New Zealand or Chinese Garlic, I ask you?

Gabba sent me down to the supermarket to buy garlic and black peppercorns. We were having Gabba's World Famous Chicken, and the pepper is actually the most important ingredient. Which kinda makes the main reason for this post somewhat less important given garlic is the main reason for this post.

Anyways, I checked in at Sunnynook Countdown on Foursquare, after creating Sunnynook Foursquare because it didn't exist and then avoiding the inevitable charity hawkers at the front door, wandering into the vegge section, looking for the garlic.

Finding said garlic I stood there with my, now completely normal, indecision on what to fricken do next. there was New Zealand grown garlic and Chinese Grown garlic. The NZ Garlic was $19.62 a kg and the Chinese garlic was $6.72 a kg. The NZ garlic was wizened and odd shaped and small and odd colors and looked as dry as an old woman's neck. The Chinese garlic was while and plump and fat and delectable looking. not only that it was prepackaged in nice little bags so easily picked up and held while I hunted the black peppercorns.

On one hand I could buy NZ made and be generally unhappy with my purchase or buy from the evil Chinese bastards (that admitedily could really do with the sale, for all I know, although it's just as likely fucking Progressive Enterprises were making way more money that the Chinese peasant farmer) and have nice plump garlic on our world famous chicken.

In the end I chose the Chinese garlic because, after all it's just bloody garlic and it was easier and give me strength I was going to have to stand in line for 15 minutes because Countdown always have precisely 25% less checkouts open that they need to anyway and after all, it's only Garlic.

The Photo
Sunset from our new house, which we've just bought, but still haven't made a mortgage payment on, so it kinda feels like we're living here for free, which makes sunsets feel all the more sweeter, which you probably can't feel from a photo, but is the first photo I've taken this year, but what do you care that this is a really long sentence, but only because I've had a good amount of wine tonight and I'm happy to write it all.

Captured: 2010:01:30 20:38:58
Posted: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:10 pm

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Actually prefer NZ garlic (smells and tastes alot better). The Chinese garlic is cheap but not as fragrant and you usually need quite a bit of it. But then, what I do know? I'm only Chinese :P
Amelia @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:26 pm
All good points Amelia, and exactly what was going through my mind. But I then wondered if the flavour and fragrance was worth 3 times the price. Not to mention keeping NZ farmers in employ, when the NZ project looked so crap.
The chicken was damn fine all the same even with a bit of Chinese garlic in it.
Dave @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:29 pm
Dave, you've forgotten about the sustainability aspects of garlic. It is better for the environment to buy locally than it is to have your garlic bulb shipped from the other side of the world. I know I sound preachy... you may have saved yourself a few cents, but what have you cost the planet? This is a toughie... I struggle with these decisions myself.
Jacqui @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:42 pm
@jacqui, if your argument had any weight then the entire NZ export food business, milk, butter, beef and lamb would be completely screwed. We think we can produce those items environmentally cheaper than they can in Europe. So perhaps the Chinese can produce better garlic than we can here?
Dave @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:45 pm
You've made a good point. How do you really know if Chinese garlic is environmentally cheaper? It would be fantastic if that is the case, so what we need is better labeling showing the environmental footprint for each item. You're right that businesses need to compete not just on price, but also on environmental factors. Anyway, such a serious discussion for a Saturday evening.... I know, I started it. :)
Jacqui @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:53 pm
Actually, you started it! NZ versus Chinese garlic. Sheesh!
Jacqui @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 9:55 pm
Garlic is evil
Edward Cullen @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 10:08 pm
Thanks for your considered contribution Ed. We'll add that to the mix.
Dave @ Saturday, January 30, 2010, 10:12 pm
i'm fairly certain the chinese garlic is grown on radioactive gardens as this helps with the whitewash complexion and huge perfectly shaped bulbs. i myself completely trust all chinese food products, my favourite of which is chicken powder - this will make anything taste both awesome and chickeny
Mark @ Sunday, January 31, 2010, 4:31 pm
Mark, you're lucky all your hair hasn't fallen off ;)
Amelia @ Sunday, January 31, 2010, 8:40 pm
NZ garlic in New World Albany is much better looking than the Chinese or even USA stuff so I always buy it - any way you should be growing it yourself now you have a garden to call your own,
Kerry @ Monday, February 1, 2010, 11:19 am
We wait months for some quality blogging and you divulge that - nice photo though.
It should have been an easy choice... whatever is cheapest!
Jameshd @ Monday, February 1, 2010, 10:21 pm
hmm - garlic.
Darren @ Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 4:20 pm
Interesting - and disturbing! My family grow garlic, and this is a common problem. The fact of the matter is that whenever you grow a crop there will always be some product that doesn't make the grade. Obviously what you viewed in front of you was below an acceptable standard, and frankly, shouldn't have been on the shelf.

Between October and January it is difficult to get good NZ Garlic, but the rest of the year good quality garlic should be available. In terms of Chinese vs. NZ Garlic, on the whole I would argue that NZ Garlic is a far superior product in terms of taste, traceability, and overall quality.

In terms of the price - this is not a reflection of what a farmer charges. Chinese farmers earn a ridiculously small amount of the proceeds from their crop. In NZ, while we get better returns, it is still not a hugely profitable industry.

At the end of the day, if you like one product more than another, as a consumer you have every right to choose whatever you want. Good on you for trying to make an informed choice!
John Murphy @ Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 11:05 am

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