excess

Here’s What a $22 Strawberry Looks Like

Think an $18 cup of coffee is excessive? How about a single strawberry for $22? Part of Japan’s grand tradition of wildly overpriced fruit, the so-called Kotoka strawberry is sold at upscale Hong Kong supermarket, and purveyor of $522 apples, CitySuper.

Beyond the exorbitant price tag, it’s attracted ire for its excessive packaging. Just one strawberry is tucked inside a cardboard humidor with synthetic straw and a foam doughnut for protection. Food waste has generated a lot of attention, but wasteful packaging is also a problem; Hong Kong generates 6.4 million tons of waste a year. There’s no world in which a $22 strawberry could possibly be worth it, but for the record: While the strawberry’s producer describes it as “a magic fruit that brings a delectable surprise and a mouthful of happiness” — psychedelic! — a Time reporter merely describes it as “good,” but not the strawberry to end all strawberries.

Here’s What a $22 Strawberry Looks Like