"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." - (Old Testament, Genesis 2:16-17).

And, it is well-known that the Adam’s apple was caused by the forbidden fruit sticking in Adam’s throat as he swallowed it.

The report that over one thousand kg of ‘imported’ apples were seized and destroyed in Tambaram on Monday is, to say the least, - alarming. The local sanitary officer found them coated with a thick layer of wax to make them look fresh, shiny and appealing.

The 64 baskets were seized from thirteen fruit stalls from a market on Shanmugam Road, Tambaram, and crushed by a corporation lorry.

The wax coating melted when a lit matchstick was taken near the apple. It was also possible to scratch the wax with a blade.

Apples with wax coating can cause problems like diarrhea, vomiting and stomachache. It is slow poison that could be carcinogenic. Beware of such fruit stalls. The salesmen there will wax eloquently on the ‘goodly’ apples (that are rotten at heart and hazardous outside.)!

While it is said that an apple a day can keep the doctor away, here in Chennai, an apple can keep the doctor close at hand. While one bad apple spoils the barrel, what would be, if the barrel is full of waxed apples?

The seizure has upset the apple cart not only of the apple loving Chennaites, but also of the poor fruit vendors of the City.

Let us hope the action of the sanitary official would bear fruit. Till then, let’s keep the apple away.

HR