Potatoes

Joe   Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:20 pm GMT
Potatos, tomatos, green peppers and corn(maze) all come from the Americas.

The first Europeans to come into contact with them and introduce them to Europe were obviously the Portuguese and Spanish.

Coffee on the other hand even though associated to Brazil was introduced to South America by the Portuguese and it comes from Ethiopia.

Time makes us forget were everything comes from. A good example is pasta from Italy right? Wrong it's Chinese and was brought back to Italy by Marco Polo even though we can't imagin Italt with out spaghetti.

Give it time and most people won´t even know that kiwis comes from New Zealand.
Uriel   Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:41 pm GMT
If they "come from" New Zealand, why were kiwi fruits originally called "Chinese gooseberries"? ;)
Joe   Fri Jul 28, 2006 11:01 pm GMT
'Give it time and most people won´t even know that kiwis comes from New Zealand.'

I'm going to have to take that back as it does come from the Chinese Himalaia region even though New Zealand is a big producing country.
Jim   Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:03 am GMT
You needn't have taken it back: it would have been funnier to have passed it off as sarcasm. By the way, kiwis do come from New Zealand, it's kiwi fruit which come from the Chinese Himalaia region.
Uriel   Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:02 am GMT
Every time I see the kiwi bird I'm reminded of the cartoon B.C., in which the bird enthusiastically greets everyone with a hearty, "Hi! I'm an Apteryx, a flightless bird with hairy feathers!" -- and then thinks about what he just said and gets all sad and dejected!
Joey   Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:05 pm GMT
What is realy impressive about the kiwi bird is that egg they lay.
Wow what an egg (that is for the birds size).
Uriel   Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:37 am GMT
A third of their body weight, or something like that -- I would NOT want to be a female kiwi....ow!
salwa   Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:32 am GMT
from potatoes to celine dion, kiwi fruits to kiwi birds?? Gosh!
Uriel   Wed Aug 02, 2006 9:46 am GMT
It's a little like playing "telephone", isn't it? ;)
Joey   Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:28 pm GMT
We all have to get our 2 cents worth, even if it means that we have to break topic lol.
I almost forgot another important South American plant, the cacoa plant.
How can anyone forget about chocolate.
Uriel   Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:31 am GMT
Ah, chocolate ---Theobroma -- food of the gods!

Don't forget tobacco, too. I hear that's one of the Americas' more popular exports to the rest of the world. ;) Along with cocaine.
An Fear   Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:14 pm GMT
Damn Tobacco. I've been trying to give it up for years along with the thousand other chemicals contained within the average cigarette.
Uriel   Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:05 am GMT
Well, we are an addictive bunch, us products of the New World! ;P Think of all the poor schmoes who die with with spots on their lungs, white powder up their nose, and incriminating brown smears on their lips.... oh, and a garlicky red stain that won't come out of their best shirt....
JO   Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:51 am GMT
I once read somewhere that the first potato grown in England was given to the queen to eat (or king) but they actually cooked and served the plant and and not the bulb.
Can anyone confirm that?
zxczxc   Sat Aug 12, 2006 5:42 pm GMT
The guest is right.