Corn buying etiquette

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just have to say that I'm loving the fact that there is a corn buying etiquette thread that's 5 pages long with drama even. It cracks me up! Some grocery stores actually put a big can next to the corn so you can shuck right there.

I'm personally a peeker. There is nothing worse than getting a bum piece of corn with different size kernels all haphazard and what not.

I peek too, but I can imagine a lot of things worse than a bad ear of corn.

It's a figure of speech....jeeze!

Can't we keep this lighthearted. No need for a lesson in keeping things in perspective.....

Believe me....I know from personal experience that there are plenty of worse things in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell how good a piece of corn is through the feel of the husk, the stalk, and the "hair" on top. Peeling back a little tells me nothing of worth. Knowing the top few kernels are good doesn't tell me if the bottom ones are good. If the ear is a good ear, the kernels should be fine and any not-so-good ones can be cut off or eaten around.

All hail the cornwhisperer.

Clever. Sorry if I took the time to learn (a few minutes reading tips from top cooks and talking to corn farmers). I love the derision aimed at those who are actually competent at something.

Honestly, in the end, ask the vendor. There IS no corn etiquette, just as there is no absolute etiquette in most situations, since so much is contextual. Is it bad etiquette to wear a t-shirt dinner? Yes, if I'm eating at a 5-star restaurant. No, if I'm at the corner pub. Some vendors obviously don't care (though don't assume that the placement of a garbage pail assumes they would find it acceptable for you to peel-and-replace; it might be placed with the understanding that it be used to husk corn you fully intend to buy) and some will care intensely. If someone falls into the latter camp, no sense of personal etiquette makes it any more acceptable to violate the rules for his business.

[Anonymous]

of course it is necessary, you have to check for worms. Farmer probably didn't want people rejecting corn with worms in it so he could sell the wormy corn too. Doesn't mean it is rude.

BTW, I was raised on a corn farm and I peel back the top and check before I buy. I'm not paying good money for some farmer's trash.

[Anonymous]

PP here -- the reason checking the top usually tells you is that worms go in the top. If there are no worm holes in the bottom you don't need to peel the rest to see if it is wormy, you just need to look for holes. but they can get in the top without creating a hole. FYI.

[Anonymous]

Do you cut into a watermelon before you buy it?

You have to feel the corn, not peel it back, never buy it based on looks but on feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can tell how good a piece of corn is through the feel of the husk, the stalk, and the "hair" on top. Peeling back a little tells me nothing of worth. Knowing the top few kernels are good doesn't tell me if the bottom ones are good. If the ear is a good ear, the kernels should be fine and any not-so-good ones can be cut off or eaten around.

All hail the cornwhisperer.

Clever. Sorry if I took the time to learn (a few minutes reading tips from top cooks and talking to corn farmers). I love the derision aimed at those who are actually competent at something.

Honestly, in the end, ask the vendor. There IS no corn etiquette, just as there is no absolute etiquette in most situations, since so much is contextual. Is it bad etiquette to wear a t-shirt dinner? Yes, if I'm eating at a 5-star restaurant. No, if I'm at the corner pub. Some vendors obviously don't care (though don't assume that the placement of a garbage pail assumes they would find it acceptable for you to peel-and-replace; it might be placed with the understanding that it be used to husk corn you fully intend to buy) and some will care intensely. If someone falls into the latter camp, no sense of personal etiquette makes it any more acceptable to violate the rules for his business.

GD, you're a bore. And the "cornwhisperer" comment was hilarious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread turned out exactly as I thought it would. Thanks DCUM for not disappointing! The required elements were:

1. Question about peeling back the husk. I could tell this from the title.
2. Numerous answers misunderstanding the original question (that is, whether husking is ok)
3. Side discussion on the merits of the misunderstood question (to husk or not to husk? That wasn't the question)
4. Indignant disagreement over the main question, complete with claims of superior basis for knowledge.
5. Discussion of the impact on the less fortunate (downtrodden farmers)
6. Segue into how much DCUMers make and what they drive.

Love you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm personally a peeker. There is nothing worse than getting a bum piece of corn with different size kernels all haphazard and what not.

Emma Pillsbury, is that you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always peel back a bit to check. I'm picky about The quality of the food i eat and I've come home with too many crappy ears of corn not to. (I don't seem to have the touch for just "feeling" bad spots.) I don't generally husk it in the store unless there's a bin and I'm headed straight home to cook it.

For the PP who made the Skittles analogy, sorry but it's not the same at all. Skittles are made in a factory and designed and checked specifically so every bag comes out the same. A "bad" bag would be very very rare. Not so for corn at all.

I cut open the tomatoes to make sure I get one that's not too grainy. Sometimes it takes 5-6 before I find a good one. This is not rude in any way, shape, or form.

Again, not applicable. You can examine a tomato pretty well by just feeling and looking at it, and you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to get. With corn you can't even see it if it's in the husk. You run a decent chance of coming home with a bunch of crappy corn. Buying an extra 1-2 ears isn't necessarily enough. Also, unlike a tomato, peeling back a small edge of the corn does not make it unusable. (And anyway, if it looks OK, you buy it.)

Do you have any more analogies to share?

As I and countless other posters here have said, you can examine an ear of corn pretty well by feeling it through the husk as well. Now, you may not be competent enough to do so, but maybe I'm too incompetent to examine a tomato just by looking at it from the outside.

Then cut the tomato. I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you cut into a watermelon before you buy it?

You have to feel the corn, not peel it back, never buy it based on looks but on feel.

No, I thump it and check to make sure the section that grew flat on the ground is white- not green. There are smart ways to buy produce and stupid ones. You always check the top of the corn by peeling back a small section. You always smell a peach, cantaloupe, or pineapple. You test apples, cherries, and grapes for firmness. There is a method of checking almost every type of produce. My mom was an organic farmer and she taught me how. I wouldn't want to waste my money on bad corn or a bad watermelon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you cut into a watermelon before you buy it?

You have to feel the corn, not peel it back, never buy it based on looks but on feel.

I cut into watermelons before I buy them. I also, test pain killers at the store to see if they worked before I buy them.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Never thought I'd get this response. I thought I would get maybe 2 real answers and 1 "if corn is your biggest problem, then you are lucky" response. I am no social anthropologist by any means. However, I find it really interesting that an admittedly trivial question would raise such issues like wealth and feelings of entitlements. I think it totally underscores the palpatable social tension that is going on right now.

Or, it could be people just like fucking off at work fighting over stupid shit for fun. FWIW: I have been swayed and will refrain from peeling back my prospective ears of corn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Never thought I'd get this response. I thought I would get maybe 2 real answers and 1 "if corn is your biggest problem, then you are lucky" response. I am no social anthropologist by any means. However, I find it really interesting that an admittedly trivial question would raise such issues like wealth and feelings of entitlements. I think it totally underscores the palpatable social tension that is going on right now.

Or, it could be people just like fucking off at work fighting over stupid shit for fun. FWIW: I have been swayed and will refrain from peeling back my prospective ears of corn.

Clearly, you are making the wrong decision.

Sincerely,

Illinois "Corn State" native

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Never thought I'd get this response. I thought I would get maybe 2 real answers and 1 "if corn is your biggest problem, then you are lucky" response. I am no social anthropologist by any means. However, I find it really interesting that an admittedly trivial question would raise such issues like wealth and feelings of entitlements. I think it totally underscores the palpatable social tension that is going on right now.

Or, it could be people just like fucking off at work fighting over stupid shit for fun. FWIW: I have been swayed and will refrain from peeling back my prospective ears of corn.

I'm sure it is a lot of people F-ing off at work. Given the area, I'm sure there are a fair ammount of overpaid shitheads working for some agency thinking they are more important than they really are.

[Anonymous]

DO YOU HEAR THE VOICES TOO!!! The corn is talking to me.