I picked pineapple on Maui for 16 months as a youth.

Well, all of my experience is from a distance away.
I had thought the tops were 'whacked off' because of
the smell. I figured the heavy pineapple odor could
only come from a large surface area. Of course, the
smell could have been coming from the plant right down
the road from the fields, too.

I've seen (from the comfort of my car) all that you've
talked about and I sure don't think any amount of money
would be enough for me to be out there doing that job.

As far as the pineapples go, there's a stand near us
that we buy from. $3, they cut it for us. Just basic
slices all around the sides and then slice it into
rounds, core and all. Yummy!

Tracey