
A Grand Unified Theory of Avocado Toast - hprotagonist
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/a-grand-unified-theory-of-avocado-toast
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deckar01
This article is bizarre. It starts off with a story that fails to justify why
avocado toast is relevant, meanders through personal antecdotes, then drones
on about the history of advocados in the US. Pass.

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hwillis
> Today, nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico.

>A politics of avocadoism is intrinsic to this history. If you worry about the
eclipse of American agriculture—or the market effects of cheap, distance-
shipped produce—you’d be right to regard this international trade with
disgust.

>If, on the other hand, you celebrate competitive international trade and
cosmopolitan access, the avocado is a fruit of heroism.

The point that the author is making is that the "anti-avacado" sentiment is a
result of anti-urban and anti-globalization/anti-globalist sentiment. It's
something that cities have more access to, is relatively new, and is imported
from mexico. Its a partisan division.

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colanderman
> nine out of ten imported avocados in the U.S. are from Mexico.

Why is the author surprised that 90% of IMPORTED avocados come from the only
avocado-producing nation with which we share a land border? Why even state
that figure? I'm surprised it's not higher; there must be mighty tasty
avocados down in Central America.

In fact, only 70% of all avocados eaten in the US are imports. [1] So, only
63% come from Mexico.

[1]
[http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf](http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00KP28.pdf)

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rainbowmverse
I don't think I've ever seen an avocado in person. I was shocked to discover
my apparent obsession with something I've never experienced was why I couldn't
afford a house.

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PebblesHD
As someone who has seen, and regularly consumes avocados for no more than
about $2.50 per fruit, I too am a bit confused about what relationship this
has with my inability to afford a $250,000 deposit on a Sydney 1 bedroom
apartment.

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cylinder
The reference is to cafes, not making it at home. Aussie cafes charge like $20
for avo toast and millennials line up to pay it.

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NamTaf
I don't know where you're buying it but BNE CBD cafes charge barely over $10
in most cases that I see.

Still, I find avocado disgusting so I have no desire to eat it. I also own a
unit though so I'm not helping whatsoever with the stereotype.

~~~
petecox
It's intergenerational cultural cringe. First it was Chardonnay socialists,
then caffè latte drinkers, now it's war on avocado on toasted bread. But one
might ask why avocado prices have soared from five years ago - I buy a bag of
six smallish ones from Aldi these days for $6.70.

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rdtsc
I don't even bother with the toast, just eat it with the spoon from the shell.
Is that weird? I am sure I am not the only one.

The reason I like them so much, is they remind me when I used to climb walnut
trees to get green walnuts. The avocado somehow tastes like that white
unripened walnut meat.

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tomascot
I do the same. But with a bit of lemon juice and pepper.

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laxatives
You can eat an avocado with almost anything and it its delicious.

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colanderman
Every time I don't buy avocado toast, I buy something else to eat. I don't see
how avoiding it helps to save money?

And, that stupid picture. For $8, I get TWO slices, each a LARGE piece of
(organic whole-wheat) bread, with additional veggies and a nut spread, from
some upscale vegan place in downtown Boston no less. If you're getting a tiny
slice of Wonderbread with half an avocado on it like the article's picture
suggests, of course you're getting ripped off.

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cakedoggie
The idea is you buy something cheaper, or have cereal. That way you save
money, and have more money to put towards a house.

~~~
colanderman
If the argument was "millenials eat out too much", that they are spending
$8/meal×3 meals/day×365 days/year = $8760/year eating out, it would be an
interesting article.

But the article is entirely about "avocado toast", a meal that, while popular,
is not eaten more than once per week even by any millenial I know. Saving
$8/meal×1 meal/week×52 weeks/year = $416/year is so laughably far from helping
save for the down payment of a home, especially in a market where avocado
toast is popular, like Boston, where it would take 100 years.

The article is vapid. It could be summed up as "get off my lawn" but because
the author of this content-free piece is somehow employed by the New Yorker,
he found it necessary to wrap it in a dozen paragraphs of purple prose.

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ada1981
I created something called "Dinosaur Eggs" in NYC that at least one
restauranter has told me he "stole" and now features in his spot in vegas.

Halved avacdo; remove the seed; fill the hole with things of your choosing.. I
like nutritional yeast, chia seeds, olive oil, sea salt, habenero sauce.

I've also done blueberries, other seeds, sprouts. All delicious.

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frank_nitti
Mexican people I knew while livong there put tuna salad in it during lent

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sporkenfang
I had no idea Hass avocados were mainly descendants of one tree!

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gdix
To all the people who keep saying things like "I don't eat avocado toast but I
can't afford to buy a house either. Counter example! QED LOL", you're missing
the point. It's not about avocado toast obviously. The point is that
millennials spend money on frivolous luxuries and then complain that they
can't afford anything. He was using avocado toast as an example. Duh.

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Chathamization
> The point is that millennials spend money on frivolous luxuries and then
> complain that they can't afford anything.

They seem to be spending less (percentage wise) than the previous
generation[1]. I can understand why some people would be upset if they were
told, "Even though you're spending less than I did on luxuries, you're still
spending too much." Particularly when they are told that getting a sandwich
for lunch is a luxury they can't afford.

[1] [https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/millennial-boomer-
spendi...](https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/millennial-boomer-spending)

~~~
gdix
Who says the previous generation spent the "correct" amount? Where in the
contract that we all signed when we became adults did it say "The cosmos shall
ensure that no generation should ever have to spend less than the previous
generation on anything"?

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siliconc0w
To be fair, buying coffees and lunch really does start to add up if the
alternative is that it's sitting in an index fund. $20 every day for a year
for ten years is around 114k at 8% interest. That is a down payment on a house
in most areas.

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softawre
Yes! This is the guys point.

I am probably a millennial by some definitions, but I can't stand the
complainer variety that just beg for something to bitch about.

Yeah, it's not as easy as it was before for the most part. But you can still
work hard and make it, assuming you're not completely under-privileged.

~~~
ball_of_lint
Far too many people are now "completely under-privileged" and will end up poor
despite their efforts.

But even beyond that, humanity progresses. So many new technologies and
increased efficiencies have come about in recent years. Why then, do we see
the opposite effect on lay people? So many people today cannot find work or
aren't being paid enough to live on even to the standards of 20 years ago.
This isn't whining, this is recognising inequity.

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thebigspacefuck
I eat avocado toast and I've never even seen that shit on a menu. I discovered
it on my own. Somehow this 'phenomenon' is still news. Not everything has to
be a 'thing'.

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throwaway91111
And yet, you can see people buying expensive avacado toast. What does your
anecdotal evidence add to the conversation?

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thebigspacefuck
What conversation?

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aphextron
This is an ad for SoFi.

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cryptonector
Step one: skip the toast.

Seriously, no toast. You don't really need carbs to eat avocado with, though
it's true that corn chips go well with guacamole.

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MichaelBurge
> “If avocado toast costs around $8 a serving, you’d have to skip
> approximately 4,900 of those beloved toasts to afford that new home.”

Remember that journalists make an average salary of $37,720(according to a
quick Google search). You're not going to get a lot of advice or insight into
handling your money from someone who can barely afford his rent. I don't think
his goal was to give advice(I'm not really sure what the article's point was,
to be honest), but I suggest avoiding taking advice from journalists
nonetheless.

To a first approximation, cutting a habit of $8/day for 200 days/year would
immediately raise your net worth by ~$20,000 in my eyes. You can't pay your
down payment in net worth, but nonetheless you could easily buy a $180,000
property with just that change alone after 4 years.

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batiudrami
The original comment was made by an Australian, who was essentially saying
"young Australians are not frugal enough to buy property", despite real house
prices growing much faster than inflation or wages and spending by young
people on dining out/entertainment being lower than past generations. It's
actually a reference to this [1] tongue-in-cheek article which, while
obviously a joke, touched a nerve amongst young people in a city where the
median house price is 1.1M AUD/850USD. Also, other issues with your maths
aside, $180,000 properties don't exist in Australia in places with employment
opportunities.

[1] [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-
maga...](http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-
magazine/moralisers-we-need-you/news-
story/6bdb24f77572be68330bd306c14ee8a3?nk=ab6d3ecb1bb2f193d94d861c8652975c-1500002549)

