I grew up in South Florida which is not a good growing climate for many &quot;classic&quot; North American fruits and vegetables.<p>I didn&#x27;t understand the popularity of tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or pears until I moved north and tried them at farmer&#x27;s markets or from wild growth. I didn&#x27;t even understand the relationship between the actual foods and the artificial &quot;candy flavor&quot; versions until I tasted the real things. That&#x27;s how far the commercial varieties have diverged.<p>On the other hand, I miss a lot of the tropical fruits and vegetables that I had growing in my neighborhood down there.