kiwi "Zespri" marginally OT


> >       Terry, I was wondering -> When it reaches maturity,
> shouldn't the kiwi
> > be referred to as the kilarge?

> Can they be grown in the Florida Keys?
If so, would thye be called kilargos?

Ah Neil and Bill, you have gone straight to the nub of the issue. This 
raises important anthropological, taxonomic and historical questions, 
which of course I will attempt to address.

If, as you point out, the kiwi (as in Kiwi Fruit) is termed the "kilarge" 
(kilargo when retired to Florida Keys) when mature this would 
indeed open a veritable can of worms because..

Ki, as most linguists know is a shortened form of the Maori word 
"Kai" meaning food. This figures, as the kiwi is obviously a fruit and 
therefore food. Largo from the Spanish has many meanings both as 
"largo" (abundant, loose, long) and as the misprint "lago" (lake). 
Largos of course is plural. So what we have is a mixture of Maori 
and Spanish words meaning abundant, long fruit and the insinuated 
connection with a lake, even a long lake which we all know of course 
as an ocean. Starting to make sense? Don't answer yet. It gets 
worse.

The kiwi (as in fruit) obviously therefore must have reached New 
Zealand crossing at least two (remember the plural) oceans (this 
figures as both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans lie between NZ and 
Spain) and was transported by the Maori (who are known as great 
navigators and sailors). But it doesn't stop there because the kiwi 
somehow had to reach Spain, overland from China whence it 
originated. Yep, Marco Polo, and there is proof!

 The shape of the kiwi is very similar to that of the olive which, 
although smaller, smooth skinned and "stoned" must therefore have 
resulted from a cross between the kiwi in times gone by (probably 
about the time of Polo) and a Rugby ball. Where does the "stoned" 
come into it? Have you ever seen a rugby player? Then don't ask.

So, to conclude. The common old Zespri has a very chequered, 
illustrious and important history. Just think of the implications. How 
did the Maori reach Spain well before Columbus sailed to the 
Americas? Why did they leave? Why did not Marco Polo finish the 
job and bring the Kiwi all the way to NZ himself?  

Your turn now I have work to do and have procrastinated too long 
already.

cheers

Terry Dowdeswell
1570 Brunswick Road
RD1
Wanganui
New Zealand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
terry@delphinium.co.nz
http://www.delphinium.co.nz
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~









> >                                   ......Neil...... under 4 feet
> of snow in
> > N.B., Canada
> >
> > Can they be grown in the Florida Keys?
> If so, would thye be called kilargos?
> > >
> > Bill Plummer
> Painted Post, New York
> Zone 5
> 
> 
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