Japanese Pear

One of my students, Mariko, gave me a Japanese pear last week. I didn't even know there were different kinds of pears! I gave it a few days to ripen and then tried it. It was very different! First it was much rounder than an "American" pear. Second, it tasted more like an apple-pear with a hint of watermelon. I can't say I was a huge fan, definitely different though, but I would recommend good ol' normal pears.

On a side note, when Glenn and I lived in Kingsville, we used to drive up to Corpus Christi a few times a month to go to HEB Plus. A huge and awesome grocery store about 45 minutes away. Our only option in Kingsville was Walmart or a regular HEB. Anyways, one time at HEB+ we saw Grapples - a grape and apple combination. It looked like an apple but tasted like a grape and apple. Glenn held them up and my response was a "What the f***?" (Sorry, Mom) so we had to buy them of course. On a final note, I don't recommend Grapples either. Mixing fruit was just not meant to be.