Good info to have. We are heading to the Market later today and will try to apply some of your tips.

The mantra here in CA ( I live in Santa Cruz where strawberries are grown) is the larger ones are 1) for show or 2) meant to be dipped in white, dark, or milk chocolate. The only really good tasting strawberries are from the local farmers markets sold loosely and not in the basket ( where the “eye candy” is on the top) and, yes, the smaller ones are much sweeter. The other clue is to look at the bottom of the berry itself and if it is firm, it is usually good. If it is too soft, it is too old.

Too often me too... Even knowing the genetically manipulated ones will lack both nutrition and flavor.

I like it too, though having been brought up a Catholic and required to attend Mass every week until I moved out, I only encountered it once or twice as a child. I still remember it--and have only been to church for weddings and funerals in over 40 years.

Further thoughts: plant breeders need to balance many traits, like size, appearance, yield, disease resistance, shipability, and flavour. Lots of these are probably tradeoffs, and a great variety somehow pushes the curve, but can not get away from it. Whoever "designed" the berries we got today obviously was shooting to attract the gormless tourist or casual customer. And boy, that was ME!

You might be on to something. We find that the small berries from our home garden taste wonderful, especially when picked and eaten while still sun warmed.

I have come to the conclusion that there is only so much flavor in each strawberry... Therefore, the bigger they are, the more bland.

Wild tiny ones ripe to past peak eye appeal have always been the absolute best!

As a child of the 50’s, even the Sisters had a difficult time “not choking up”. Now I understand why they usually had a hankie over their nose :)
Don’t get me started about the Haight-Ashbury scene, Steve ;)

Interesting difference in experiences. As children of the 60s we always thought of incense as rather cool

Yes, the incense is a big part of it. In this modern world, the mystery is a bit dampened by Amazon, where you can buy all manner of the stuff for use at home.
https://www.amazon.com/Frankincense-Incense-Vatican-Jerusalem-aditional/dp/B0CGVXSNHY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=355FZP4XVYWPG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.upFxwlCV7N8EbDRZJaBiXwX-mf66IEhrTXXz-2uRFsssJBcrz2fUj5nWHF8C_HA-ACR0RM-W870QonR1oxa6i17wgELuQyWyrJSvUSUG16hzaojMXYFX_7GYg7_80YJ_EQ20e8HbugcKmv_Qp5gIag.lxX6neqO8ZSGWoSGWK0i_TOp7oCjulwBYBcBGbWvU18&dib_tag=se&keywords=vatican+incense&qid=1711348187&sprefix=vatican+incense%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-3

Sorry for the long url, we need to encourage Jeff to put the toolbar in the comments.

Thank you for the explanation, Steve, and please excuse my uneducated ignorance! Sad that something we know (of) is seen as a threat in someone’s eyes no matter what.
On the other hand, the children in the procession are priceless :)

No incense, please! Achoo! Too many headaches! Too many years of Catholic school with “special” Masses.

The pointed hood with eye holes designated a penitent, in anonymity. Started at about the time of the Inquisition and was copied and adopted by the KKK many centuries later.

No one looks like they are getting this “homey vibe”…

Oh dear, the taller participants resemble a KKK hood but in red..What do you think?