LOOOOOONG-time fans of the City of Nouns might just remember Grill Hobstein. Yesterday, just after I’d returned from walking Gregory to school, he called my cell. “Mommy,” he said with remorse in his voice, “I forgot my lunch.” So, off I went, lunchbag in hand and camera around my neck. The picture above shows downtown Metuchen in the distance. You can tell where “downtown” is by the puff of white trees. That puff of white trees is better-known in MY house as “Grill Hobstein.”
You see, way back in ancient times when Gregory was 3, he would mumble things, and one time he mumbled “Grill Hobstein” over and over and over until we finally figured out that he was trying to tell us that something smelled yucky.
What was it that smelled so bad it needed its own name?
A-HA! Blossoming pear trees! Ew! Grill Hobstein, dude!
Been to downtown Metuchen this week? The pear trees are beautiful, no? At the same time, you might be wondering, “What is that smell? Did somebody leave rotten fish out somewhere?”
No rotten fish. It’s just Grill Hobstein. Bradford pears, aristocrat pears, ornamental flowering pears in blossom smell yucky. Yet another reason to plant anything else.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:36 am
I was wondering what that smell was! You crack me up with that Grill Hobstein thing.
Comment by Steve G. — April 17, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
But a BP tree is so pretty when a strong wind catches it and splits it right down the middle. I am glad that this unfortunate event hasn’t befallen your downtown greenery. (or has it???)
Back in the day, we used to have a row of them in front of Channel 7 and one particularly windy day, “half” of one of these fairly unsubstantial trees attacked the hood of a car that was parked there. I don’t know if Allstate paid or not!
Comment by Brother Bill — April 18, 2008 @ 2:22 pm
I drove through year last year at this time, and remember a real grill on the right, whose aroma dominated the area.
My serviceberry is looking terrific today in full bloom. It’s a gentler white than other prominent flowering trees, however, and wouldn’t give the same “power white” look of a pear, or some of the ones you see in the parks and all. Power white (not to be confused with the reverse expression) probably has its’ place.
Comment by Jeff from Linden — April 18, 2008 @ 7:24 pm