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Pears can just fuck off too. 'Cause they're gorgeous little beasts, but they're ripe for half an hour, and you're never there. They're like a rock or they're mush. In the supermarket, people banging in nails. 'I'll just put these shelves up, mate, then you can have the pear.' : So you think, 'I'll take them home and they'll ripen up.' But you put them in the bowl at home, and they sit there, going, 'No! No! Don't ripen yet, don't ripen yet. Wait til he goes out the room! Ripen! Now now now!'

Eddie Izzard#63

HumorFoodDaily lifeObservationShopping

About this quote

What does it mean?
Izzard anthropomorphizes pears to complain about their unpredictable ripening, comparing humans to tools in a grocery context.
In plain terms
Pears are hard to time perfectly, and supermarkets treat produce like construction projects.
What can you take from it?
Frustration with fruit ripening is a shared daily experience.

Where it applies

  • kitchen talk
  • grocery shopping

Putting it to work

  • finding humor in chores
  • relatable complaints

Questions to consider

  • Why do we expect perfection from food?
  • How do we cope with daily annoyances?

Another view

The metaphor about nails in shelves is a bit farfetched.

More from Eddie Izzard

  1. 'My name is Mrs. Smith, I've made apples out of bread and dripping, a bit of green paint, and corrugated iron.' 'No, these are horrible apples, Mrs. Smith. Go …

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  2. 'What? : The Carthaginians are attacking? God, I knew they'd do that. What? : They are attacking over the Alps? Damn, I knew they'd do that. What? : They're co…

    Permalink to quote #64
  3. People on movies are always so professional with computers. [Mimes using a computer] 'Hacking into Pentagon. Double click on 'yes''. Oh password protected. Ok …

    Permalink to quote #61

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