No. 59 - Steelpan

We spent the day skiing with one of my sensei. During the day, my son started calling him "Yeti." Yeti was instrumental in guiding and teaching me earlier on in my career. One day many moons ago he asked me if I ever skied. I said no. He asked me if I wanted to learn. I said yes. I will never forget his two words of wisdom to me on that first ski outing -- Follow me. And the rest is history.

During lunch I told Yeti about this blog. I asked him to teach us something new. His response: Did we know the name of the only new musical instrument that was invented in the twentieth century? After a few rounds of unsuccessful guesses, Yeti told us about the steelpan.

The steelpan is made from a 55-gallon drum, the kind that oil is stored in. The pans are struck with a pair of sticks tipped with rubber. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. The instrument was created on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s.

No. 58 - Chile

I've mentioned previously that world geography is not a strong point of mine. So when I heard today that a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, I immediately wanted to learn a little bit more about the country.

Chile occupies a long narrow coastal strip in South America, with the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Andes Mountains to its east. Recall back in Post No. 15 we learned about little critters that call the Andes Mountains their home.

Chile is about 2,700 miles long, which is about the distance between New York City, NY and San Francisco, CA.

The earthquake hit near the capital of Santiago, which sits just about in the middle of the country. Santiago is the most populated city in Chile with about 200,000 people. That size city in the United States would rank about 100th. As a point of comparison, Pittsburgh, PA, which ranks about 60th has a population of about 310,000.

Chile ranks 1st in copper mining and produces about one-third of the world's annual output. It mines more than four times that of the 2nd ranked country -- the United States.

No. 57 - Metonym

I read today that Detroit lost 50% of its population in the last 60 years. In 1950, Detroit was the 4th most populated city with about 1.8 million people. Today it's 11th with about 900,000 people. I found that significant. Recent news reported that Detroit's unemployment rate was near 50%. I found that significant.

I learned that Detroit is the only major - I guess 11th place would still be considered major - U.S. city that looks south to Canada.

I learned that the city's name originated from the French word "detroit" which means strait, characterizing its location on the river connecting the Great Lakes.

I also learned that the name Detroit is a metonym (pronounced met-uh-nim) for the American automobile industry. A metonym is a word or phrase that can be substituted for another word with which it is closely associated. Sweat is a metonym for hard work. A broken heart is a metonym for someone who has lost his/her love. Hollywood is a metonym for the American film and television industry.

No. 56 - A Long Little Dogie

My kids were watching a cartoon this morning when one of the characters yelled, "Git along little dogie."

Although I've heard this expression before, I don't think I ever really thought much about it since what first came to mind was that "dogie" was just a slight variation of "doggy" as in a little dog or a puppy. Which would make "a long little dogie" something akin to a dachshund ;)

I learned that in the language of the American Old West, a motherless calf was know as a dogie. Therefore, the cowboy, or rancher, relied on his "doggy" (dog) to help roundup the "dogie" (stray calf). Got it.

No. 55 - Katabatic Winds

I'm a fan of extreme weather. I certainly don't like when it hurts or kills people and having the power knocked out is only interesting for about the first hour. I am, though, in awe of the raw and destructive power that exists in nature. This year's snowstorms have been fun to watch and moderately fun to clean up. The terminology used this year is unique as well. From thundersnow to snowmageddon. The term being used for a snowstorm that is supposed to hit tonight and tomorrow is being dubbed a "snowicane" which could bring near-hurricane-force wind gusts of blinding snow falling at more than an inch an hour. Sounds extreme. Sounds dangerous. Sounds exciting.

I learned that hurricane force winds are 74 mph or greater, but that wind speed would only earn the distinction of being called a "Level 1" hurricane. The levels increase in 15-25 mph increments up to Level 5, which are winds of 156 mph or greater. To experience winds stronger than Level 5, you need to venture to the shores of Antarctica, which has winds that are so fast and furious that they have become world famous. They are called katabatic winds and they can reach 190 mph.

No. 54 - Alma Mater

This evening I am returning to my alma mater to attend a Networking and Etiquette Dinner. This is an annual program geared toward juniors and seniors in the college of business. It gives them an opportunity to interact with business professionals before and during dinner. The program includes instructions on proper etiquette while eating although, at my table, I downplay the part about which hand implement to use with various courses of food. I thinks it's quite pompous to have 3 forks, 2 spoons, and 2 knives for a single person to eat a meal. What a waste! I stress the importance of the dinner conversation and looking the person in the eye when speaking. I'm impressed with the students who, in the middle of the week, leave the cozy confines of their dorm rooms, get dressed up and attend these programs. These are some of our future business leaders and I enjoy having dinner with them.

I learned that the word alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother." It was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses and, apparently, in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary.

No. 53 - Inukshuk

I learned that the symbol of the 2010 Winter Olympics is called an inukshuk (pronounced 'in-ook-shook').

An inukshuk is a stack of stones traditionally used by the Inuit people of the Arctic region, which is void of natural landmarks, to mark anything from hunting grounds to a cache of food. When used for navigation there is usually a peephole in the inukshuk, which will point the traveler in the direction of the next marker.

In the Inuit language, inukshuk means "likeness of a person" or "in the image of man."

The rock pile has evolved from just stone markers to a symbol of leadership, cooperation and the human spirit. Stones are carefully chosen for how well they fit together with the other stones. Each stone complements the one above it and below it. The stones achieve unity through balance. It is a reminder that a group of people can achieve more success than any one individual. The inukshuk reminds us of our dependence on one another.

The 2010 Winter Olympics inukshuk was named Ilanaaq (pronounced 'ih-lah-nawk'), which means "friend" in the Inuit language.

No. 52 - Pineapples

Last spring when the World Health Organization tried to panic the Earth's population by announcing a swine flu pandemic, our family took a proactive approach to maintaining healthy immune systems. We made sure that we were getting plenty of vitamins C and D and plenty of rest each night.

We recently bought a juicer in order to get more natural fruit and vegetable juices into our bodies.

This morning we made apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice and carrot juice. I was surprised that the kids liked the carrot juice the best. I can't say I recall ever having carrot juice. It's quite good. Yesterday we made tomato juice, which was turned into delicious Bloody Marys for breakfast. My favorite so far though is pineapple juice. Very very tasty.

I wasn't aware that pineapples contain the Fibonacci numbers. Remember that sequence where each number is the sum of the two previous numbers? The Fibonacci numbers are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc. This sequence apparently appears much in nature. And on the pineapple. Pineapple scales are patterned into spirals and, because they are hexagonal in shape, two distinct sets of spirals can be seen: eight in one direction and thirteen in the other.

No. 51 - Star Wars

My son loves Star Wars. Well, at least what he knows about it so far. He was introduced to the Star Wars pop culture phenomenon through the animated Clone Wars cartoon and through Lego Star Wars on Wii. We plan on watching the original 1977 movie together tonight. And I just dropped him off at a Star Wars-themed birthday party. Before I left, he was being dressed in a brown robe with a rope belt for his Jedi training. Very cool.

I learned that there is a religious movement called Jediism, which is a blend of Taoism and Buddism. May the force be with you. And also with you.

I also learned that over half a million people in the world have declared themselves as Jedi on their census forms.

No. 50 - The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide

Anyone who is close to me knows that I am trying really, really hard to not turn this blog into a financial or economics blog. I am passionate about learning as much as I can about economics, particularly Austrian economics as I described in Post No. 28, and therefore much of what I learn each day is about the economy or economic theory. It's who I am and therefore it will inevitably leak into the things I learn (and post) each day. There are only so many hours in a day and I have an endless appetite for reading as well, usually fiction but occasionally non-fiction, just to keep it real. Therefore the things I learn through, or about, books are bound to make their way here as evidenced by three of the last four posts. So I guess now I have to work on not making this a book blog like last year's 52 Books in 52 Weeks blog. Wow! This is getting to be hard work.

I am currently reading The Ultimate Depression Survival Guide by Martin D. Weiss. I think it's exceptional and recommend that if you only have the chance to read one book this year, it should be this one. But I'd hurry up before the economy gets much worse.

I learned today that Mr. Weiss donated 100% of his present and future royalties earned on the book to the Campaign to End Child Homelessness. The first donation of $100,000 was made in 2009 when the book was released.  A good read and a good cause. How can you beat that?

No. 49 - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

While listening to Bloomberg Radio this morning, it was mentioned that 125 years ago today [The] Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was first published in the United States. If you lived in Canada or England you were able to get it two months earlier in December of 1884. Apparently someone tampered with one of the printing plate illustrations and created an obscene joke, which delayed its release in the U.S.

This is another one of those books that resides in my library, but is a little bit further down the list of books I want to read. There are just too many books and not enough time to read them all at once.

The main theme of the book is the search for freedom. Even though the book was written two decades after the Civil War ended and slavery was abolished, it was set several decades earlier when slavery was still a fact of life. The story is about Huck, a white boy, and Jim, a runaway slave, as they drift down the Mississippi River together. It was one of the first books in American literature to be written in the native language of that particular time and place. It is told in the first person by Huckleberry Finn himself.

No. 48 - Really Cheap Digital Storage

I was scanning the Wall Street Journal this morning when my eye caught a Best Buy advertisement showing a 1TB Portable Hard Drive for $180. I thought to myself: Whoa! One terabyte of storage space for $180? That sounds really, really cheap. A few years ago I recall buying an 80 GB hard drive for about $80 equating to about $1 for each gigabyte of storage, which seemed to be a great deal at the time. Doing the math. Doing the math. So this 1TB drive would equate to 18 cents per gigabyte. Whoa! But a quick Google search located the same drive at newegg.com for just $110. Doing the math. Doing the math. So this 1TB drive would equate to 11 cents per gigabyte. Double whoa! That's really, really, really cheap digital storage.

No. 47 - The Fountainhead

In anticipation of tonight's episode of LOST, I reviewed a list of literary references that have been mentioned or shown during the series. I have read many of them, a few specifically because they appeared in LOST. I was surprised that I had not known (or remembered?) that in season 3 the character of Sawyer was shown reading Ayn Rand's 1943 novel, The Fountainhead.

I recently picked up a copy of this book and it's now in my queue to read soon. 

The Fountainhead was Ayn Rand's first major success, although many consider Altas Shrugged to be her greatest achievement. The two books complement each other, with the latter covering in more detail some of the complex themes the former begins to examine. The Fountainhead primarily explores the theme of independence versus dependence, about following your own ideas or following those of others, about thinking for yourself or allowing others to think for you. The story is set in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s and follows the life of Howard Roark, an architect who refuses to compromise his standards in work and in life.

One of LOST's co-creators, Damon Lindelof, has stated that the character of Sawyer is very similar to the novel's main character, Howard Roark. Both are rebels against the general culture of their society and prefer to be by themselves. One of the characters in the book includes a con-man in love with a woman named "Katie." In LOST, Sawyer is a con-man and is in love with a woman named "Kate."

No. 46 - Wasabi

We had family visit from out-of-town this weekend. On Saturday evening we enjoyed sushi together. I often wonder aloud (yes, there are people in the room when I wonder aloud) why it took me almost four decades to learn that I love sushi. It's not like I didn't like it before, but it was never on my "food cravings" list. Over the last year, it's moved right up near the top. We had rainbow roll, wasabi roll and avocado summer roll. While we were talking and eating, I was asked if I knew what wasabi was made out of. I guessed that it was a root.

I learned today that it is, indeed, the thick green root of the wasabi plant that is used as a spice. The flavor is more akin to horseradish than chili pepper. It produces vapors that stimulate the nasal passage more so than the tongue. The sensation can be quite painful but is short-lived, lasting only a few seconds.

Wasabi is often prepared by grating the root with a sharkskin grater, although a stainless steel grater may work just fine if you've misplaced your sharkskin one.

It is claimed that wasabi is an effective antidote to prevent food poisoning, which is one reason why wasabi is served with sushi and other raw fish.

No. 45 - Pavlova

Around 8 AM there was a knock at the door. It was M stopping by to pick-up his kids who slept over. We had a cup of coffee together and I asked what he and K did last night. He told me they made pavlova. I thought, "Whoa. I just woke-up and this new piece of information comes strolling through my door." I asked what this "pavlova" is that he speaks of.

I learned that pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. It is a cake with a crisp crust and a soft, light filling usually topped with whipped cream and fruit. It is believed to have originated in New Zealand in the 1920s in honor of the dancer as she toured the country.

It appears that there are many variations of this dessert with an endless combination of fruit toppings. Perhaps M and K will make their version for us to sample sometime soon. Hint. Hint.

No. 44 - Pianoforte

This morning I took my daughter to piano lessons. She has only taken a few lessons so far but seems to enjoy them and was enthusiastic to go. The lessons were in the living of a woman's house. I sat on a couch and observed as my daughter was given instruction. I was thinking to myself that there's probably something I don't know about piano, especially given that I am not so musically inclined. A few seconds later the woman said, "Today we are going to learn two new words: forte and piano." My ears perked up.

She went on to explain that in Italian "forte" means loud and "piano" means soft. She then demonstrated that if you hit the piano key firmly, you get a loud sound. And if you hit the piano key gently, you get a soft sound.

I learned later that "piano" is the shorted form of "pianoforte," which is derived from the original Italian name for the instrument, clavicembalo col piano e forte. (Thank goodness they shortened the word. What a mouthful.) The word literally translated means "harpsichord with soft and loud." It refers to the ability of the piano, unlike the harpsichord, to produce tones at different volumes depending on how hard, or soft, the keys are struck. The piano was invented in 1709 when Bartolomeo Christifori first succeeded in fitting a row of pivoted hammers to the strings of a harpsichord.

No. 43 - DeLorean

I was listening to a podcast on the most recent episode of LOST and they were discussing the "grandfather paradox" as it relates to time travel. As a refresher, this is the anomaly caused if a time traveler were to go back and kill his biological grandfather. If the time traveler's father was never born, the time traveler would not have been born, and therefore he could not have killed his grandfather. Thus, his grandfather would still be alive to conceive a son, and eventually have a grandson, who travels in time. Each circumstance would seem to imply its own contradiction, a type of logical paradox.

We all remember seeing this paradox in action when Marty McFly was shown fading in and out of the photo in the movie, Back to the Future.

Which got me thinking about Dr. Emmett Brown's time machine in the movie, the DeLorean. What a cool car! It was known for its gull wings and stainless steel body panels. There were only 9,200 DeLoreans built between 1981-1982. The company went bankrupt in 1982. The cars were manufacturer in Dunmurray, Northern Ireland. Today, about 6,500 DeLoreans are believed to still exist. Apparently the DeLorean Motor Company still exists in some form today making about 20 cars a year out of 80% old and 20% new parts. They start at $57,500.

No. 42 - World's Tallest Snowman

Today was "dig-out" day from yesterday's snowstorm, which officially added enough white powder to break the Philadelphia area record (now standing at over 72" of snow). And we're only in early February! The snow was heavy and wet, perfect for making snowballs and snowmen.

The world's record for the tallest snowman (or in this case, a snowwoman) was set in 2008 in Bethel, Maine. Not only is Maine my favorite state, but Bethel is a short 10-minute ride to one of my favorite ski resorts, Sunday River.

She was named "Olympia SnowWoman" after Maine's senator, Olympia Snowe. She stood 122 feet tall and weighed six and a half tons. She was built in February and melted in July.

No. 41 - Bock Beer

I picked up a case of Yuengling Bock Beer last night. Actually I barely had to pick it up. In town, we have a drive-thru beer distributor. I drove in, a guy put the case in my trunk, and I drove out.
In celebration of their 180th anniversary, Yuengling produced a bock beer in 2009 for the first time in nearly 40 years. It was only available in draft for a short period of time and I missed the opportunity to enjoy one. In mid-January 2010, Yuengling released Bock Beer as a seasonal selection in both kegs and bottles. It is expected to be available for 10-12 weeks. Yuengling says its bock beer has "a deep amber color, pleasing malt base, and a refreshing hop aroma." I tried one for the first time today and I concur. It is quite a delicious beer.

Bock is a type of strong lager beer, first brewed in the 14th century in the town of Einbeck, Germany, from which it gets its name (Einbeck or Einbock). Bock was traditionally brewed for special occasions, often for the religious holidays of Christmas and Easter.

No. 40 - Amen or Amun

Last night after saying prayers before bed, my son asked me what "Amen" means. I'll admit that I drew a blank and gave some lame answer like "because that's how most prayers end." Having kids is akin to being on Jeopardy 24/7. There are lots of questions. You never know what's coming next. Or when it's coming. You get most of them right but every now and then (insert buzzer sound here) you just draw a blank.

So tonight I will inform him that Amen comes from the Hebrew word meaning "truth." So when you say Amen you are affirming or agreeing or accepting that what you just said is the truth.

What I found interesting, though, is that in Egyptian mythology there was a god named Amun (also spelled Amen). Amun was self-created, without a mother or father. It is said that he created all things. Amun was the Egyptian god of life and reproduction, sometimes depicted as a man with a ram's head.

The name of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun (a.k.a. King Tut), contains the name "Amun" in it. Even more interesting is that it also contains the word "Ankh," which was the subject of Post No. 35. Ankh means "Life." Tutankhamun's name means "Long Life to Amun."

No. 39 - Bagels

There's nothing more yummier in the morning than a fresh bagel. I prefer the "everything" bagel, typically with both butter and cream cheese and, occasionally, with smoked salmon on top. Today I had one from Manhattan Bagel. Oh-So-Delici-Oh-So! I've heard the term New York bagel used before, but what I didn't know is that there are two popular styles of bagels in North America: the New York-style bagel and the Montreal-style bagel.

The New York-style bagel contains malt and salt and is boiled in water prior to baking in a standard oven. It comes out puffy with a moist crust.

The Montreal-style bagel contains malt with no salt. It is boiled in a honey-sweetened water and is baked in a wood-fired oven. How awesome does that sound? Everything tastes so much better when cooked with wood, am I right? The Montreal bagel is smaller, with a larger hole, crunchier and sweeter. It typically only comes with black (poppy) or white (sesame) seeds. Pictured is the Montreal-style bagel. Now I just have to figure out how I can get me one of those.

No. 38 - Pennsylvania Turnpike

We spent over 7 hours on the PA Turnpike this weekend as we traveled between the Philadelphia area and the Pittsburgh area for some incredible skiing at Hidden Valley Resort. There was a major winter snow storm settling into the area as we traveled on Friday afternoon and the salt trucks were out in full force preparing the roads. Every so often we would see a plow truck perched on the side of the road, ready to jump into action when the time came. Most areas around the turnpike got 1-2 feet of snow and some areas got a bit more than that. On the return trip on Sunday, the turnpike was immaculately clean. So kudos to the turnpike workers for a job well done!

The PA Turnpike itself is a terribly boring ride on the east-west route. The history of the turnpike was equally as boring. But I did learn that the PA Turnpike system encompasses 532 miles. When it opened in 1940 as the nation's first superhighway, it was popularly known as the "Tunnel Highway" because of the seven mountain tunnels along its route.

No. 37 - The Venus Project

Today I watched a movie called Zeitgeist Addendum, which was recommended to me by a childhood friend on Facebook. My primary reason for being on FB is to hopefully educate my friends and family on matters of significance, and in return, expand my knowledge in similar areas of importance. To date, it has been a bit disappointing. Not so dissimilar to probably the rest of the U.S. population, my friends are busy working and raising families, and finding the time to educate themselves can be difficult, no doubt. I have made several FB friends recently that share my desires and interests and so I shoulder on, although it is tough at times. The recommendation, though, to watch this movie is exactly what I hoped to get out of FB from time-to-time. This movie is available as a free download. I watched it on an iPod Touch, which was pretty cool, just like my own private movie theatre. It can also be viewed on video-sharing services, such as YouTube or Google Videos.

The movie is an excellent educational resource on how our monetary system works, including how fractional reserve banking works and how money is created out of thin air. But more importantly, the movie advocates eliminating our current monetary-based economy in favor of a resource-based economy. It was extremely thought-provoking. I also learned about something called The Venus Project.

The Venus Project was founded on the idea that poverty, crime, corruption and war are caused by scarcity created by our present day profit-driven economic system. It argues that this structure stifles the progress of technology. It further theorizes that if the progression of technology were carried on independent of the profitability motive, it would make more resources available to more people by producing an abundance of products and materials. Good stuff. I am looking forward to researching this topic some more.

No. 36 - Toyoda

Toyota received a lot of attention in the news this week with the massive recall of millions of vehicles with faulty gas pedals. How does that saying go? Any news is good news? I don't thing so in this case. Besides the brand damage being done, I wonder if Toyotathon has enough cash to make all the necessary repairs.
The Toyota Motor Company has been around since 1937. Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda" from the family name of the company's founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. The company's logo is a representation of the Japanese letters for "Toyoda" in a circle. The name was changed to Toyota as it took eight brush strokes (apparently a lucky number) to write in Japanese. Toyoda literally means "fertile rice paddies" so it also helped to distance the company from farming activities.

No. 35 - Ankh

I was listening this morning to a podcast about the season premiere episode of LOST and it reminded me of the wooden ankh that Hurley was carrying in the guitar case. LOST is filled with Egyptian symbolism so it was no surprise to learn that the ankh is one of the most familiar of the Egyptian hieroglyphs and was often represented in Egyptian art.

The ankh was the actual hieroglyphic sign for "life." It was often used to show the deceased having been bestowed with life after death. The symbol is often associated with immortality. The Christian cross appears to have been adapted from the ankh.

There are multiple disputed theories on its origin. Some say it is symbolic of a sunrise. Others say it depicts an elaborate bow, or may represent a sandal strap, or may have a sexual symbolism. Guides in Egypt today apparently tell tourists that the circle at the top represents the female sex organ, the stump at the bottom is the male organ, and the crossed line represents the children of the union.

In King Tut's tomb there was a gilded mirror found in the shape of an ankh. Its creator was likely enjoying a play on words, as the Egyptian word for mirror was also "ankh."

No. 34 - Concorde

From time-to-time I have wondered what happened to the Concorde. You remember that plane that used to fly across the Atlantic really, really fast?
I read in the Wall Street Journal today that a court case started this week in France regarding the crash of an Air France Concorde jet almost 10 years ago. The crash on July 25, 2000 killed all 109 people on board and 4 people on the ground. After this crash, combined with the economic effects from the events of 9/11 and other factors, operations ceased in 2003.

From 1969 to 2003, Concorde regularly flew transatlantic flights from Heathrow (London) and Charles de Gaulle (Paris) to JFK (NY) and Dulles (Washington). Its cruising speed was 1,320 mph. This compares to a cruising speed of 530 mph on a Boeing 767. There were only 20 aircraft ever built.

No. 33 - Woodchuck Day

Today is Woodchuck Day or, more commonly referred to as, Groundhog Day. Except that a groundhog is just another name for a woodchuck. When I was growing up we learned this tongue-twister, "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" It was a woodchuck. Not a groundhog. The saying wasn't, "How much ground would a groundhog hog if a groundhog could hog ground?" Apparently it also goes by the name whistle-pig and land-beaver, but I can't even imagine how those tongue-twisters go.

We have at least one woodchuck in our backyard. It's fun to watch but he gets spooked easily. I didn't know that the woodchuck is part of the squirrel family, but it makes sense. If you slimmed down the belly (a lot!) it has a noticeable resemblance to the squirrels who also call our backyard home. Apparently, despite its considerable girth, woodchucks are great at climbing trees, but I have yet to see that.

The name woodchuck is not related to wood or chucking (whatever that might be in the context of a fat squirrel). It comes from the Algonquin name for the animal, wuchak.

I also learned that our Canadian friends up north have a counterpart to our Punxsutawney Phil. His name is Wiarton Willie, named for Wiarton, Ontario.

No. 32 - Fruit or Vegetable?

During dinner last night the subject of whether a tomato was a fruit or vegetable came up. My son asked for more ketchup and I asked him if he knew what vegetable it was made out of. I knew that a tomato is considered a fruit but didn't want to confuse him when I asked. A red fruit? Apple? After he guessed that it was a tomato, I then explained that it was a fruit. The next question, though, stumped me: Why?

The answer is that a tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable. It just depends on who you ask: a scientist or the grocer. Botanically, the tomato is a fruit because it is the mature ovaries (including the seeds) of a plant, but it is not as sweet as most foods eaten as a fruit. In cuisine, and U.S. tariff laws for that matter, tomatoes are considered vegetables. In 1883, the U.S. Supreme Court defined the tomato as a vegetable in Nix vs. Hedden, but acknowledged that it was botanically a fruit.

So, scientifically a tomato is the fruit of a tomato plant but is used as a vegetable in cooking. Got it? It seems the easiest way to determine whether something is a fruit or vegetable is to just ask the question: Does it have seeds? If yes, fruit. If no, vegetable. Other fruit that we would normally think of as a vegetable include cucumber, eggplant, and squash (including zucchini and pumpkin).

I'll finish with this quote I found explaining the difference between knowledge and wisdom: "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad."