Pistachios then and now
The first pistachios I saw were dyed a garish red. At sixteen, as a part-time clerk in a small town news stand, I sold newspapers, tobacco, magazines, candy, and records -- LPs and 45s.
The nut machine kept a variety of roasted nuts warm with a heat lamp. We sold them by the pound, sliding them into paper bags from the removable dish on the scale.
Pistachios were the most expensive nuts we had for sale. Not only were they dyed red, they were drowned in salt. When years later I discovered their beautiful natural hues, I was astonished. I still find it hard to imagine what motivated people to use the dye that turned fingers red and made those gorgeous pistachios look so singularly unappealing.