Grapple Fruit: grappling with a super-sized problem

the shift to working a h.s./college-age caseload was a good decision. as w/ any job, there is good and bad, but for now (knock on wood), the +�s outweigh the ��s. i mainly think it�s a better match for me based on my personality, my background as a college career counselor, and my personal experience with chronic illness/disability issues. but there�s something i�ve been wanting to say: i�m always struck by something on my visits to the schools:

no, it�s not how young the students look. it�s not their hipness, nor is it their intelligence. it�s their SIZE. since when did high school kids get so BIG? sure, it�s a given that most are taller than i am. of course the jocks are 6�3 and 230 lbs in all of their thick-necked glory. and yeah, there are countless gangly, awkward adolescent boys and girls who are tall but haven�t yet grown into their bodies. but i�m not talkin� about them.

i'll be blunt: so many teens are so fat. and no i don't mean mere chubbiness, healthy curves, or �baby-fat". i'm referring to morbid obesity. i know it�s not just a youth problem, but it�s truly alarming b/c those kids face so much disability down the road--diabetes, heart disease, etc. i don�t know about your school, but when i was little, there were maybe a handful of chubby kids in my class each year. sadly, they were ruthlessly teased and targeted w/ the cruelty one can only find in elementary school P.E. class or on the playground. but looking back, their heaviness pales in comparison to the morbid obesity seen today. so what can be done about this super-sized public health issue?

The Grapple just may be the answer, and is being marketed as such! i thought of the grapple after reading another diarist's entry on things flavored to taste like what they're not. recently at whole foods, something caught my eye as i moved away from the beloved fancy cheese samples. in the produce section was a bubble-dome covered tray of crisp, juicy apple samples. but on closer inspection, i discovered those were no apples! they were �grapples�, fresh off the truck from washington state: grape flavored apples made by dipping fuji apples into concord grape juice through a �patented bathing system�. for $1.50 each, or a bargain 4 for$4. hell, i could make those at home and sell them at the local farmer�s market!

it actually didn�t taste bad, but it didn�t knock my socks off either. besides, why would you want your apple to taste like anything other than an apple? what�s the point? the wenatchee-based Get Fit Foods Company that makes them believes the Grapple will help fight childhood obesity. apparently, once kids get a load of the awesomeness of concord grape-flavored apples, they'll trade in their sugary snacks for these and lose all sorts of weight. or something like that:

�With childhood obesity increasing at alarming rates, the Grapple could go a long way to improving the eating habits of children and introducing them to more produce.

hmmm. are these being test-marketed in school cafeterias? just hand me a crunchy granny smith and i'm good to go. if i want grapes, i�ll buy grapes.