By Maria Abramyan, Class of ’24 — Staff Writer

To underestimate the godly power that a single product at Shaw’s holds is a crime. Gold can be found at a jeweler, but this is far more valuable, for if I were stripped of this divinity I would be considered broke: Shaw’s strawberries are the most phenomenal produce to have greeted the entire store. 

If you were to present me with an array of colorful, fruity candies, my first choice would always be the red ones. Nothing can beat that sweet, recognizable, and appetizing flavor of a strawberry Starburst or even a fruit snack.

But I will be the first to admit that no artificial flavorings could recreate those authentic Shaw’s strawberries. Seeing those crimson jewels shining through plastic treasure chests sends me into a food coma before I even place one in my mouth.

Plump and practically glowing, nothing can outshine that rich red color. They are earthly angels. Green halos adorning that dappled skin, that heart-shaped body that fits perfectly in a large bowl.

And, oh, how luxurious they look when sitting on the kitchen table. You can detect the loving fingers that picked those strawberries, the keen eye that identified the most worthy to be shipped to the store. Capturing the light, they become a decoration, blessing the eye with nature’s wonderful talents.

Not every store is capable of selling berries so worthy of money. Every time I walked into that store and gazed at my choices, I was left stumped. How can you decide between perfection? Each clam-shaped container is filled to the brim with bright monarchs, screaming at passers-by to worship them. Not one box has a dull, inky, lifeless strawberry. No, the options always have me standing in front of each container longer than one person should. Each looks firm and lovely, something straight out of a picture book. Tiaras of white (not too much, not too little) adorn the top, under the shamrock hair, and travel straight to the pointy tip. Absolutely perfect.  

And even though I wolf those strawberries down like there’s tomorrow, a raw strawberry isn’t the only way to go. Strawberry jam, strawberry shortcake, strawberry juice, strawberry smoothies, strawberries dipped in creamy chocolate, and the list goes on! I would be a fool to pass on as food so utilitarian. They can be eaten with breakfast, as a snack, as a side, on a salad, as a dessert. Name one thing you can’t do with this berry, let alone this Shaw’s delicacy. Pleasure and joy will be experienced with every bite, no matter how you decide to consume them.

Seeing a newly bought package in the fridge makes anyone crave the next moment they will eat them—more often than not, the moment is right there on the spot. Refusal can not be an option here. A Shaw’s strawberry should be devoured at any given opportunity because once you eat a single strawberry, there is no going back; delight travels incredibly quickly through your body. Taste is magically balanced.

Unlike most fruits, their sweetness isn’t sugary, nor is it overpowering. Their savor is earthy and natural. And the aroma. That fragrant, woody, treacle smell that encompasses your entire kitchen, emanating a flower field and your most relaxing dreams. This fantastic fruit has no inadequacies. Shaw’s single-handedly discovered the secrets of the most glorious, most wondrous, and richest strawberries you could ever ask for. 

All I can say is that Shaw’s strawberries are absolutely mouthwatering. You would think that packaging perfection is impossible, but you would be proven wrong. Shaw’s packages the most exquisite, flawless, and tempting strawberries you could ever imagine. If I could, I would rate their strawberries five out of five stars every waking day. Nothing can be better out there. 

Cover Image from: Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons