International Food Mart

An errand today required me to be in a very ethnically diverse part of south Nashville today. It gave me the excuse I've been needing to pay a visit to the International Food Mart on Thompson Lane. I've never left that place empty-handed, disappointed or without my curiosity piqued. This is where I've previously purchased rosewater, keffir cheese, bulk spices, and my favorite breads from the Baraka Bakery (located further down Nolensville near Old Hickory Boulevard).

My goal today was to buy some chickpeas and tahini to make some hummus this weekend as well as Baraka's whole wheat pita bread. But I was lured over to the counter where the figs are and just had to get some. They're something like $6.99 a pound (which would equal enough for about four snacks for a real fan) and they're totally worth it.

But while I was standing in line, my eyes were drawn to the produce next to me. Sitting in the middle like the crown princess on a homecoming float was a box of pears. But not just any pears, but these delicate (read: small) yellow and red pears. The red covered the yellow in the form of freckles. Being a freckledy person myself, I grabbed three of them to give them a try.

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of pears. Your standard Bartlett does nothing for me. And I once waited two months for a large Asian pear to ripen only to discover I'd waited too late (checking it every day got old after the first three weeks, lemme tell ya). But these pears intrigued me. And they did not disappoint me. The first bite of this pear was like a sweet explosion. But not too sweet. Like pear jam but still in a fruit form. Oh, soooo delicious. I devoured the pear and then sucked the carcass clean like a cheetah out on the savana. All that's left is a stem and seeds. A little research suggests these are Forelle pears.

Usually, produce at this grocery is really cheap (as in, a bundle of cilantro is only $.69 as opposed to Kroger's $1.99 or whatever) and good quality, so I was surprised to see that three pears cost almost three dollars. But, when you think about it, they're hardly more than some crappy candy bar and a lot healthier. So I'm going back tomorrow to get some more of these little teardrops of heaven.