If you really want to grow a pineapple to fruit, you can buy a plant on ebay for not all that much more than buying a store bought fruit. I recommend sugarloaf pineapple, they are very low in acid and very sweet. You don't have to cut out the core before eating.
That's how I started my pineapple collection! Started with a few ebay plants, then as they had fruit, they'd make a couple of pups that could then be potted.
