Pears are quite good with bleu cheese. Of course, the unfortunate thing about buying pears is having to wait for them to ripen. So theyre not that good for point-of-purchase gratification. But try it, next time youve got a ripe pear on hand. Probably any strong cheese would do (any ripe cheese, that is). |
Poirier means “pear tree” in French. It’s a pretty rare name in Los Angeles, where I grew up, but it’s fairly common in New Brunswick, Canada, where my father grew up. The first Poiriers arrived in Canada in 1607 or so, part of the large Acadian settlement. |
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Avocados are also known as alligator pears. I dont know who came up with that nicknameI dont even know anyone who uses itbut it was probably an early greengrocer/copywriter trying to get some reluctant Brits to overcome their fear of eating something good. Ive eaten pears (see above) and Ive eaten alligator, and you shouldnt make guacamole with either. Perhaps the nickname had something to do with the avocados shape and the texture of its skin. Of course, the Cajuns would have had experience with alligators, and no doubt still do. |
If youre not familiar with Howard Gossage, you should be. Write me if youre curious. If you are familiar with Gossageand you should bewrite me. Lets swap Gossage stories. Ive got some good ones. Okay, just write me anyway. Click on Howard. |