WHAT I LEARNED

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- JUNE 7, 2025

As I peruse the news, I tend to hone in on things that I increase my knowledge. Learning new things is enlightening and fun at the same time. Besides, you never know when you'll be called upon to add to a conversation. 

For instance, I learned that cilantro tastes like soap for twenty percent of the population. “Many gourmands enjoy topping their fish, salads, and soups with a smattering of this herb. However, others feel like they’re biting into a bar of Ivory Spring.” There is even an “I Hate Cilantro” page on Facebook. (https://interestingfacts.com/why-cilantro-tastes-like-soap/)

I learned that there is a color almost no one can see. “If you’ve never heard of olo, there’s a good reason for that. The new color, described as a 'blue-green of unprecedented saturation,' has been seen by only five people in a laboratory setting, as it’s beyond the range of normal human visibility.” (https://interestingfacts.com/fact/only-five-people-have-seen-new-color-olo/)

 This is the time of year when gardeners are planting their future harvests. I learned that planting tomatoes takes extra vigilance. “Tomatoes are a popular choice for home gardeners and for good reason. They are easy to grow from seed, grow quickly, and produce delicious food. However, when you try to plant things next to them, problems can arise.” TastingTable.com says there are fifteen things to never plant with tomatoes. The list includes:  rosemary, thyme, oregano, corn, beans, strawberries, and sunflowers. More at: https://www.tastingtable.com/1876035/what-to-never-plant-with-tomatoes/.

Also on the food front, I learned some surprising information in an article about which countries produce some of our common foods. You'd think, for example, that pineapples come from Hawaii, but most come from Costa Rica. Our pepper comes from Vietnam, yams are from Nigeria, and we get our coconuts from Indonesia. More odd origins at: https://interestingfacts.com/top-food-exports/. 

Foods and beverages go together, so another trend may be surprising. I learned that the non-alcoholic beer is on its way to becoming the number two category in the world. “Mainstream culture is increasingly embracing buzz-free. The quantity of NA beers being sold worldwide grew by nine percent last year, while the overall beer market’s volume shrank by one percent. The NA beer category is projected to continue growing at an annual rate of eight percent through 2029. In the US, sales of zero-proof alcohol surged twenty-six percent in the year leading up to the Super Bowl.” (https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/2025/05/31/non-alcoholic-to-be-no-2-beer-category)

If you enjoy a frosty NA beer on a hot summer day, I learned keeping those temperatures bearable may be due to an unexpected contribution from an animal. “Penguins could be playing a crucial role in stabilizing the climate in Antarctica when they go number two, according to new research. The ammonia in penguin guano -- or poop -- could help to reduce the impacts of climate change by contributing to increased cloud formation.” 

There is a scientific explanation for this. “Penguins, a key species in Antarctica, are major emitters of ammonia. When the ammonia reacts with gases that contain sulfur emitted from phytoplankton in the ocean, it increases the creation of aerosols, which give water vapor a surface to condense upon and leads to cloud formation, The clouds can then act as an insulation in the atmosphere, helping to reduce surface temperatures, which in turn prevents the sea ice from melting. As the local climate in Antarctica changes and evolves, it will have an influence on climate systems in the rest of the world.” (https://abcnews.go.com/US/penguin-poop-mitigate-climate-change/story?id=122032611)

Finally, perhaps the most bizarre thing I learned has to do with baby names. “Having the right to name your baby (almost) anything you want is as American as pie. In fact, you can actually name your baby American Pie Jones if you want! While laws vary by state, according to USbirthcertificates.com, eleven names have been ruled illegal by the U.S. court system.” The eleven names are: King, Queen, Jesus Christ, III, Santa Claus, Majesty, Adolf Hitler, Messiah, @, 1069. Some states have other restrictions, like limiting the number of characters a name can contain. (https://www.today.com/parents/babies/banned-baby-names-rcna210354 and https://www.usbirthcertificates.com/articles/illegal-baby-names)

These restrictions could be considered strange, but other countries also have banned names. The lengthy list includes: Linda (Saudi Arabia), Metallica (Sweden), Nutella (France), and Duke (Australia). One of my favorites is “Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii” (New Zealand). A banned name from Sweden, however, gets my vote for the most challenging. “BRFXXCCXXMNPCCCCLLLMMNPRXVCLMNCKSSQLBB11116” is certainly unique (to say the least). 

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.