Info Friday

I recall a time in the fairly distant past, but still embarassingly recent time, when I was at my desk (see, told you it wasn't that long ago) pondering where raisins came from. Raisins. RAY-SINS! You see, I am prone to these mental breaks when there is something painfully obvious in front of me, but I can't figure it out. I tried to remember seeing a raisin tree, or shrub, or if they grew in the ground. Thankfully this was pre-internet (so this can be narrowed down to like 98-99) in my office so I didn't actually google it, and then suffer the injury I would undoubtedly have incurred by banging my head against my desk. I think I figured it out on the drive home and had a good laugh at what an idiot I can be.

Some of you will also recall a previous post where I pondered the correct spelling of the plural of bus and where garbanzo beans come from. Deep stuff, people.

So the other day, Rick and I were toodling around somewhere and I dropped another bomb on him. You see, I have spent lots of time on and in water in my days, and I had never seen this particular thing in any of my travels. Rick can be a font of knowledge sometimes, or he can make stuff up quick enough to sound like he knows what he's talking about, so I went to him with this pressing issue first.

K: Where do goldfish come from?
R: .....The pet store? (internally wondering why he is married to someone that has the inquiries of a 3 year old)
K: No, where does the pet store get them? I've never seen one when we snorkel or on any documentary.
R: .....................

I think he walked away at this point and I knew he was stumped. Turns out, he took the inquiry to brother in law, Dan, who has books like "Why is the Sky Blue?" scattered about his side of the bed.

R: So, Kaly was wondering where goldfish come from the other day.
D: We got ours at Petsmart.
R: No, like where they come from, in the wild.
D: Hmmmm. I don't know, but I feel Asians have something to do with it.

Ah, good ol' Dan. Never one to shy away from a racial stereotype in the pursuit of knowledge.

Well, turns out DAN WAS RIGHT (info from here):
Goldfish as we know them do not exist anywhere in the wild state. They are a product of long years of selective breeding. The wild fish from which goldfish were developed belong to the carp family and are still numerous in the streams of CHINA. They do not naturally have the golden hue, but are dark in color, much like ordinay carp. Centuries ago the Chinese fish culturists interbred light-colored specimens and produced many beautiful varieties. Fanciers further induced and strengthened the golden and silvery colors by regulating the quantity of minerals in the water.....A 150 acre hatchery near Frederick, Maryland normally productes five million goldfish a year.

Now you know. I have no idea what a "Fancier" is, but is sounds, well, fancy, and something I want to be when I grow up.