Three hours in the life of an ear of corn
My Uncle Philippe was a prankster with a dry sense of humour. One day, he approached his neighbour and asked him to organize a corn contest, knowing full well that both crops were equally outstanding since their fields were planted using the same seeds, in the same soil, under similar conditions.
To take the crown, he focused on the fact that his adversary was a little less shrewd and bold than he was. He therefore scheduled the contest quite early in the morning, presuming that his opponent would merely pick his corn the day before. Indeed, while his neighbour slept peacefully, my uncle picked his corn. A few hours later, Philippe puffed up his chest at the unanimous vote, declaring him king of corn, under the dumbstruck, totally mystified gaze of the loser.
A skeptic might attribute my uncle’s victory to his charismatic prowess, but it goes without saying that a freshly shucked corn on the cob and one from the prior night simply do not taste the same. The reason? The sugar converts into starch a lot faster after the corn is picked. Within 24 hours, 50% of the sugar is transformed. The moment corn reaches its peak lasts about the same time it takes for a bird to flap its wings. Before, it’s not quite ready yet; after, it’s no longer at its best. It’s been said that to eat fresh means to eat local, and that’s very true.
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