How did the Avocado Conquer the World?

and then a piece of toast on the other. And they didn't even do the work of smashing them together. It was just like overpriced laziness. But I don't know what what what trend are you talking about? It's actually not a dish. So the coolest thing you can do right now with an avocado is to propose with one. And I'm not kidding about this. So the not Cosmo and all these other places have declared that the avocado proposal it's here, Mango, it's here, So I'm excited, but

I don't know what it is. Tell me all right, So basically, people are slicing an avocado in half, taking out a pit and then sticking a little ring in so it stands up right there. Actually, this is kind of grossing me out, but I'm trying to go with it. And so then the moment is right and you just queue up cold play, You get down on one knee, you take that avocado out of your back pocket. I don't know why they're suggesting to keep it in your back pocket, and then you crack it open like a

ring box. And as the not puts it, quote, if you love the farmer's market, this might be your dream proposal. I like that it's the official proposal of like farmers markets. Yeah, I've always looked for one of these. Well, today's show is all about the creamy green fruit from Why you Should Thank a Mailman for your guacamole obsession to win avocado theft became so trendy, So we're about to get knee high on avocados. Let's dive in. Hey their podcast listeners,

welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend Manges Ticketer and on the other side of the soundproof glass, demonstrating the absolute worst way to peel an avocado. I Honestly, I can't even look at I know, I don't think you're supposed to use a vegetable peeler on a Tristan Well anyway, I'm gonna turn my head. But that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. So I realized, you know mego, this

is a slightly grim way to start the show. But I was reading about this recent wave of avocado related injuries, or what they call avocado hand and people are doing serious damage to their hands by trying and of course failing, to cut into their avocados. So that's pretty crazy. Like

I hadn't heard about people injuring themselves on avocados. But it does feel like the same as when bagels became really popular in the nineties and suddenly like every local news story was about people cutting themselves with bagels and how to appropriately slice a baby eagle. It doesn't seem that difficult, but I mean, I guess you don't get

avocados pre sliced. What's the solution. Well, it's actually become a big enough problem that there's this British plastic surgeon and he's been pushing for warning labels to be added to avocados in the UK and apparently, yeah, seriously, apparently he treats an average of four patients a week, four

patients a week for avocado based injuries. So, I mean, it may seem weird to put a sticker and that may actually sound silly, but you can't really blame him for wanting to do something about this epidemic of avocado fails. That's so weird. Like I mean, I feel like you can cut an avocado with a butter knife. You don't need something super sharp to do it. Well. While prepping for today's show, one of my biggest takeaways was that most Americans have always been pretty clueless when it comes

to these leathery fruits. And this confusion actually goes all the way back to the early twentieth century. That's when avocado production was first taking root in the US. But before we get into the state side history, I do want to go back a little further in time because humans have actually been cultivating avocado trees for thousands of

years now. It goes as far back as five VC, and this was mostly taking place in Central and South America as well as Mexico, where the Aztecs were calling the fruit, a word that they used for testicle, and so that was based on what like the fruit shape. Yeah, but but also because avocados typically grown pairs, which I guess further the resemblance. But I get it, I get it. Yeah, it's a great joke that kills at recess. But they

also used to be considered something of an aphrodisiac. But that might have just been Europeans reading too much into the words origin. Like apparently King Louis the fourteen nicknamed avocados the good pair and French you know, pair the fruit, not pair p A I R. But he called it that because he claimed avocado has got him in the

mood and boosted his desire to mate. Well, Louis definitely wasn't the last person to compare avocados to the shape of a pair, because when avocados first started to catch on in the US, people were actually calling them alligator pairs. And makes sense. I mean, obviously that tough outer skin and has that bumpy texture and green coloring. I mean, he does kind of look like an alligator, but it didn't really make for the most appetizing association, as you

can imagine. Yeah, I mean, I guess like biting into an alligator seems like a tough cell. Yeah, and that's exactly what the California Avocado Growers Exchange found when they were trying to expand their business just beyond that home state. And they claim that grim association with you know, with reptiles was kind of ruining the whole operation. And even worse it was, you know, of course, be smirching the good name of the Laurel tree family to which these

avocados belong. And and this is serious because in n seven the trade group released this statement and here's what it says. That the avocado, an exalted member of the Laurel family, should be called an alligator pair is beyond all understanding. Yeah. I love that they thought this would be the thing to change people's minds, Like, I know how we'll get people on board. Let's the people to

everyone's love for Laurel trees. Yeah, that's all it took. Well, I mean, it was maybe kind of a strange play, but they did get smarter about the rebranding. The growers slowly wean the public off of the alligator pair as a nickname, and they first replaced it with a much more appetizing butter pair, and then the somewhat redundant avocado pair before they finally just got people to start calling

them avocados. But even once customers started calling them by the right name, avocado is still faced a pretty uphill battle. So why is that. Well, for one thing, if you think about it, there, they're unlike any other fruits that people were eating because they're not sweet, they're not really good for cooking. They ripened off the tree. I mean,

people didn't really know what to do with them. Yeah, it's finny to think that Mexican culture and cuisine just took to it so quickly, but just one country north were so perplexed by this fruit, like it took so much rebranding and marketing for us to catch on. I mean, the process took most of the twentieth century to get us on board. Yeah, that's true, but it actually is kind of fun to look back and see how avocados kind of gradually took on the characteristics that we most

associate it with them today. For example, the need to grow avocados only in the mildest parts of the country, you know, where you'd find the water and short supply. That really meant avocados often cost more than other domestic fruits, and of course, marketers were aware of how expensive their product was becoming, and that's really why they started pushing for avocados to be paired with other upscale foods like

grape fruit or lobster. And in fact, in the late nineteen twenties, and I've not seen this before doing our research for this week, but the California Avocados Society started taking out ads in Vogue and The New Yorker and they were proclaiming the avocados to be the quote aristocrat of salad fruits. I like, the avocados need to come in top hats and monocles, just like, but you know,

to me, that's less advertising than just calling them alligator pairs. Yeah, but the fruits fancy status kind of stuck, and by the nineteen seventies, avocados had developed this reputation as really more of a luxury item. For example, in nineteen seventy four, the price of a single avocado had soared as high as a full dollar. Now, now keep in mind that's the equivalent of almost five dollars in today's money. That

is crazy. So what about avocado's other big claim, like the idea that they're one of the world's healthiest superfoods. When did that really come about? Well, it really took off in the nineteen eighties, and as you might remember, this is when nutrition experts really started to crack down

on America's fat consumption. So low fat food started appearing on store shelves, and every celebrity you could think of was pushing some sort of patented diet or crazy new piece of exercise equipment, and you know, people begin looking for more and more ways to reduce their fat and take avocad has became a pretty popular target. But wait, aren't avocad is full of like the good kind of fat that kind of actually helps us reduce cholesterol. Like,

why would experts tell people not to eat them? Well, at the time, nutritionists were worried that the American public wouldn't be able to wrap their heads around that distinction between the types of fats, you know, between the good mono unsaturated fats and and the bad saturated fats. So instead they just told people to avoid fats altogether. And that's why, strangely enough, it actually fell to the avocado growers to educate the public about the fruit's true nutritional value.

So in the late eighties, the California Avocado Commission, they worked closely with researchers and funded all sorts of studies on the health benefits of their product. And then the growers spread the good news with a TV ad campaign, and it started Angie Dickinson, and the ads were a huge hit, but they were also pretty scandalous for the time. So, so here's what the ad was. It showed Angie stretched out in these gold stilettos and a white leotard and

she was eating half an avocado with a spoon. And after she lays out how tasty and nutritious the avocados are, she turns to the camera and asked, would this body lie to you? I had, actually, I had forgotten where I got that line from. I know I used that line a lot, and I didn't remember that Angie had created that. I mean, I guess the nutrition experts were wrong to doubt the American public like, we can absolutely understand the health benefits of avocados as long as they're

explained to us by a beauty movie star. So I do feel like Kanye as I'm about to say this because Andie Dickinson, you did a good job, and I'm gonna let you finish. But Mr Ripe Guy is the best spokesperson in the avocado industry. I can't say I'm familiar with his work, So who is Mr Ripe Guy? I can't believe you're asking me that. No. This goes back to the avocado struggle. So after surviving the anti fat movement of the eighties, sales were still suffering to

the public's lack of knowledge about the fruit. So one prime example is that people weren't even sure when to eat avocados. People kept trying to eat them when they were like bright green, because that's when they look the prettiest, instead of waiting until the fruit to turn like a murky brown color, and that's actually when it's most delicious or the rightest to eat. But to combat the problem, the Avocado Commission partnered with an ad agency and created

their very own mascot, Mr Ripe Guy and uh. In true eighties fashion, this California character was basically just an anthropomorphic avocado with a pair of sunglasses on. Wait, you know what this reminds me of? And I collected all of these from I can't remember whether it was McDonald's or Hardise or what it was, but the remember the California Raising definitely, so it definitely feels like California Raisin

rip off. But someone would show up in an avocado suit at various events and uh, this was around the country. They'd share tips as Mr Ripe Guy on how to pick and prep avocados and just generally sing the fruits praises. But the best part of the campaign was when the Commission launched a nationwide search to find Miss Ripe and uh.

Women were encouraged to mail in video cassettes with themselves explaining why they deserved this coveted honor and uh apparently the winner would receive a free trip to Hollywood and a walk on role on Baywatch Nights. I like that it didn't even occur to them that maybe they should win a lifetime supply of avocados. I feel like maybe

they didn't think through this campaign fully. Yeah, I mean, maybe they would have gotten more people to enter, but in the end, at least one woman was interested in what was on offer. The lucky winner was Robin Nardone of Chicago, who I'm sure you remember and she told reporters, gained to be Miss Ripe is like a dream come true. I will bear the title proudly. M that's really sweet.

And of course everybody still talks about that episode of Baywatch Nights that she was on, right, definitely, I'm curious. So did these kinds of stunts pay off for avocado growers? Well, it's hard to say exactly how much of the industry's growth is due to Mr and Mrs Ripe Guy, but there's no doubt that the avocado consumption has gone way

way off since the nineties. For example, by nine, the average American was eating about one point five pounds of avocado per year, whereas in two thousand sixteen that number had actually grown to seven point one pounds per year according to the U. S d. A. Yeah, and and to put that in perspective, the hass Avocado Board reported that four d eighty four million avocados were consumed in two thousand, which sounds like a lot, right, But you fast forward to two thousand twelve and the total had

risen to nearly one point five billion, which is basically are increase over just a decade. I mean, that is pretty amazing. It's also pretty amazing that it's taken us this long to finally mention the H word. So I do want to shift gears and talk about what is undoubtedly the biggest name in the business, and that's the hass avocado. I know we need to explore how the variety came to dominate the market, as well as what that monopoly might be causing us to miss out on,

which sounds good. But before we get into it, let's take a quick break. You're listening to Part Time Genius and we're talking all things avocado, okay, mango. So we've been charting the course of how misunderstood fruit like the avocado wound up as one of the world's trendiest superfoods. And so now we're getting to what's probably my favorite part of the story, which is the contribution of a

Californian maleman named Rudolph Has. And while this story isn't widely known, I'm willing to bet that the name sounds familiar to most of our listeners, and for very good reason, because hass avocados are hands down the most popular avocado, not only in the country, but in the entire world. In fact, there's a good chance that most people have only ever eaten the hass avocado. And that's because percent of the avocados sold in the US and about eighty

percent worldwide are hass avocados. I'm honestly not sure I could even name a different kind of avocado. Well, here's what's crazy, though, is that there's actually more than nine hundred varieties of avocados. You know, some of these things have very different shapes and textures and flavors than that single type that we're used to. But thankfully, the one

type we do have is a pretty good one. Hass avocados have a strong flavor, they're packed with healthy oil, so it's not like we're getting the short into the stick on this. And and there's a reason has is the most popular name in avocados, even if that popularity does result in in a real lack of diversity on the store shelves. So speaking of the name, this is

sort of embarrassing. But I used to think that Hass was just the name of the family farm or like the company that grew them, you know, like Dole or Chiquita. But I didn't know it was actually a fruit variety. Yeah, and I don't think most people do know that, but so so to get back to that, let's get back to Rudolph Hass And he was a postman by trade in the nineteen twenties and then got into horticulture after he saw this magazine ad that showed an avocado tree

with dollar bills growing out of it. I mean, that sounds pretty convincing. So he was hoping to make some money on the side and started buying up seeds and raising these resulting trees at his family home. And this was just outside of l A, So he was grassed from the larger plants to multiply that crop. But there was one seedling in particular. He described it a stubborn baby tree grown from a Guatemalan seed of unknown parentage,

or that's how one local newspaper put it. That it wouldn't accept a graph no matter how hard Hass tried. He considered cutting it down, but instead he just to decide and let it grow unattended as as somewhat of an experiment. And this turned out to be the best decision of hass his life, because when the tree finally bore fruit, it's avocado has tasted better than any other of the varieties available. Well, I mean, first of all, I just love that the world's most popular avocado as

a result of like dumb luck. But also I I'm really curious about these other varieties that predate the hass, like what were the go to avocados of the time and what made the hass one so much better. Well, at the time, the prevailing avocado was called the fuerte, which means strong and Spanish. And admittedly, the fuerte looks more appetizing than the hass. You know, you don't have

that bumpy, thick, black skin of the hass. The the fuerte avocado has more of a smooth and kind of a thin skin, and it actually turns a green color as it ripens. But you know, when you think about taste, hass avocados are way richer and nuttier and creamier than the fueertas, And so this gave them a big advantage in Rudolph Hass his mind. But of course taste wasn't the only thing they had going for them. Another big advantages that the hass avocado trees were easier to grow

than the fuerte trees. They also have longer harvest seasons than other avocados, and they can produce larger quantities of fruit after just a couple of years. But there's one thing that's maybe even more important than all of those things, and that's that these avocados are easy to handle and and even ship long distances. And and that's thanks to that alligator thick skin that we were talking about before.

So when Rudolph Hass realized that he stumbled upon something special, he patented his tree in nineteen thirty five and started working with a local grower to promote this new variety. You know, it's funny when you're talking about the passability of these avocados. You think about other fruit like the red Delicious or the Cavendish bananas, and they are always sacrificing flavor for that durability, and it's amazing to think that the avocado doesn't do that. But uh, I don't

think I realized you could actually patent a tree. Well I didn't either, and apparently neither did anybody else, because you know, sadly the patent was all but ignored by its competitors. In fact, this is how Rudolph's granddaughter, Cindy Miller explained the ordeal in an article about her family story. She writes, since it was the first pen ever issued on a tree, it got no respect. Growers would buy one from Mr Brokaw, who had the exclusive right to

produce the nursery trees. They would then regraph their whole grove with the budwood from that one tree. For that reason, Rudolf has made only five thousand dollars and royalties on his first patent. That's pretty insane, like five grand for coming up with the world's tastiest avocado. It's crazy. Yeah, it's a it's a weird story, but there is a

silver lining for that name. So the avocados that bear his name have become ubiquitous with the fruit, and today millions of his trees can now be found all over the globe. And maybe the craziest part about this whole thing is that all of those trees are genetically descended from that single mother tree that has planted on his property, and that was nearly a hundred years ago. In fact, it's estimated that about eight of all us avocados or

descendants of the hass avocado mother tree. I mean, that's just so weird to think about. And the original tree actually lasted quite a while too. It was on that Hass property until it finally lost the battle with something called root rot disease, and that was back in two

thousand two. But according to Alice Obscura, you can still make a pilgrimage to see the preserved woods from the tree at the broke on Nursery and Ventura, and there's even a plaque there to market its original location in Lahabra, which I think that takes care of my summer vacation plans for that. But you know, uh, Hass having his patent undermine like that kind of reminds me of something weird I noticed while researching, and that's the sheer volume

of crime that the fruit attracts. Like I wouldn't think this before, but you know, you mentioned earlier that avocados were worth the equivalent of what like five dollars each in the nineteen seventies, and at the time, that high value sparked a wave of avocado that's throughout the ord words of southern California. And this was hardly an isolated incident. So just last year, three men were arrested in California for selling over three hundred thousand dollars worth the stolen

hass avocados. I mean, that's insane. And when avocado prices spiked in New Zealand back in two thousand and sixteen, farmers were hit with over forty large scale thefts within a six month period. Wow. I mean, I had no idea that avocado crime was so prevalent, But if you

think about it, I mean, it does make sense. I remember back in our episode on cheese, we talked about how cheese is the most shoplifted item in the world, and that's because it's relatively a small item, it's always in demand, and and it does tend to cost more than other food. So it feels like we've got the same thing going here with the avocados exactly. And and we already mentioned how avocados have long been viewed as a luxury food due to their price, So in a way,

all the crimes surrounding them is to be expected. But one thing nobody expected was the way that avocado farmers in Mexico have been fighting back against their own local form of avocado crimes. Because there's actually one town there that has its own paramilitary avocado protection force. Wait, so where is this It's in a town called Tonsitaro and it's in the Michoakhan region of Mexico. It's uh, it's basically avocado country. The townships over a million dollars worth

of fruit every single day. But back in two thousand six, drug cartels, who are feeling the pinch of a law enforcement crackdown, started turning their attention to Tonsitaro's avocado producers. So of course things get insane, right like the growers quickly become the target of threats, their kidnappings, even some murders. There was a talk of the cartel's season control of the orchards entirely, and that's when the avocado producers decided

to band together and fight back. They create their own local protection force, which was half funded by the government, and today they wear a body armor. They carry these high powered weapons to ward off the cartels and also it gives the citizens a sense of safety. I mean, this sounds scary to me and kind of extreme, but actually it's worked so um. Avocado crimes are way down in Tonsitora, which has allowed the town to once again

focus on what it does best, which is avocados. And in two thousand thirteen, We saw this when a group of four and fifty students in the town set a record for the world's largest serving of guacamole. It weighed an astounding six thousand pounds. Oh wow, I mean, I guess it makes sense that they had those guards on hand, because if you think about that much guacamole is definitely

gonna attract at least a few pieces, I would imagine. Yeah, But now that we've tackled the ceedee world of avocado crimes, there's at least one part of avocado history that I want to get to. But first, let's take another quick break. Okay, mango, So I told you my favorite story. Now it's your turn.

What's your favorite story from the avocado history. So at the top of the show, we talked about the recent dick and accidents where people have stabbed themselves while prepping avocados, and while there's definitely some user error at play there, the real problem is that the avocado has this enormous pit.

And while most foods contain seeds small enough to be swallowed or excreted by humans and other animals, avocado pits can be as big as golf balls, which means that swallowing them is off the table for most of us. M I've always actually wondered about that because from an evolutionary perspective, it doesn't seem like the most effective way for this plant to spread its seeds around. Well, it

isn't anymore, but it used to be incredibly effective. So the part of avocado history that I love the most is the part that explains why the pit is so huge, and for that we actually need to travel all the way back to the dawn of the Cenozoic Era, which is the period after the extinction of dinosaurs when mammals first started to take the stage. But the mammals of the Cenozoic Era weren't just any mammals. They were actually enormous species known as megafauna, and they roamed the Western

hemisphere in droves. All right, So you're talking about things like, you know, sabretooth tigers and mammoths and those rhinos that were honestly, I think they were like the size of

house boats, right, Yeah, that's right. So another dominant megafauna species was the lusted on, which were these fifteen foot tall, two ton ground slots and they wandered the grassy plains of Americas, and just like the slots of today, lusted on mostly eight leaves and grass to survive, but occasionally they would chow dow on more satisfying treats like the tasty avocado. So the avocado, it's also a product of the Cenozoic era, it is, and actually that's really when

the avocado plant came to its prime. So these giant slots would swallow whole avocados. And because these creatures were so massive, their digestive systems were able to process the big seeds without a problem. So they'd kind of feast and then travel around with the seeds in their stomachs, and then they plopped them out in some far away place and new trees could thrive without competition. It was basically an evolutionary wind wind for everybody. And that's probably

why we still have these large pitted avocados today. Wait, are there still mammals that can eat the avocado pits like that? I mean, you know, mega fauna are one thing, but I feel like most slaws would choke if they try to eat a whole avocado at this point. Yeah, you're right. I mean, climate change kind of wiped out

most of the mega fauna in the western hemisphere. This was about thirteen thousand years ago, so according to researchers, North America lost about seventy of it's mega fauna at the time, and South America lost So the vast majority of these large creatures that had helped these avocado trees flourished in the first place were no longer around to feed on them. So I don't get it. I mean, why would wild avocados still produce such large pits if

if it's not beneficial for them. No, it's a good question.

And I was actually flipping through this book by Connie Barlow called The Ghosts of Evolution, and she says that avocados giant seeds are what we called an evolutionary anachronism, So none of today's slots could possibly digest to see that large, but the big pits persist anyway, And as Barlow puts it, quote after thirteen thousand years, the avocado is clue is that the great mammals are gone, and the truth is thanks to us, that's completely fine, right,

Like the avocado doesn't need to change because it's got new champions. We've learned to deal with the big seeds and spread them out in ways that don't involve our digestive tracks. Well, I guess that makes sense. And but but what about those thirteen thousand years between the death of the mega fauna and human cultivation of these avocados. It feels like in all those intervening years, the big seeds they still somehow managed to get spread around even

without those giant mammals. Yeah. So one theories that squirrels and other rodents could have all found avocados rotting on eten on the surface and then buried the pits for safekeeping, and then they'd return later and find that there were these massive trees that's sprout in the place. But I also read an article in Smithsonian and it suggested that jaguars might have been able to swallow and digest the seeds too. So, as they put it, quote, the identities

of the avocados dispersers shifted every few million years. But from an avocados perspective, a big mouth is a big mouth, and a friendly gut is a friendly gut. M I feel like those are words to live by mango, or at least for an avocado. Really, though, it's wild to think that we have these giants slows to thank for all of our avocado toasts and orders of chips and guacamole. And you know, while they aren't swallowing avocados hole like our mega fauna buddies once did, humans have planted them

all over the world. So all in all, I feel like we've been pretty good stewards for the avocado. Well unlikely, it is, right, because not only is the avocado pit way too large for humans to swallow or digest, it can also be toxic to us. So animals like rhinos, which are descended from those house boat sized ancestors you mentioned, they can actually stomach the toxic pits just fine, but humans and most other mammals lack enzyme systems and liver is strong enough to ward off that kind of toxicity.

And in fact, there's this old South American recipe for rat poison that I just found that UH instructs the users to mix some avocado pits with traditional rodent bait like cheese or lard, and that will take care of the problem. Mhm. I do like that a little tox pit isn't going to stop us from eating nearly two billion pounds of avocados each year, speaking which how's I don't want to look, but how's Tristan doing over there?

We're gonna need to take another trip to the er. No, but those avocados really aren't peeled, So why don't we do a quick fact off and then we can help the poor guy out. So most people have heard that a good way to ripe an avocados fast is to put them in a paper bag with like bananas or ripe apple. But if you're looking for more avocado gear

and accessories, you can always purchase an avocado sock. It's a hundred percent wold bag that supposedly ripens the fruit within twenty four hours, and according to the website, it ripens it more gently than a paper bag. Also, it works as a convenient carrying sock for when you want to sling an avocado over your shoulder and just transport the fruit and style. Well, let me know how it goes if you order one of those. I think I'll

wait on your experience first. All right, So here's a trend I definitely won't be indulging in, and that's the avo latte. And this is an Australian specialty where you serve a latte and the hollowed out husk of half an avocado. And while it started out as an Instagram joke at the Truman Cafe in Melbourne when an employee makes coffee and milk and an avocado shell, apparently customers have started pouring in for the drink and other cafes

have started serving it in response. Well, if you love avocados but I hate the pitts, Marx and Spencer is apparently selling a cocktail avocado. So this is according to the Telegraph. But the fruit looks less like a traditional alligator pair, you know, the kind we all know and love, and more like a zucchini. But the big advantage, of course, is that they don't have a seed in them, and while the fruit is grown in Spain, they're apparently really

hard to find. Mark and Spencer only carries them in December for some reason. But uh, maybe we'll be getting him stateside soon. All right. So we were talking about avocados being a member of the prestigious Laurel family previously, and I was a little curious what that meant, so I looked it up and in addition to the Laurel reads that you might get for competing in the ancient Greek games. The avocado has some pretty well known relatives

in the laurel family. The fruit is cousins with bay leaves, sassafrass, and cinnamon. Oh, it's a good family to be a part of. So one of the strangest facts about avocados is that they never ripened on the trees, so basically farmers can plan when they want to pluck them and just store them up there fresh for six or seven months. All right, Well, here's an avocado variation that no one needs, and it's avocado light. It's a diet avocado that apparently

contains thirty percent less fat than your average avocado. Apparently it's a milder taste, but it's a juice here avocado. I've got to say, I'm avocado with fewer calories that taste more watery. Just it doesn't appeal to me. But if they can make an avocado zero, maybe I'll consider it. Well. I think between a diet avocado and proposing with avocados, you truly have your pulicy on the worst things to do with an avocado. So I'm gonna have to give the trophy to you well. Thank you very much, and

thank you guys for listening. I'm sure we've forgotten some great facts about avocad those. We've been looking forward to doing this episode because of the national obsession with avocados these days, so we'd love to hear from you. You You could always email us part Time Genius at how Stuff Works dot com. You can call fact hotline that's one eight four four PT Genius, or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter. Thanks so much for listening, Thanks again

for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people who do the important things we couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan McNeil does the editing thing. Noel Brown made the theme song and does the MIXI mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing. Gay Bluesier is our lead researcher, with support from the Research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams and Eve Jeff Cook gets

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