# A world without Indian contributions **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309 "2011-04-22T01:03:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/121 "2011-04-25T14:34:59Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Dont get your dander up. I don’t think that means what you think it means. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/122 "2011-04-25T15:24:44Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I don’t think that means what you think it means. It does in Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/123 "2011-04-25T16:07:23Z")
…aaaaaand we’re back. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/124 "2011-04-25T16:23:26Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Ah, Chocolate!! > > How would be the world be without chocolate, strawberries, vanillas, pineapples, rootbeer, popcorn, peanuts, and the thousands of other American products, that brought flavour to the whole planet? Strawberries? Don’t think so. True that modern cultivars have some south American genetics in their ancestry, but the world already had strawberries before these cultivars came along. ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/125 "2011-04-26T14:51:03Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Strawberries? Don’t think so. True that modern cultivars have some south American genetics in their ancestry, but the world already had strawberries before these cultivars came along. Some? The best part of the strawberries comes from the Americas. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/126 "2011-04-26T15:33:06Z")
I love that fact that you just can’t stop. Welcome to the dope. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/127 "2011-04-26T15:58:19Z")
I thought you left the boards and were never coming back, pinguin. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/128 "2011-04-26T16:12:35Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > He wasn’t even the first European, Leif Ericson kicked his stupid ass by hundreds of years. Further he was reported to be a torturer so vile even the government handling the Spanish Inquisition had him arrested. The Spanish Inquisition had Leif Ericson arrested? Man, I’ll bet he never expected that. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/129 "2011-04-26T16:40:54Z")
Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/130 "2011-04-26T18:41:46Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition! Nitpick: in their later years they went to an appointment system and leaving “Sorry we missed you, we’ll come back later” cards on the door, so that in fact some people did expect them. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/131 "2011-04-26T19:03:35Z")
How come this thread keeps reminding me of this clip from Modern Family? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gXSaI2c0vQY/maxresdefault.jpg "Modern Family [20th Century Fox] : Cam pretending he's Native American") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSaI2c0vQY) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/132 "2011-04-26T22:53:50Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Some? The best part of the strawberries comes from the Americas. :rolleyes: Cite? The best strawberries, IMO, are [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragaria_vesca). Tiny, but greatly superior in flavour to modern large strawberry varieties. But that wasn’t my point - which was that the breeding of modern strawberries was carried out in France in the 18th Century - granted, including genetic material that came from the Americas, but wild species. I don’t think the indigenous people of the Americas contributed a lot to this - perhaps you have a citation that demonstrates otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/133 "2011-04-26T22:58:40Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > How come this thread keeps reminding me of this clip from Modern Family? > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSaI2c0vQY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSaI2c0vQY) I know it’s the wrong kind of Indian, but I was reminded of this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hjWd9a8Ck8U/maxresdefault.jpg "Da Vinci Was Indian | Goodness Gracious Me | BBC") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjWd9a8Ck8U) ---
**Author:** ![Oldeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@Oldeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oldeb)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/134 "2011-04-26T23:16:14Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > But that wasn’t my point - which was that the breeding of modern strawberries was carried out in France in the 18th Century - granted, including genetic material that came from the Americas, but wild species. I don’t think the indigenous people of the Americas contributed a lot to this - perhaps you have a citation that demonstrates otherwise? You don’t understand. Native Americans lived in the same area first. Therefore they invented the strawberry. Personally I don’t see why he aims so low. Native Americans lived in the same region as the tomato. Tomatoes are needed for marinara sauce. Marinara sauce is used when making pizza. Pizza is the main item at Pizza Hut. Therefore Native Americans invented Pizza Hut (and every other pizza chain) since without them it wouldn’t exist. They also invented peanut butter, just cause they were bored. ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/135 "2011-04-26T23:47:28Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > But that wasn’t my point - which was that the breeding of modern strawberries was carried out in France in the 18th Century - granted, including genetic material that came from the Americas, but wild species. … Fellow. The strawberries were wild, indeed. But that isn’t the point. A French spy **robbed** those plants from Chile, my country, which was under the Spanish Empire administration at that time. :rolleyes: France. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/136 "2011-04-26T23:49:52Z")
> [@Oldeb](#): > > You don’t understand. Native Americans lived in the same area first. Therefore they invented the strawberry. Just shut up. :rolleyes: > [@Oldeb](#): > > Personally I don’t see why he aims so low. Native Americans lived in the same region as the tomato… Tomatoes that exist thanks to thousand of years of selective breading. > [@Oldeb](#): > > They also invented peanut butter, just cause they were bored. Peanut butter is peanuts. Natives also invented the first powdered dehidrated foods! I won’t tell you what is it. Look for it, aren’t you the expert? smart guy. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/137 "2011-04-27T07:14:22Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Fellow. The strawberries were wild, indeed. But that isn’t the point. A French spy **robbed** those plants from Chile, my country, which was under the Spanish Empire administration at that time. :rolleyes: > > France. Ha! If I’d realised this was a joke thread, I’d not have laboured the point. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/138 "2011-04-27T08:04:54Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > And I can assure you the effort to develop Tenochtitlan, or the infrastructure of the Inca empire, has nothing to envy to the overvalued Romans. I would say the Romans were centuries ahead of the development curve. ---
**Author:** ![pinguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac8455/32.png) [@pinguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinguin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/139 "2011-04-27T15:10:04Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I would say the Romans were centuries ahead of the development curve. They were very mediocre students of the Greeks, but I could agree they were centuries ahead in the Cruelty Curve. What a perverse people, these Romans :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309/140 "2011-04-27T17:57:09Z")
> [@pinguin](#): > > Just imagine how boring would be to still eat the Roman and Medioeval diet of meat, bread, honey and butter… Not boring at all. Search\* Cafe Society\*, we’ve had recent threads about this…here’s [one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=596832&highlight=Medieval), there’ve been others. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-world-without-indian-contributions/579309.md?page=8)