Apples & Garlic and Italian Terracotta

There was this town called Gilroy in California that one could smell miles away. It smelled of Garlic. It was something like the garlic growing capital of West Coast if not America.

Gilroy is definitely still there, or was till like super recently. Now you or I or anyone who happens to be around Gilroy probably just might get a whiff of garlic if someone is cooking madly with garlic in any/ many of those houses built on the land where garlic was grown - and the garlic that one can smell probably came from China.

It's hard to find American garlic in Seattle or Vancouver - and that's not kidding

Washington state was a major producer of apples. Now apple producers are in disarray because of Chinese Apples. Chinese growers took Washington samplings and are now growing quite nice "Washington" apples.

Italy was quite severely buggered too. Their famous - 1000 year old tradition - of Impruneta terracotta has been replaced with Chinese made (flower) pots and other things baked at 1100 plus degrees of a clay that was supposedly only in Italy and now "experts" have a hard time telling Chinese bastards from Italian originals.

By the way many moortis (statues/ idols) of Hindu Gods sold here are made in China. Though in some cases the features are Mongol, especially the eyes. Shock to see a slanted eye Shiva!

Global economy in US (and EU) = white collar jobs gone to India, stuff we wear, eat, sleep on, play with (including sex toys) made and/or grown in China (before an economist or a wannabe one gets berserk with this facile judgment I admit I'm not one but definitely see and have been seeing this for years so believe in that =)

Its only a matter of time before Indian bazaars are filled with Chinese mangoes, saag and bhindy and urad daal. They will follow Chinese fans and toys.

Hope they taste good. There's still time to stop a wipe out. Buy local, buy quality not price .