The shocking truth about Granny Smith

Yes, there actually was a Granny Smith.  That's her right above.  But she was not (gasp) an American.

A resident of New South Wales, Australia, Maria Ann Smith was  the lady who gave us the apple that bears her name.  In fact there's a Granny Smith Festival celebrating the cultivar there every year.   My Food for Thought pard Nancy Leson loves all things apple and wrote about them recently in her Seattle Times column.

As for me, though I have no interest in eating apples they can be useful in a number of non-gastronomical roles.

The old-school kiss-up  Hand one to Teacher. Sure the other kids'll beat you up during recess but is that such a high price to pay for supporting our educational professionals?  And ladies, have you considered...

The Sleeping Beauty Cure for Insomnia  Wake up to a prince (for a change).

Target practice Big win for William Tell and Junior.

"Madam I'm Adam."

–World's first palindrome pickup line.