Pineapple

I enjoy eating pineapple. I used to eat pineapple in its natural or ‘real’ form before entering college, however, now I usually eat it in its ‘fake’ or processed form. I enjoy eating it either way. It is much easier and cheaper for me, as a college student, to buy pineapple in its processed form or in a can. The canned version is also lasts longer than the whole fruit version too. There is less work in preparing it, because all I need is a can opener (unless it’s one of those cool pop-top cans). In comparison to its ‘real’ form, I would need to scrape the outside layer with a knife and cut chunks of the pineapple from around the core.

The processed form of pineapple is usually drenched in syrup or sweetened water. This form of pineapple is much sweeter than natural pineapple due to the added sugar and preservatives. It is also much easier to chew the processed pineapple. Natural pineapple tends to be denser than the canned version. The canned fruit also has a sweeter scent than the real fruit. Processed pineapple also looks a bit different than natural pineapple because it is cut up in uniform pieces. Whereas the natural pineapple is usually cut in chunks (it’s easier that way).

The ‘fake’ version of pineapple does provide essential vitamins and nutrients. It is almost nutritionally equivalent to the ‘real’ form. It doesn’t claim to be better than the real version. Some people may view canned fruit as worse than natural fruit due to the added preservatives and sugar. I believe that I will return to eating the ‘real’ fruit, because it is almost a family tradition to pick pineapples and cut them up together to our desired sized pieces.

I agree with Kristie Leong in that eating canned fruit is more convenient and cheaper than buying the fruit in its natural state. She does acknowledge that canned fruit may have added sugar and preservatives; however, she believes that the advantages of eating canned fruit outweigh the drawbacks.