Bananas Foster set the culinary world on fire

By Gary Clothier

Question: I've heard of bananas Foster many times, but have no idea what it is. Can you tell me? Who is or what is the Foster in the name?

K.S., San Angelo, Texas

Answer: In the 1950s, New Orleans was the major port of entry for bananas into the United States. Owen Brennan, owner of Brennan's in the French Quarter, challenged his chef Paul Blange to come up with a new creation using bananas in an effort to promote the imported fruit. In 1951, Blange created bananas Foster, using bananas and rum, which was ignited and served over vanilla ice cream. The dessert was named for Richard Foster, the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission, which worked to clean up the French Quarter.

Question: I saw the initials S.F. on an international license plate. What do the initials mean?

J.Z., Lexington, Kan.

Answer: The license plate is from Finland. S.F. stands for Suomi Finland, the names of the country in its official languages, Finnish and Swedish.

Question: Is it true that Lauren Bacall gave her husband, Humphrey Bogart, a whistle just before he died and that he was buried with it?

M.R., Kissimmee, Fla.

Answer: Your facts are close, but you don't win a cigar. Humphrey Bogart was cremated, and his ashes are interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. In his urn, Bacall included a gold whistle charm he had given her, with the inscription, "If you need anything, just whistle." The line is from their first film together, "To Have and Have Not."

Question: How long has racquetball been around?

W.J.S., Danbury, Conn.

Answer: Racquetball is not very old. In 1950, Joseph Sobek designed the game at a YMCA in Greenwich, Conn. Paddle rackets, as he called it, was a combination of rules used in squash and handball. Sobek was the first person inducted into the Racquetball Hall of Fame.

Question: What is the origin of the phrase "Don't count your chickens until they are hatched"?

J.W.D., Independence, Kan.

Answer: The phrase is from one of Aesop's fables from the sixth century B.C. In the story "The Milkmaid and Her Pail," a young milkmaid says, "The milk in this pail will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter, which I will sell in the market and buy a dozen eggs, which will hatch into chickens, which will lay more eggs, and soon I shall have a large poultry yard." She then drops the pail, spilling the milk. Her mother says, "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."

Question: Who was the piano player in the movie "Casablanca"? I read it was Elliot Carpenter, but when my husband and I rented the classic film, his name was not in the credits. Who goofed?

E.J., Newport News, Va.

Answer: No one goofed. Dooley Wilson played Sam, the piano player at Rick's Cafe Americain. Wilson was an excellent singer, but not an accomplished pianist. Elliot Carpenter's playing was dubbed onto the soundtrack.

Question: How many films did Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn make together? How long was their relationship?

J.F., Nashua, N.H.

Answer: Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) and Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) made nine films together, starting with "Woman of the Year" in 1942. In 1943, the two began their long relationship, which lasted until Tracy's death. Tracy was married for the duration of their relationship, and out of respect for his widow, Hepburn did not attend his funeral.

Question: Is there a town or city with an exclamation point? It's supposed to be the only place in the English-speaking world that has such a name. Do you know where it is?

J.K.F., Sedona, Ariz.

Answer: Get out your map of England and look for Devon, on a peninsula in the southwest section of the country. In the northern section of the peninsula, you will find Westward Ho! It was named after Charles Kingsley's 1855 novel of the same name. I have a better one for you.

You'll need a map of eastern Canada for this one. Northeast of Quebec, there is a town called Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

Question: How many presidents of the United States are buried at Arlington National Cemetery? How many people are buried there?

G.T.L., Bedford, Ill.

Answer: There are two presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery: William Howard Taft and John Fitzgerald Kennedy. More than 300,000 people are buried at the cemetery.

Question: When were ready-made dresses first available for women?

E.M.L., Brady, Texas

Answer: Many in the fashion industry call Englishman Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) the father of modern haute couture. In 1858, he produced collections of clothes he designed. Worth's approach was considered novel in that the finished garment was shown on live models and available for purchase. The idea caught on, and fashion houses grew steadily.

At around the same time, Elias Howe invented the power-driven sewing machine. Thanks to the device, clothes were much easier to make. After the invention of a cloth-cutting machine in the 1870s, the ready-to-wear industry took off. By 1910, a woman could buy her entire wardrobe from a ready-to-wear store.

Question: How much did it cost to buy a vowel on "Wheel of Fortune" when the show premiered?

B.D.L., Lynchburg, Va.

Answer: A daytime version of the show premiered on Jan. 6, 1975; the syndicated version that we watch now is in its 30th year. The cost of a vowel has always been $250.

Question: When the 100 billionth Crayola crayon was produced, a special color was introduced. What was the color? Is it still made?

O.D., St. Augustine, Fla.

Answer: The 100 billionth Crayola crayon was made on Feb. 6, 1996. Fred Rogers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" helped design the once-in-a-lifetime color -- blue ribbon. Binney & Smith (now Crayola LLC) made 1 million commemorative crayons.

Through a special contest, Darlene Martin, a grandmother from Port Orchard, Wash., won the actual 100 billionth Crayola crayon and sold it back to the manufacturer for a $100,000 bond. That crayon is now on display in the Crayola Hall of Fame in downtown Easton, Pa.

Question: I read about Monsooned Coffee. According to the description, the coffee is deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in an open warehouse to increase its body and reduce acidity. Should I believe it?

J.W.E., Santa Rosa, Calif.

Answer: Believe it. Sometimes referred to as India Monsooned Malabar, the coffee dates back to the days of wooden sailing ships. Coffee beans underwent a change during the long voyage from India to Europe: The beans changed color to a pale gold, and most of the acidity was eliminated. The sailing ships are now long gone, and processing this unique coffee has changed. During the monsoon season of June through September on the Malabar Coast, dry-processed beans are exposed to the moist winds and allowed to swell to twice their normal size before being processed for the coffee markets of the world.

Question: While vacationing, we visited several southern plantations; I noticed the pineapple was a popular symbol on the front door and gates of the homes. Why?

K.M., Rutland, Vt.

Answer: Historians agree the pineapple has long been the symbol of hospitality, but the agreement ends as to why. The most popular explanation is that a pineapple was scarce and expensive, so when shared with a guest, it signified how special she was.

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.