Phew.

My mission is complete.

Off! Into the rainy morning I went, thinking Asian pears, I'm coming!

And there they were. Waiting for me. Lots of them. And, yes, I came home and promptly ate three of them. They were just like I remembered!

And I did my homework this time. I learned that the variety is Seuri, and it is sometimes called the "bubble gum pear" or "candy pear" because of its super-sweet taste. Which it is. Sweet. I won't bore you with details of Asian pear agriculture, but I will tell you, there are many, many, many incredibly fine details, and it is an amazingly complicated procedure. If you find yourself in need of a quick tutorial, you might want to take a look at this absolutely amazing story of Oriana, who has 500 Asian pear trees on a farm west of Chicago. She has sold her pears at Green City Market for years, but she very recently was added to the roster of farmers at my neighborhood farm market, which suits me just fine. If you can find someone with more of a true passion for Asian pears than her, well...you can't!

So I have fifteen Seuris, and I will visit Oriana tomorrow, and, well, then I will likely complete my physical transform into an Asian pear at that time. (Can an Asian pear write and cook? I hope so.) 

Phew. My obsession has finally settled down. Now that's relief.

Now I can find something else to obsess over, like these adorable, brilliant baskets, or the exquisite simplicity of this incredible new bakery here in town, or this crazy-good chocolate-jalapeño gelato. Or, honestly, just this September weather that has draped its splendor all around me. 

Yes. For good things and pulses of complete happiness, I think it's best to just look around you.