In the category of "you learn something new every day..."

[vr_trakowski]

Huh. Despite all the books I've read and the odd facts I've soaked up, until today I never knew that the "alligator pear" is, in fact, another name for the avocado. I guess I just thought it was some variety of true pear.

That doesn't mean I will start liking guacamole now, though.

Comments

[anamin.livejournal.com]

That doesn't mean I will start liking guacamole now, though

agreed. I didn't know that avocados had another name, so that's a new one for me also.

[cincoflex.livejournal.com]

This I knew, actually, not because i'm a smarty pants (that's a given, snerk) but because my father had to do inspections. When you live on military bases, there are rotations among the officers to do lawn inspections for the housing units. On one of the rotations my dad did, he noticed that there was an avocado tree in the front yard of a certain house, and he went over to look at it. The lady of the house came out when she saw him and told him he could help himself to any of the pears there, but warned him that they never ripened or got sweet, so it must be a dud pear tree.

He politely told her it wasn't a pear tree, and she replied that when she moved in, the previous tenant had called it an alligator pear tree. Dad then explained it was an avocado tree, and that alligator pear was another name for avocado. The lady was thrilled, since she loved guacamole, so it all turned out well. Dad had a funny story to share, and the lady had dip aplenty I guess. And her lawn passed inspection.

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

Heh, look 'em up on Wikipedia. Some of the name origins are...interesting.

[vr-trakowski.livejournal.com]

Hee, that's great! I guess she'd never actually MADE guacamole herself then, or she'd recognize them.

IIRC, coyotes love them because of the fat content. They pick them before they're ripe, carry them off, and cover them with a light layer of dirt to ripen.