Almond Joy

I like almonds and enjoy eating them as a snack every now and then, but it came as news to me that almonds are classified as "stone fruits." (Frankly, I remain skeptical about that.)

In any case, I still took this 5-question quiz at the website MonkeyDish.

Guess Who's Nuts About U.S. Nuts

Globalization has some interesting consequences in unexpected areas. If you're a foodie (like me) who enjoys eating almonds, pecans and other nuts, one of those consequences is paying higher prices at a time when most food prices have remained fairly stable.

What gives? It seems the Chinese are discovering nuts produced in the U.S. As this recent N.Y. Times article notes, Chinese purchases of American tree nuts have risen more than 700 percent, driving up prices for those nuts for U.S. consumers.