Argentine pears...who knew?

So I'm preparing to eat a pear. I wash it, peel off the sticker, look at the sticker and realize that my pear is from Argentina. I don't think I've ever seen a pear from Argentina before...in fact, I didn't even know that they grew them there. So, in typical fashion, I Googled Argentine pears and happened to discover just why I've never had one before. Apparently Medflies (if you don't know what a Medfly is - I didn't - you can find out here) have been a big problem in Argentina in the past and so the USDA put strict regulations on produce importation from Argentina to the US. The pear used to have to go through some sort of deep chilling process that made the pears less delicious so it was basically pointless to import to the US because no one would buy the inferior pears. However, the Medfly problem has gotten under control in recent years and the USDA just waived the need for the deep chilling treatment. Argentine pears were made avilable on the West Coast last February and have been rapidly shipping across America. The whole article is here if you want to read it.