Alphabetical Order

Ah the joys of alphabetical ordering! Especially when, like iTunes, it is smart enough to disregard words like ‘the’ at the beginning of a name. As a result, in my iTunes library The Village People are next to... Vivaldi.

Fruit and Nut

I love cashew nuts. And when I was in Brazil last year, I was quite confused by discovering there existed a cashew fruit. Since then, I have wondered whether the fruit and the nut were related. Indeed they are, as explained by this entry at Rain Tree. I also discovered in the bargain that the tree is the one we call acajou in French. We never see the fruits in Europe because it is a tree that is native from South America and thus only grows in warm climates. And the fruit is too perishable to ship anywhere. Anyway, even if it could be shipped, I don't think it would be very successful in Europe: its taste is quite subtle and its consistency unusual, a bit pasty. It makes a great substitute for lime in a caipirinha though!