Christa was at a local market the other day and found these…

Yeah, those stickers say Washington.  I thought they had to be counterfeit, but Christa assures me that they are authentic (both stickers and apples).  The apples even have a waxy sheen to them.  (No, they aren’t made of wax!  One has already been quickly consumed.)  I thought it was pretty interesting when my friend Josh bought a Washington apple last summer when we were in Beijing (or Shanghai?) but buying them here in Xining (?!?) now that’s a whole different phenomenon.

They came with a weighty price tag.  Two Washington apples, sold by a street vendor, cost Christa about $1.25 (US).  I am not sure anymore what apples cost in the States, but here you can buy a bushel of Chinese apples for $1.25 (roughly 10 RMB).  OK, maybe a bushel is an exaggeration, but you definitely can get quite a few more than two for that price!  Produce is quite inexpensive here.  Unless it comes all the way from America I suppose…