A HOLY PEAR-ING

I would like to share a fruity tale that should leave a nice taste in your mouth. With the reduction of the Covid-19 restrictions, the venders at the local produce markets had returned to peddle their goods. I would like to mention, my father was a chef; thus, I was brought up with the mindset to purchase fresh produce to enhance the flavor of a meal.

Happy to meet people who are trying to rebuild the shattered pieces of their lives amongst the pandemic, I decide to visit one of the local produce markets to hand pick some nice produce. Hand picking good produce is an art that is taken for granted. It’s a skill to select the proper produce to eat or prepare a good meal.

There are few things worse than shelling out money on fresh produce only to bring it home and find that it's overripe, rotten, or completely lacking flavor. When you're craving fresh fruit or crisp veggies, lackluster results can be horribly disappointing. There is a guideline for each fruit and vegetable that should be followed for success. Fortunately, learning how to pick produce effectively can help you ward off that disappointment, and even help you figure out how to save money.

When I arrived at the market, there were very few shoppers, but plenty of venders. You’ve guessed it, COVID-19! The pandemic still had a strong grip on many people; they didn’t chance mingling with strangers. On other hand, the venders were there because they would do anything to make money, during these trying times.

On this day, the lack of people enabled me to stumble into a great story. Me being the Chronicler I collect and write stories. As a result of being indecisive as to what to cook, I couldn’t decide on the produce to purchase. Walking around made me hungry. I began craving a pear when I approached a pear stand. Behind the stand was a middle-aged man who I couldn’t recall having a stand at this market prior to the pandemic.

I must say, the man did have an ample supply of pears. Naturally, I was going to use my knowledge to select the right pear. Pears are a unique fruit; they ripen best off the tree. Pears are harvested when the fruit is fully mature, but not quite ripe. This keeps the flavor at a peak and stops the soft flesh from becoming granular. Unlike other fruits, pears ripen from the inside out. The full maturity of a pear is reached from being stored at room temperature.

To select a pear, you should choose a pear with the stem intact, and check the neck. If it yields to gentle pressure, it’s ready. A soft belly means it’s overripe; however, they’re great to use in some soups. Remember, a ripe pear is a good pear.

I found the pear that met the standards of my guideline and asked the man the cost. He said, “$5.00.”

According to the USDA, pears cost an average of $1.52 per pound. Two medium-sized pears, each about the size of a tennis ball, is a pound. They should fit snuggly in the palm of your hand. Armed with this knowledge I said, “That is a little high for one medium pear.”

“That’s a good price for a great tasting pear. What do you think it’s worth?”

“75¢.”

“No. That’s a $5,00 pear. Bite it.”

“If I bite it, I’ll have to pay your price.”

“If you bite it and it is not a great tasting pear, you can pay 75¢.”

I bit the pear and it was the best tasting pear I’ve ever had in my life. My facial expression reflected my thoughts to the taste. I had no choice but to say, “This is the best tasting pear I’ve ever tasted.”

“Is it worth $5.00?”

“Yes. I will give you $10.00 if you tell me why it tastes so good.”

“I can’t promise you that, but I can tell you why I created the taste.”

I continued eating the pear and said, “Please do.”

It’s a long story.”

With my mouth filled with pear, I muttered, “I have the time.”

“Delicate fruits that are carefully and lovingly nurtured are some of the most expensive in the produce world. Some are unbelievably expensive, like the pineapples of the Lost gardens of Heligan in England, which cost more than $1,000 each, or Roman Grapes in Japan, which can be auctioned at $9,350 for a single string of ruby grapes. But, there's one fruit, a pear, that is expensive and receives quite a lot of attention to be grown the way that it is.”

“And you’re growing that pear?”

“No. That specific type of pear is considered the most expensive in the world and hails from China. However, you may not know of another expensive pear that’s carefully packaged and wrapped in gold-colored foil from the brothers Harry & David.”

“I’m aware of that pear. They devote lot of care into growing and shipping the Royal Rivera Pears?”

“You do know pears.”

“I don’t know the pear in China.”

“The man who grows the China pears go beyond even that level of care. These particular pears are so perfect, you might even think they're not real, due to the way they look.”

“How do they look?”

“They look like Buddha.”

“The pears actually look like Buddha?”

“Yes, a man living in China, held the secret of growing these pears in his backyard. The pears are known as Buddha pears. At the time, they sold for $8.00 each. He began making lots of money because plenty people fell in love with the trendy fruit. To most people, it was about more than just the look of the pears. Many people thought the pears represented good luck. My father was in China and had the pleasure of purchasing one of the pears. He was so impressed, he paid someone to help him find the man who grew the pears. He found the man and asked him how he was able to grow these special pears. The man told him; he was inspired by an ancient Chinese myth about a magic fruit shaped like Buddha that would give immortality to whoever ate it.”

“Do they exist today?”

“Yes; however, today they sell for $9.00 each without the promise you'll gain an immortal life as a result eating one of them.”

“Would you pay $9.00?”

“I don’t know. To others, the effort it takes to create the pears, the $9.00 is well worth the effort. And you’ll never know, they just might bring you luck, or a life that may not end.”

“Did the man tell your father the secret.”

“He didn’t, but my father did some research and found out people have been altering foods for years to meet both nutritional demands and visual appeal. In fact, many foods looked totally different a few centuries ago when compared to their modern versions. This was a tiresome process full of trial and error and sometimes the result wasn't really all that superior and the price of the food only became more expensive.”

“Did he find out the secret?”

“He did. There was another fruit that was selling with a weird esthetic, a watermelon. The watermelons were being sold in a square shape.

“I heard of the square watermelons.”

“The square watermelons were being sold in Japan and were becoming a novelty item in many other parts of the world. My father found out one watermelon sold for a much higher price than a pound pairs.”

“Why?”

“Naturally, watermelons don’t grow square and aside from a visual appeal, the only real advantage to a square one is that it's not going to roll off the counter and break on the floor.”

“What are people paying for a square watermelon?”

“A square watermelon can cost you up to $200, depending on the size. Most of them sell in the $100 range. To lots of people, that's a ridiculous price to pay for a fruit that doesn't taste any better, and believe or not, some even taste worse than the round melons.”

“If that’s true, why are they so expensive?

“My father also wanted to know why. That’s when he found out the secret to growing the Buddha Pears. The cost of the melons is result of growing the novelty melon is pretty labor-intensive. Science doesn't get any credit for the watermelon's square shape, it's all about molding. He found out a young watermelon is placed in a square-shaped mold and it's then constantly monitored while it matures to ensure that it grows in its cube shape without cracking while maintaining its’ perfectly vertical stripes. Some melons don't conform to the mold, which means the ones that do are more valuable. My father realized people are actually paying for novelty, and only the novelty of the uniquely-shaped fruit.”

“What did your father do?”

“My father knew to make these special pears, a plastic mold had to be made and placed around the fruit when it’s very small, young, and still on the tree. As the pears grow, they fill the shape of the mold on the pear tree, making them look like the shape of the mold. Once the molds are completely filled, the molds are removed from the fruit and they will continue to grow freely and look just like the conceived shape.”

“What shape did your father choose as his money maker?”

“He chose the head of Christ.”

“Why Christ?”

“He said a sculptural fruit, he gave the fruit that name, in the shape of Jesus will sell better than Buddha, due to the large volume of Christians in the world.”

“Was your father successful? I ask because I have never seen a pear in the shape of Christ’s head.”

“And you never will. When my father told me the tale of Buddha Pears, and the watermelons, he wanted me to help him with his dream. He was calling me from overseas, during his travels gathering the information about the unique fruit. Via Skype, we began designing the perfect Christ head mold. The final design was actually pretty good. Next, he visited China to research a manufacturer that could possibly make the mold. He called me one day and told me that he found the perfect manufacturer. Unfortunately, my father contracted Covid-19 while he was in China. This occurred in October of 2019. When he began to suffer the symptoms, he checked himself into the hospital and it was there he lost his life.”

“You must have been devastated?”

“Not just me, my entire family. During this time, there was no information about Covid-19, so we had no knowledge of what kill my father. From the explanation at the hospital in China, the symptoms made is sound like he died from the flu. I couldn’t believe the flu killed my father. He took a flu shot every year and was always prepared for the Flu Season. Nevertheless, we had his body shipped back to the states and we buried him. I decided to take up the mantle of growing special pears. However, I remembered an important statement my father made when he told me the story of the sculptured fruit.”

“What was that?”

“He said, ‘Lots of people pay the ridiculous price for the novelty shape of a fruit that doesn't taste any better, and sometimes taste worse than the naturally grown fruit.’ That inspired me to trash the idea of growing sculptured pears, instead make a pear the taste better than any other.”

“Trust me, you’ve done it. The Christ pear would’ve been cool; however, your pears taste great. What is your secret?”

“The inspiration for creating the taste of these special pears is in honor of my father; therefore, I’ll never tell and take this secret to my grave.”

“I respect your decision. All I can say to that is, I would like to buy three pounds.”