AMEN! The first time I had a slice of locally grown “Allowed to fully ripen on the plant before being picked” pineapple, was an amazing experience.
Almost like the first time I had a Philippine mango.
I worked on Nonoc Island in the Philippines for a short while. We took outrigger canoes to remote lagoons to go snorkeling on the coral reefs. A mother and her son lived in a grass hut on the lagoon. Her boy would shinny up a coconut palm tree, hack off a fresh coconut, bring it down and open it with one WHACK of his machete. There is NOTHING like fresh coconut off the tree. It’s nothing like the dried-out coconuts sold in grocery stores.
I also had Philippine mango, first at the Cebu City airport. That was incredible.