Growing Buddha Pears

I just happen to find this odd picture of a Buddha. I just thought it was some plastic tree ornament, but I was drawn back into the picture. It's actually a real fruit, a pear to be exact. I know many people celebrate Chinese New Years and I would think this would be an awesome gift to give during that time. Now, I'm not sure how I would feel about biting into a fruit that is the image of someone's religious belief. It's like eating a chocolate candy bar the shaped of Jesus on Easter! So maybe as a gift like a centerpiece of a fruit bowl or something. Oh just imagine the look on the devout Buddhist followers as someone takes a knife to cut the pear!

The story is actually about a year old and was from dailymail.co.uk. Here's the story:

Enlightened Chinese farmer branches out by growing pears shaped like baby Buddha

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:18 PM on 4th September 2009

For Britain's struggling fruit farmers, things could be about to go even more pear-shaped...

A Chinese farmer has invented baby-shaped pears - and he is planning to export his novel idea over here.

Plucky farmer Gao Xianzhang has created 10,000 of the mini marvels this season and he plans to take the fruits of his labour to the UK and Europe.

Britain could soon see the arrival of the pears, which are shaped like mini buddhas.

If the idea catches on, sales of the mini pears could hit the profits of British farmers who are already struggling to fend off sales of cheaper foreign produce in recession-hit Britain.

Gao spent six years perfecting the intricate baby-shaped pears, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual mould.

Despite their hefty cost of £5 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, in Hebia, northern China, have reportedly been snapping them up.

'People seem to think they are cute or lucky and will buy them as soon as they're off the tree,' Gao explained.

Luckily for Gao, he should have few problems getting his quirky shaped fruits past EU officials.

In July, wonky shaped fruit and vegetables such as curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots returned to supermarket shelves after EU rules restricting the size and shape of 36 types of fruit and vegetables

For the last 20 years, EU-wide marketing standards have encouraged the sale of finest-looking produce for sale in shops.

dailymail.co.uk