Etc...

Hey, how about this pea pod?

Looking forward to the 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing but concerned about the potential for the athletes to be fed tainted food because of the communist giant's widely publicized pollution problems? Then you may be interested in a new policy on the matter that has been announced: By order of the government, a number code will be assigned to every carrot, head of cabbage, water chestnut – indeed every ear of baby corn – that will find its way into a wok in the kitchens of the Olympic village. This, according to a report in the Beijing News, is designed to ensure that there are no "safety incidents" that could result from less than wholesome meals being served to the competitors, their coaches, trainers, and assorted team officials. But in the event an incident does arise, the newspaper says the file of each vegetable can be checked by computer and its origin traced back to the farm where it was grown. Somewhere in excess of 5,000 tons of vegetables are expected to be needed for the 2008 games, most of them probably from northern provinces that are notorious for high levels of pesticides and other chemicals in their soils. No word on whether the policy also applies to fruit.