Top 20 Most Memorable Pinoy TV Commercials

Eto yung time na hindi pa masyado uso ang cable TV, karir sa pag watch ng commercial. Wala sa top 20 yung all time favorite ko, 680 home appliances “Why don’t you shop around with a friend” jingle, hehe. Mabuhay ang mga bata ng dekada Otsenta.

Madalas akong nakaharap sa TV nu'ng mga bata pa kami. At 'yun 'yung mga tipo na may pagkakataon na mas pinapanood ko 'yung mga commercials kesa sa mga palabas nuon (maliban sa Bikini Open). E habang nagsi-search ako ng mga lumang commercials sa YouTube, 'eto at gumawa ako ng aking sariling "Top 20 Most Memorable Pinoy TV Commercials" kung saan e nilista ko 'yung talagang hindi ko malilimutang mga commercials. Ilan sa mga ito ang naalala mo pa? Ano naman ang inyong top 20? 80s babies, unite!


20) KYOWA RICE DISPENSER - Nu'ng elementary pa ako, madalas akong nagbabakasyon sa bahay ng pinsan ko. At pinagtitripan nila ako kapag kinakanta ko ang jingle na ito. Siguro kung binabasa ito ngayon ng mga pinsan ko, pagtitripan ulet nila ako.

Kyowa, Kyowa, Kyowa, type kita. Basta may Kyowa, ginhawa ka!

19) MILO - Madalas 'tong lumalabas sa IBC 13, lalo na sa mga programang Takeshi's Castle at Mask Rider Black. Major sponsor nila yata 'to e.

Great things start from small beginnings. Growing up, reach early for your dreams. Face the day. It's a new challenge. A chance to be better. A chance to become your dreams. Growing up with Olympic Energy. Growing up, with Milo! Milo everyday!

18) ENCARNACION BECHAVEZ - Takot na takot ako sa commercial na 'to. Isang hindi-maunawaang magandang model in a red dress on a black background. Tapos may voice-over pa. *nginig*

When you care enough to send your loved ones the very best.

17) SM CITY - Isa ito sa mga suki tuwing Family Kwarta O Kahon. Sa Letrang O!

Food! Shopping! Fun! Movies! We got it all... SM City! It's waiting for you.

16) PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - Ito 'yung mga paalala ng mga TV stations kung paano naiimpluwensyahan ang mga bata ng mga matatanda. Marami-raming versions nito.

Sa mata ng bata, anuman ang gawin ng nakatatanda, ay nagiging tama. Isang paalala mula sa OPS-PIA, KBP, at ng himpilang ito.

15) IVORY SHAMPOO - Catchy 'yung theme song nito courtesy of DV8.

Dati, ang aking buhay ay kulang sa sigla.
Parang kay bigat dalhin ang mga problema.
Pero pagdating mo, kaylaking pagbabago.
Biglang gumaan ang aking mundo.

Ang gaan-gaan ng feeling.
Ang gaan-gaan ng loob ko sa'yo.
Alam kong 'di ako magsasawa dahil ang gentle mo naman.

14) CHAMPION CIGARETTES - Sa gabi naman madalas lumalabas ang mga commercial nito, sa mga programang isports at sa mga pelikula. Medyo may "hidden meaning" ang mga eksena sa commercial na ito.

Ikaw ang nasa isip ko. Hinahanap-hanap kita. Ikaw talaga ang tanging Champion ng buhay ko. Nais kong malaman mo na ikaw ang tanging Champion ng buhay ko. Champion talaga! Champion Cigarettes. Champion talaga. Government Warning: Cigarette Smoking is dangerous to your health.

13) TROSYD - Mainstay din sa primetime.

'Wag mo nang patagalin. Trosyd na kaagad. Katiting man, deadly! Kahit sa pabalik-balik na fungi. At sa kato-Trosyd. Trosyd! Ang mabiliiiiiiiiiiiis na pamatay-fungi sa balat ng tao. Gawa ng Pfizer.

12) WHITE CASTLE WHISKEY - Sino nga ba 'yung model dito? Basta naka-two piece siya at nakasakay sa kabayo. Tapos tinitingnan siya ng mga manyak.

White Castle Whiskey! White Castle Whiskey! Sakto ang 5 years old whiskey. Okay lang ang tama, at walang hangover. Sakto ang White Castle Whiskey! Sakto!

11) NEOZEP - Sa gabi din lumalabas ito.

Simpleng sipon mo, maaaring lumala pa. Ibang gamot, baka delikado pa! Dapat, Neozep. The total cold specialist with no harmful ingredients. Tigil agad ang cold miseries. Neozep!

10) GREEN CROSS ALCOHOL - Ah 'eto naman sa tanghaling tapat, kapag nanonood ka ng Coney Reyes On Camera, Lovingly Yours, at Kapag May Katwiran Ipaglaban Mo.

Mel: Misis, sigurado ka ba diyan?
Misis: Pwede na 'to.
Jay: Pero 40% lang 'yan.
Misis: Pwede na 'to.
Mel: May tiwala ka sa mahinang klaseng alkohol?
Jay: Para sigurado, Green Cross with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol.
Mel: Napatunayang mas mabisa kesa ibang alcohol.
Misis: Tama! Papalitan ko na 'yung partner ko.
Mister: Ako?!
Misis: Ito! Sa Green Cross na tayo.
Jay: Parang napanood ko na ito, ha?
Mel: Green Cross Alcohol! Partner natin-- *siko kay Jay*
Jay: --sa kalusugan!
Mel: *pabulong kay Jay* Ikaw naman, sa'n ka na naman nakatingin...?
Jay: *pabulong kay Mel* Kinakausap ko lang 'yung...

9) ZONROX BLEACH - Kasabayan din nito 'yung Green Cross Alcohol.

Sa puting labada, hindi sapat ang sabong panlaba. May kumakapit pa ring mikrobyo rito. Dapat, germ-free ang linis. Kaya kailangan, ZONROX! Para litaw na litaw ang kaputian, at mikrobyo'y tepoks! Oks na oks sa kaunting Zonrox!

8) BEAM TOOTHPASTE - One of the most memorable jingles.

B-E-A-M means "Smile!"
Smile kami pag Beam.
Beam na Beam, ngipin ay protektado
Panalo sa presyo. Panalo pag Beam!

7) PAGODA COLD WAVE LOTION - Ah 'eto 80s na 80s ang dating. Naalala ko mama ko sa commercial na ito.

Get into the new wave of hair fashion. Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion! It contains lanolin and perfume neutralizer. Get into the new wave of hair fashion. Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion! The hair fashion lotion.

6) BEAR BRAND STERILIZED MILK - Classic 'tong commercial na 'to. Look at my mole!

I remember yesterday.
The world was still young...

Father: Go, dance with lola. C'mon.
Grandchild: Lola, lola...

*sabay sayaw sila*

*After many years...*

Great-grand child: Is that you, lolo?
Grandchild: Look at my mole.
Great-grand child: Ah yeah!
Grandchild: Magaling akong sumayaw.
Great-grand child: Sige nga! Sayaw tayo...

I remember yesterday. Special, as today.

Bear Brand Sterilized Milk. The Special Milk trusted for generations.

5) CARONIA NAIL POLISH - Aba e lalo na 'to, ang commercial na 'to na naging laughing stock sa Tropang Trumpo with the dance moves.

Ca... ro... nia! Caronia!
Ikabupini Manikura.
Lalilalaloo... lalalaloo..

Your beaty shines... with Caronia!

4) DRAGON KATOL - 'Yung American cowboy na nagpipilit managalog. Mas classic 'to kesa sa sino nga ba 'yung uso ngayon na "Adobong Manaak?"

Girl: Dameyng lamowk!

Cowboy: Teypowk seyla ngayown. Sa Dragon Katol.

Dragon Katol! Dragon khung umusowk. Lamowk, sehguradowng teypok!

3) SEIKO WALLET - Napapakanta pa rin ako rito kapag naalala ko at magkakasama kaming magto-tropa.

Seiko, Seiko Wallet!
Ang wallet na maswerte!
Balat nito ay DYINYUWAYN!
International pa ang mga design.
Ang wallet na maswerte.
Seiko, Seiko Wallet!
Seiko, Seiko Wallet!

Seiko Wallet, ang wallet na maswerte!

2) FAMILY RUBBING ALCOHOL - Madalas naman 'tong lumabas sa IBC 13 tuwing tanghaling tapat kapag 'yung mga sports at 'yung mga palabas na sabong.

Sonny Padilla: Sa everyday workout ko, kailangan ko ang proteksyon ng Family Rubbing Alcohol. Effective disinfectant, panlaban sa pasma, at pampaginhawa pa. Basta alcohol, Family Rubbing Alcohol. Hindi lang pampamilya, pang-isports pa!

'Di lang pampamilya, pang-isports pa! TENG~!

At bago ko ilantad ang aking most memorable commercial of all time, panoorin mo muna 'tong sa Family Rubbing Alcohol.
At ang aking pinakamalupit na commercial...

1) RA HOMEVISION - Ito talaga 'yung pinaka-classic sa'kin. 'Yung may spaceship galing Star Wars, Smurfs, at 'yung kamay ng alien na nagsasara du'n sa lid ng VHS rewinder yata 'yun. Wala akong makitang video nito sa YouTube.

Rentententen! Tenenenenenenen-rentententen! Tenenen!

Looking for entertainment? Zero in and rent your favorite VHS tapes from RA HOMEVISION! Your dependable Home Video services where you can find those Box Office Hits! Guaranteed Top-Quality VHS Tapes at very popular prices. We got them! VHS Thrillers! Adventures! Dramas! Sports! Cartoons! Award Winners! And more! Come and bring home the excitement! Go to RA HOMEVISION at #5 Dian St., Cash & Carry, Makati!

Rentententen! Tenenenenenenen-rentententen! Tenenen!


Narito ang ilan pa sa mga commercials na madalas naming mapagkwentuhan ng mga tropa ko. Ni-research ko rin ang mga linya ng mga 'yan. Paramihan tayo ng mga naalala. Halatang-halata na yata kung sino 'yung mga matatanda na. Gyahahaha! Alam kong hindi na makukumpleto ang listahang ito, pero ang sarap magbalik-tanaw sa ating pagkabata.
Maraming salamat din pala sa mga nag-contribute nu'ng ginagawa ko ang listahang ito. Kayo, anu-ano ang mga naalala niyo? Habang itina-type ko ang blog na ito, narinig ko yatang sumigaw 'tong kaliwang nipple ko. ANG TATANDA NIYO NA!

Palmolive ("I Can Feel It!")
Gee! Your Hair Smells Terrific!
Electrolux ("I'm gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell, tap on your windows too.")
680 Home Appliances (with Rod Navarro)
3D ("For Quality You Can Trust" tsaka 'yung 3D Rota Air Classic)
Polymagma ("Mukhang guilty!")
Birch Tree ("It's everybody's milk!")
YC Bikini Brief
Sweepstakes ("Ibalik ang swerti.")
San Miguel Beer ("Iba ang may pinagsamahan" tsaka 'yung Sabado Nights na naging dahilan ng pagsikat ni Ina Raymundo)
Gold Eagle Beer ("Ba-ba-ba-bayani, mero'n pa ba nu'n dito? Tumutulong sa kapwa sa maliliit na bagay.")
Coat Saver ("It's a miracle!" "No, Father. It's Coat Saver.")
7up ("It's cool to be clear!")
Mocha Cake, Ube, and Paeendaeen. From Regent.
Duty Free Philippines ("Tonyooo~!")
Serg Chocolate. ("Ikaw pa rin.")
Caress Nail Polish ("Color every magic moment.")
United American Tiki-Tiki ("Pampalusog ng inyong baby.")
Gift Gate ("I like you!" ni Geneva Cruz)
Johnson's Baby Powder ("Ikaw lamang, wala nang iba.")
La Germania ("Generates love, generates cooking, generates love!")
Anzahl Urethane Paints ('Yung may babae sa hood ng kotse.)
Johnson's Wax ("Tumatagal.")
Motolite ("Kumbinsing!")
Philippine Airlines ("The beauty of the Philippines.")
Pioneer Epoxy (Yoyoy Villame)
Nano-Nano ("Nano-nano-nano-nano... Sweet, sour and salty.")
Kotex ("Dalaga ka na, hindi ka na bata...")
Yakult ("With Lactobacillus-Shirota strain.")
Del Monte Pineapple Juice ("With Phytochemicals!")
Knorr Real Chinese Soup ("Just add one egg!")
CY Gabriel Wonder Soap ("CY Gabriel Wonder Soap ang gamitin.")
Likas Papaya Soap ("Ipakita ang inyong likas na ganda with Likas Papaya Soap.")
Juicy Fruit Gum ("Times like this, you need Juicy Fruit Gum!")
Tanduay Gold (Steven Seagal's "I found gold in the Philippines.")
ABS-CBN's Karapatan Ng Mga Bata ("Karapatang magpahayag ng sariling pananaw!")
Dunlop Socks ("Dunlop Socks, computer-designed, great style, great comfort, we all love our Dunlop! Designed for the future, it's the socks for the future. Today!")
Nestea ('Yung naglatag ng blanket sa damuhan at pagkainom ng Nestea iced tea, nagpatumba at pagbagsak naging tubig yung blanket.)
ZAA Toothpaste ("Tanggal ang singaw mo. Safe pa ang ngipin mo.")
Arthur's Legaspi Towers ("Arthur's Legaspi Towers and Taft Avenue accepts made-to-order pants and barong finished within 6 hours. Visit their other branches.")

6 ways to Smell Good Without Perfume

6 ways to Smell Good Without Perfume

By Kristie Leong M.D.

When we want to smell good, most of us reach for a bottle of expensive perfume. Unfortunately, perfume can be expensive and it can smell a bit unnatural and overwhelming particularly if applied to heavily. Not to mention the chemicals found in a bottle of commercial perfume or cologne. Need an alternative? Here's how to smell good without perfume.

1.) Use a light dusting of baby powder.Baby powder adds a subtle hint of scent without being overpowering. It smells so light and fresh that you can wear it almost anywhere. It's particularly nice to apply baby powder before you head for the exercise club. The powder tends to absorb some of the perspiration you'll produce during exercise.

2.) Use essential oils.To smell good without perfume, carry a vial of essential oil with you when you go out. Whenever you need a scent pick-me-up, dab a tiny amount of your favorite fragrance behind your ear. It's fresh and all natural.

3.) Avoid smoking. The smell of smoke can permeate your clothes and give you a stale smell that not even a good perfume can cover up.

4.) Use a heavily scented shampoo. To smell good without perfume, find a shampoo with a scent you like that lasts for more than a few hours after you wash your hair. There's something ultra sexy about hair that smells freshly washed. Why drown it out with perfume?

5.) Use a scented body lotion.A scented body lotion gives a more subtle scent than a heavy spray of perfume. Perfume can be overwhelming particularly in warm weather. A scented body lotion gives just the right hint of fragrance.

6.) Bathe and use deodorant every day.To smell good without perfume, you need to keep your body clean and free of perspiration odors. Make it a habit to bathe on a daily basis and after your daily workout.

TWISTER at EAST COAST SG

Two Moons

27th Aug

the Whole World is waiting for.............

Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons.

The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.

Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.

The Greatest Olympian of all time - Michael Phelps

Date of Birth: Jun 30 1985 Height(cm/ft in): 193cm / 6'4" Gender: Male Weight(kg/lbs): 91 kg / 200 lbs Place of Birth: Baltimore, MD (United States) Residence: Ann Arbor, MI (United States) Sport: Swimming Event(s): Men's 200m Individual Medley Men's 100m Butterfly Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Men's 400m Individual Medley Men's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Men's 200m Butterfly Men's 200m Freestyle

DEFY ANY OBSTACLE

One Olympian doesn't need gold medals to feel like a champion…

Take it from Olympic Swimmer Eric Shanteau: You're in control of your life and things you want to accomplish.

Seven weeks before the start of the Olympics, 24-year-old Shanteau got some staggering news from his doctor. He had testicular cancer and needed surgery. Shanteau could have—some say should have—let go of his Olympic dreams and undergone treatment, but for the athlete who missed out on Athens four years ago by a hair, it was Beijing or bust.

Shanteau's doctor agreed to postpone treatment until after the Olympics, since testicular cancer has more than a 90 percent cure rate when spotted early. It's one of few diagnoses that have minimal risk associated with delaying action, according to a blog by Abraham Morgentaler, the director of Men's Health Boston, a urology clinic, and an associate professor at Harvard University.

Shanteau's public battle—often compared to Lance Armstrong, the cyclist who originally transformed testicular cancer into a source of motivation and strength—offers more than a lesson in following dreams and battling disease. He finally agreed to see a doctor when his girlfriend refused to back off or take no for an answer.

Studies show a similar pattern of men being more likely than women to avoid healthcare. And even when guys finally get in the exam room, they rarely ask the right questions or follow doctor's orders after they leave.

Shanteau, who made it to the 200-meter breaststroke semifinal at the Water Cube Tuesday, may never win as many medals as Michael Phelps, but he's just as much an inspiration to viewers across the nation.

Copy his courage to dispel fear of the unknown and learn how to make the most of your next doctor's visit. You'll clear your head of worry and cancer-proof your body.

Sorting Out Coffee's Contradictions

Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions
Jane E. Brody New York Times

Coffee and Tea	Caffeine
Decaffeinated coffee or tea, 8 oz.	2 mgs
Black tea, brewed, 8 oz.	47
Green tea, brewed, 8 oz.	30 to 50
Plain coffee, brewed, 8 oz.	95
Starbucks Coffee Grande, 16 oz.	330
Soft drinks and energy drinks
Coca-Cola Classic, 12 oz.	35
Diet Coke, 12 oz.	47
Mountain Dew, 12 oz.	54
Red Bull, 8.3 oz.	76
Monster Energy, 16 oz.	160
SoBe No Fear, 16 oz.	174
Foods and other products
Hershey’s chocolate milk, 8 oz.	5
Hershey’s milk chocolate, 1.5 oz.	10
Dannon coffee yogurt, 6 oz.	30
NoDoz Maximum Strength, 1 tablet	200

When Howard D. Schultz in 1985 founded the company that would become the wildly successful Starbucks chain, no financial adviser had to tell him that coffee was America’s leading beverage and caffeine its most widely used drug. The millions of customers who flock to Starbucks to order a double espresso, latte or coffee grande attest daily to his assessment of American passions.

Although the company might have overestimated consumer willingness to spend up to $4 for a cup of coffee — it recently announced that it would close hundreds of underperforming stores — scores of imitators that now sell coffee, tea and other products laced with caffeine reflect a society determined to run hard on as little sleep as possible.

But as with any product used to excess, consumers often wonder about the health consequences. And researchers readily oblige. Hardly a month goes by without a report that hails coffee, tea or caffeine as healthful or damns them as potential killers.

Can all these often contradictory reports be right? Yes. Coffee and tea, after all, are complex mixtures of chemicals, several of which may independently affect health.

Caffeine Myths

Through the years, the public has been buffeted by much misguided information about caffeine and its most common source, coffee. In March the Center for Science in the Public Interest published a comprehensive appraisal of scientific reports in its Nutrition Action Healthletter. Its findings and those of other research reports follow.

Hydration. It was long thought that caffeinated beverages were diuretics, but studies reviewed last year found that people who consumed drinks with up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced no more urine than when drinking fluids free of caffeine. Above 575 milligrams, the drug was a diuretic.

So even a Starbucks grande, with 330 milligrams of caffeine, will not send you to a bathroom any sooner than if you drank 16 ounces of pure water. Drinks containing usual doses of caffeine are hydrating and, like water, contribute to the body’s daily water needs.

Heart disease. Heart patients, especially those with high blood pressure, are often told to avoid caffeine, a known stimulant. But an analysis of 10 studies of more than 400,000 people found no increase in heart disease among daily coffee drinkers, whether their coffee came with caffeine or not.

“Contrary to common belief,” concluded cardiologists at the University of California, San Francisco, there is “little evidence that coffee and/or caffeine in typical dosages increases the risk” of heart attack, sudden death or abnormal heart rhythms.

In fact, among 27,000 women followed for 15 years in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, those who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent, although this benefit diminished as the quantity of coffee rose.

Hypertension. Caffeine induces a small, temporary rise in blood pressure. But in a study of 155,000 nurses, women who drank coffee with or without caffeine for a decade were no more likely to develop hypertension than noncoffee drinkers. However, a higher risk of hypertension was found from drinking colas. A Johns Hopkins study that followed more than 1,000 men for 33 years found that coffee drinking played little overall role in the development of hypertension.

Cancer. Panic swept this coffee-dependent nation in 1981 when a Harvard study tied the drink to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Coffee consumption temporarily plummeted, and the researchers later concluded that perhaps smoking, not coffee, was the culprit.

In an international review of 66 studies last year, scientists found coffee drinking had little if any effect on the risk of developing pancreatic or kidney cancer. In fact, another review suggested that compared with people who do not drink coffee, those who do have half the risk of developing liver cancer.

And a study of 59,000 women in Sweden found no connection between coffee, tea or caffeine consumption and breast cancer.

Bone loss. Though some observational studies have linked caffeinated beverages to bone loss and fractures, human physiological studies have found only a slight reduction in calcium absorption and no effect on calcium excretion, suggesting the observations may reflect a diminished intake of milk-based beverages among coffee and tea drinkers.

Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University says that caffeine’s negative effect on calcium can be offset by as little as one or two tablespoons of milk. He advised that coffee and tea drinkers who consume the currently recommended amount of calcium need not worry about caffeine’s effect on their bones.

Weight loss. Here’s a bummer. Although caffeine speeds up metabolism, with 100 milligrams burning an extra 75 to 100 calories a day, no long-term benefit to weight control has been demonstrated. In fact, in a study of more than 58,000 health professionals followed for 12 years, both men and women who increased their caffeine consumption gained more weight than those who didn’t.

Health Benefits

Probably the most important effects of caffeine are its ability to enhance mood and mental and physical performance. At consumption levels up to 200 milligrams (the amount in about 16 ounces of ordinary brewed coffee), consumers report an improved sense of well-being, happiness, energy, alertness and sociability, Roland Griffiths of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine reported, although higher amounts sometimes cause anxiety and stomach upset.

Millions of sleep-deprived Americans depend on caffeine to help them make it through their day and drive safely. The drug improves alertness and reaction time. In the sleep-deprived, it improves memory and the ability to perform complex tasks.

For the active, caffeine enhances endurance in aerobic activities and performance in anaerobic ones, perhaps because it blunts the perception of pain and aids the ability to burn fat for fuel instead of its carbohydrates.

Recent disease-related findings can only add to coffee’s popularity. A review of 13 studies found that people who drank caffeinated coffee, but not decaf, had a 30 percent lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Another review found that compared with noncoffee drinkers, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, had a 28 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. This benefit probably comes from coffee’s antioxidants and chlorogenic acid.

As with any product used to excess, consumers often wonder about the health consequences. And researchers readily oblige. Hardly a month goes by without a report that hails coffee, tea or caffeine as healthful or damns them as potential killers.

Can all these often contradictory reports be right? Yes. Coffee and tea, after all, are complex mixtures of chemicals, several of which may independently affect health.

Caffeine Myths

Through the years, the public has been buffeted by much misguided information about caffeine and its most common source, coffee. In March the Center for Science in the Public Interest published a comprehensive appraisal of scientific reports in its Nutrition Action Healthletter. Its findings and those of other research reports follow.

Hydration. It was long thought that caffeinated beverages were diuretics, but studies reviewed last year found that people who consumed drinks with up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced no more urine than when drinking fluids free of caffeine. Above 575 milligrams, the drug was a diuretic.

So even a Starbucks grande, with 330 milligrams of caffeine, will not send you to a bathroom any sooner than if you drank 16 ounces of pure water. Drinks containing usual doses of caffeine are hydrating and, like water, contribute to the body's daily water needs.

Surprising Truths About Fruits And Vegetables

Surprising Truths About Fruits And Vegetables

By Robin Lloyd LiveScience

Tomatoes, japaleño peppers, serrano peppers and now avocadoes are all under scrutiny due to the recent Salmonella outbreak, making many Americans nervous about eating their vegetables.

Or make that, their fruits. Oh, drat. Which is it?

Actually, all four of these produce items are classified as fruits by scientists, regardless of what consumers, grocers and nutritionists think, said Amy Litt, director of Plant Genomics and Cullman curator at The New York Botanical Garden.

"The thing that is funny from my point of view, and it's always a mystery to me, is that everyone knows that a tomato is a fruit, but they don't know that a squash or a string bean or a cuke [cucumber] is also a fruit," said Litt, who lately is studying the genes that make tomatoes fleshy. "I'm not sure how it got into the public realm of knowledge that a tomato is a fruit. But it's like, well, all these other things are a fruit too."

In reality, the public is fairly clueless on all of this. In a straw poll of 35 people in Manhattan yesterday, about half (18) said tomatoes were a fruit. All but one person said string beans were a vegetable and most (30) said squash is a vegetable.

Avocadoes, string beans, squash, eggplant, green pepper and okra are all technically fruits, Litt says. On the other hand, rhubarb is not a fruit. Let's not even start with strawberries just yet.

Totally lost?

OK, in the world of botany, a fruit is the structure that bears the seeds of a plant. It is formed in the plant's flower. In the center, the female parts of the flower include the ovary. The ovary has structures inside that become the seeds when fertilized. So the ovary will develop into the fruit.

To the plant, fruits are basically a means of spreading the seeds around, generally by wind or animal poop. In the latter case, fruits such as raspberries become thicker and accumulate sugars and bright colors, thereby attracting birds or other animals that eat and then "we say, they deposit the seeds in a package of fertilizer," Litt said. In other cases, the fruit dries out and opens and the winds carries the seeds to their next home to start the cycle over again. A good example is cotton or a milkweed pod.

How about vegetables?

The term vegetable has no meaning in botany, which is the study of plants, Litt explained. Instead, the other produce is also classified, like the fruits, by whatever part of the plant they are. For example, rhubarb and celery are the stems, albeit very enlarged and juicy stems, of a leaf.

Lettuce, kale, spinach and cabbage are the leaves of a plant.

What about legumes? They're easier because that is one situation where consumer lingo mirrors botany's. Legumes are family of plants and they all have the same type of fruit — a bean, actually, that is technically called a legume. Examples: snow peas, string beans or sugar snap peas. All fruits (of the legume variety).

Peas (also kidney beans, chick peas and fava beans) might fool you. They are fleshy and don't look like stems or leaves, but they are not fruit. The pea (or bean) is the seed. They all grow in the same kind of pod that is the fruit, and are very high in protein. The plant, the pod and the vegetable are all called legumes, Litt said. Obviously.

Berry complicated

Berries are fruits. Botanists agree with us on that one. Mostly. To botanists, a berry is a fleshy fruit that has multiple seeds on the inside, embedded in the flesh of the ovary, such as a blueberry.

Strangely to us, that makes all these other things berries to botanists: tomatoes, eggplants, grapes, persimmons and chili peppers.

And guess what aren't berries to botanists? Strawberries, blackberries, mulberries and raspberries, of course. They are aggregate fruits, because they form little fruitlets from many ovaries that remain separate, rather than being fused into a single structure.

Strawberries, with their seeds on the outside, are especially weird. In your classic fruit, the apple or the peach, the seeds inside are surrounded by the ovary wall. That applies to blueberries. But in strawberries, for instance, "the ovary wall sort of drops off and what enlarges is the patch of tissue that is underneath the structures that contain eggs (the ovules) which then develop into seeds," Litt said.

"As it enlarges, it separates all the seeds from each other and they end up on the outside of the fruit," she explained.
In another twist, pineapples are called a multiple fruit. Each one is actually a whole bunch of fruits, formed from the fused ovaries of many different flowers, Litt said.
"That is also a very different fruit type," Litt admitted. "There are many, many different variations."