I know how to tell by looking at an apple whether it's a "good" one -- meaning crunchy, of course. I don't know how I learned this skill. When I was a kid, I used to get annoyed because my mom bought "bad" apples -- meaning mealy -- from the supermarket, and I'd ask her why she bought them if they weren't crunchy. I've tried to teach her, but I guess the Apple Zen isn't an easily learned skill.