Okay bear with me, this isn’t a rant on how wonderful I think avocados are or a list of things I recommend you should make with avocados, this is an answer to a question. What’s up with avocados recently?
Just like fashion has its trends, it seems as if the new trending food item is avocados. Either in their natural glory or all mashed up into the beautiful dip that is guacamole (that will be $1.00 extra naturally). Avocados have been around a long time, but it seems right now they are a huge hit, and they also seem to be making fairly large dents in our pockets.
I personally love avocados; I eat them whole, mashed up, on toast, on chips, on sandwiches. It’s a wonderful food that is both healthy and tasty! It’s full of good fats for your body and half an avocado is about 100 calories, making it a really quick mid-day snack! Liberated from the stereotypes that avocados do more harm than good, they are finding their way into hearts and stomachs of many Americans today!
When buying avocados at the grocery store, they are usually priced anywhere from 49 cents to $1.99, depending on their size. Although this is a bit pricey, fresh produce seems to be worth the cost it comes with. So why on earth when I go out to eat, is a small scoop of guac is $1.80 extra? That just seems absurd.
So I did some research, because I am a broke college student who just wants fair guac prices for all! Turns out, these crazy high guac prices are totally fair. Although salsa and cheese are never extra, there’s good reason you’re dishing out extra cash for that guac.
Avocados are more popular than ever and the demand is only going up. Due to the sudden high demands, farmers are trying their best to keep up, but as they become more popular, the prices will continue to rise. There is also the issue of the drought in California, which drives avocado prices up yet again.
Avocados have to be eaten fresh, and don’t stay good very long. So unlike cheese and salsa that can be bought in bulk, avocados can only be bought as they get used. Because nobody wants brown guac: it's all about the green goods!
But it’s not just the extra charge that has me questioning the avocado. Avocados seem to be popping up everywhere. Subway has recently been advertising avocados as one of their sub ingredients. Smashburger now offers an avocado garden burger. Burger King joined the party with the California Burger with guacamole, and even Wendy's has a similar guacamole burger option.
As more places add avocado themed options to their menus, I have some remaining questions. Maybe we’ve just realized how great avocados really are? Or are we just over-glorifying them? Regardless, next time you go to Subway or Chipotle and they annoyingly ask you “Guac is extra, is that okay?” (but you obviously already knew that because when was the last time you didn’t ask for guac on that burrito!), remember that it’s totally worth it!
Trends may come and go, but avocados are definitely in my life to stay.
