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capons/capers

Zoe, Jenny is right that capons are birds, specifically, castrated 
roosters, i.e., capon is to chicken as steer is to cattle. Capers are 
pickled flower buds, of the caper bush, a Mediterranean plant (that's 
real helpful, huh? but that's all it said in my dictionary--someone once 
told me they were something like nasturtiums).

There's a great film scene very early in the 1970s remake of _Invasion of 
the Body Snatchers_ in which Donald Sutherland, as a health inspector, 
gets into an argument with a restaurant chef. Sutherland thinks the 
little round things in the sauce are rat turds, the chef insists they're 
capers--it's almost worth renting the video :-)

Capers are a bit pricey, about $2 for a pretty small bottle, but tasty. 
And you don't use many--or in too many dishes.  People seem to either 
love 'em or hate 'em.  I love them, but once a year or so when I pull a 
jar off the store shelf, Joe makes a terrible face and says "_What_ do 
you want those things for?"  Oh well. Otherwise he has a pretty 
discerning palate, so it's a minor annoyance.

Vicki

................................................................................
Victoria Modarresi					Dept. of English
vmodrsi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx				University of Arizona
(520)621-1836			FAX (520)621-7397	Tucson, AZ 85721
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