千葉に住む兄が梨を送ってくれました。千葉といえば落花生で有名ですが、梨園もたくさんあるようで、兄の地元松戸の石川園の「幸水」がたくさん入っていました。早速、ご先祖にお供えをしてまずは初ものの梨を一つ皮を剥いていただきました。甘〜くて果汁いっぱい！梨独特の食感にも感激です。梨というと英語ではpearといってアメリカなどでは一般的に少しヒョウタン型の’洋梨を指しますが、日本にあるような梨も確かAsian pearといってスーパーにも出ていたように思います。洋梨は風味も食感も違って別の美味しさがありますが、日本の幸水は何といっても昔から私たちに馴染みの味。カフェにお見えになったお客様にも「千葉から届いた梨です」とお出しして皆さんに「美味しい！」と喜んでいただきました。お盆や地蔵盆のお供えにも梨は登場します。その地蔵盆も今年はコロナの影響で中止。８月の毎日が飛ぶように過ぎていきます。I received Japanese pears from my brother in Chiba. Peanuts are a famous product in Chiba, but it seems that there are many farms of Japanese pears which are shipped from Chiba. I got "Kohsui" (one of the kinds of Japanese pear) from Ishikawa farm in Matsudo where my brother is living. After opening the box, I offered some pears at the altar, then I took one and peeled it to eat for myself. It was so juicy and sweet. I also liked the texture. When you are in the US and hear "pear", many people imagine the western pear which is gourd-shaped but you might be able to find Japanese pears in the supermarket as well. They call it Asian pear. Western pears have a different flavor and texture which I also like but I like Kohsui which has been familiar since childhood. I served pieces of this Japanese fruit to guests in the cafe saying "This pear has just arrived from Chiba.". All of them appreciated the fresh, sweet and juicy one. We have Bon and Jizo Bon this month. Jizo Bon is the day of the festival of Jizo Bosatsu and in the Kansai area it is held as a children's festival. We often offer Japanese pears as one of the offerings for these Buddhism events. However due to the coronavirus, Jizo Bon was cancelled this year. Days in August are passing by so quickly.
