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Erewhon Market is an upscale, organic grocery food store that’s primarily located in the Los Angeles area. Think of it as Whole Foods for the rich and famous. Everyone from the Kardashians to Jason Momoa have been papped shopping there. Hailey Beiber, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Bella Hadid are among the younger starlets to have smoothie collaborations with the chain. It’s a big thing for a certain subset of people. It’s also one of those places that attracts tourists. Mr. Rosie has to go to Los Angeles for work every other month, and he’s heard about it from coworkers.

Right now, Erewhon’s biggest trend is these $19 strawberries. And when I say “$19 strawberries,” I mean a “$19 strawberry.” As in, it’s one singular strawberry that costs $19. They were grown in Kyoto, Japan and are packaged in their own little bubble container that, to me, looks like either a spaceship pod or the enclosure for the Beast’s rose in Beauty and the Beast. Anyway, these organic strawberries are the new “it” thing because they’re supposed to be the “best tasting strawberries on the planet.” There’s so much hype that even Demi Lovato got in on the action. She did a taste test on TikTok.

It’s become a rite of passage for both citizens and visitors of Los Angeles to hit up Erewhon for overpriced groceries — $23 smoothies, $19 cauliflower bites, and a $20.99 gallon of raw milk are just some of the store’s hottest, and most ridiculously expensive, items. Demi Lovato appears to have become the latest casualty in Erewhon’s cash grab after purchasing one overpriced item in particular: a $19 strawberry from Kyoto, Japan.

The singer posted a full review of the fruit on TikTok to her 6.8 million followers. “Apparently you’re supposed to smell it,” Lovato said, opening the package and taking a whiff. “It smells like a strawberry.” Surprise, surprise. Lovato then takes a bite, appearing unimpressed. “I’d give it an 8 out of 10,” she said. “It’s like, not tart at all, which I like. I don’t like tart strawberries, but it’s not that sweet. Oh well. Just wasted $20.” The video currently has 13.8 million views and thousands of people in the comments, berating the star for even buying it in the first place.

“This level of capitalism is actually sick,” one person commented, while another noted they were “watching from district 12” and someone else said they “hate America.” “‘I just wasted $20’ is the only appropriate response,” another comment said.

I have to side with the haters on this one. There are plenty of other useful things Lovato could have spent $19 on instead. A burrito bowl from Chipotle, for example. A few cartons of eggs. Or even a three-pack of those really nice Aritzia socks. While Lovato will never get that $19 back, we will have this TikTok review forever. For that we thank her.

[From MSN]

Like I said above, Mr. Rosie’s coworkers have told him about Erewhon. He actually knew all about the strawberries before I even showed him Demi’s video, and we live all the way across the country. So, it’s a real thing. I guess it helps to put the nationwide price of eggs into perspective, lol. I cannot imagine paying that much money for one singular strawberry, apple, melon, banana, or any other kind of fruit. There really are so many other things that you can spend $19 on to make it go further. Sure, these magic Kyoto strawberries may be bigger than other ones, but it’s still just a freaking strawberry, right? I’m really curious if anyone out there has tried one of them and if they live up to the hype.