Extra Fancy

Extra Fancy

We have these at work to snack on:

They are Extra Fancy Mixed Nuts.  Sounds good, right?  (They are.)  Perhaps you should be lifting a pinky when you eat them  Well I had been wondering something for quite some time now and never really got around to finding an answer until this munchies caught my attention.  I’ve seen fancy ketchup and fancy varieties of fruit before, but never nuts.  And to top it off: these are indeed extra fancy.  (Not just regular ol’ fancy.)  So I wanted to know: do “fancy” and “extra fancy” actually stand for something?

The answer is, they do.

You’re probably familiar with different classifications/grades of foods like eggs and meats.  Well, certain other foods have a little bit fancier way of determining quality (pun intended).  Apples and nuts, for example, can be either Utility grade (the lower quality), fancy (the medium), and extra fancy (the best of the best).  Extra Fancy often refers to a perfect color, shape, and condition.  Fancy produce may be slightly blemished or ever-so-slightly discolored.  And Utility grade is, well, edible, but more likely suitable for being an ingredient in something else.  (You would think they could have come up with a name closer to the other two, like “Quaint Grade” or “Idiosyncratic Grade.”) 

So next time someone tries to pass you the fancy nuts or ketchup, you can respectfully decline, pinky raised, and request only the extra fancy varieties.  After all, don’t you deserve the best?