Ask The Tomato . . .

Let's take a lesson from a Tomato.

Is a tomato a fruit?
Or is a tomato a vegetable?

I guess it depends on who you ask,
and their motivation in answering.

That's a little like people you know in business, huh?

Here's the tomato story:
Some background first.

Despite its association with Italian food,
the tomato originated in South America and was taken to Mexico about 3000 years ago.

The Spanish introduced it to Europe.
But, most of us still love it in Italian food.

Here comes the fruit or vegetable question.

Because the tomato is part of the nightshade family,
early American settlers thought it was poisonous.
That perception changed by the early 19th century when Thomas Jefferson started growing tomatoes.

Botanically speaking, the tomato, along with cucumbers, squash and similar foods, is a fruit because it is fleshy and covers seeds.

In popular use today, they (including the tomato) are all considered vegetables.

How did that happen?
Maybe here's why?

In 1893, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that these types of plants were vegetables because they were served with dinner and not dessert.

There you go...

Why the ruling changing them from the botanical fruits to the political vegetables?

A few years earlier, in 1887, U.S. tariff laws imposed a duty on imported vegetables, but not on fruit.

So what is a tomato? A fruit or a vegetable?

I guess it depends on who you ask.

We could ask the tomato... but that would take a while for the answer.

So, here's the message ...
Who are you going to ask and what's their motivation in answering?

We can assist you in determining what you'll ultimately decide is best for you; and are certainly motivated to help you.

You can check out what is available on the following page . . .

Ask The Tomato