bizarre opening times in the world.

Gashi Gashi, on Cowley Road. I like it, but it's a little on the pricey side. Your friendly local Japanese restaurant expert, condign, pours forth vitriol every time this place gets mentioned.

Red Star Noodle Bar, on Cowley Rd. Cheap and cheerful, does somethings (Gyoza, Yaki Soba) very well, other things (Ramen) less well.

Re: Sushi good

[kneeshooter]

Mmmmmm. Now eating my way around Oxford might be a good alternative to those nights in on the PC.

Fancy dinner sometime? ;-)

Re: Sushi good

[venta.livejournal.com]

Er, sometime...

The immediate future's looking a bit hectic for assorted reasons - ask me again in a few weeks if you haven't eaten everything by then :)

Re: Sushi good

[kneeshooter]

I wasn't actually expecting a reply - but thanks anyway :-)