I have written before about the inscrutability of pears. Pears are picked off the tree before they ripen, a prerequisite that triggers the final stages of the life of the fruit – Ripeness and Senescence. The condition of the fruit, the conditions in which it is stored, and mysterious other factors make it impossible to predict when pears will ever announce their peak. Pears ripen or rot in their own good time. You pay for impatience or negligence with a bland and gritty mouthful or a musky mess. Pears are slow and have much to teach about what is possible by way of delayed gratification and attention paid forward. You abide with pears and the distinct pleasure of savoring them is waiting on them as they take on the color of Autumn, soften, and grow heavy. As with pears and so many other foods in their native state or transformed in process, SLOW and SAVOR go hand in hand.
- Paul